“He has turned his back on history,” another attack on Jannik Sinner

In recent days, Jannik Sinner officially announced his decision not to participate in the Montreal Masters 1000: “It’s never easy to skip such an important event, but we believe this is the right decision to prioritize my health. “I’m sorry I won’t be able to be there, but I’m looking forward to returning to Montreal in the future,” said the South Tyrolean.

Not everyone was pleased with the world No. 1’s decision, including journalist Ben Rothenberg, who wrote on his X profile: “The fact that Jannik Sinner has withdrawn from Montreal, ending his bid for a historic Masters 1000 double, is a huge blow and should set off major alarm bells at the ATP.”

“Normally we wouldn’t make a big deal out of it, but Sinner has turned his back on history by saying goodbye to the chance to win nine Masters 1000 titles in a single year. The hardest part had already been done; he’s in excellent form, and yet he decided not to compete,” wrote Rothenberg.

In addition to Sinner, Novak Djokovic has also decided to withdraw from the Montreal Masters 1000, and Carlos Alcaraz—who is still recovering from a wrist injury—will not be there either. Valérie Tétreault, the tournament director, commented on the recent withdrawals with a certain degree of bitterness: “We are obviously very disappointed that Jannik and Novak will not be joining us in Montreal this year, especially after they also withdrew from last year’s tournament in Toronto.”

“We respect their decisions and understand that, with such a demanding schedule, the players’ health must remain the priority. That said, we believe the frequency of these last-minute withdrawals in recent years raises a broader issue for our sport. The Masters 1000 tournaments are among the most important on the circuit, and fans rightly expect to see the world’s best players compete.”