World No.1 Sinner and Djokovic withdraw from Montreal Masters, joining injured Alcaraz

Sinner, Djokovic and Alcaraz all out

Jannik Sinner, the world No.1 and reigning Wimbledon champion, has pulled out of the Montreal Masters citing a need to prioritise his health. Novak Djokovic, the 39-year-old former world No.1 who holds the men's record for Grand Slam titles, is also absent. Carlos Alcaraz had already withdrawn because of a right wrist injury that has sidelined him since April. The triple withdrawal leaves the hard-court event, a key US Open warm-up, without the world No.1, the world No.3 and the most decorated Grand Slam champion in the men's game.

After carefully considering all the factors together with my team, we have made the difficult decision to withdraw from Montréal. It is never easy to miss such an important event, but we believe this is the right decision to prioritize my health. I'm disappointed not to be there, but I look forward to returning to Montréal in the future.

Sinner's historic streak halted

The Italian had won all five Masters 1000 tournaments played this season (Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, Madrid and Rome), a run that, combined with victory at the 2025 Paris Masters, gave him six consecutive titles at the level. The Rome title also gave Sinner the career set of all nine Masters 1000 events, a feat only Djokovic had achieved before him. Sinner's unbeaten sequence now ends in Montreal, denying him any chance of a rare calendar-year sweep of the Masters series.

Djokovic's selective schedule

Djokovic's absence is less surprising. The Serb has contested just five tournaments in total this season, with only two of those outside the Grand Slams. He reached the Wimbledon semi-finals where he lost to Sinner, and continues to focus his body on the four majors. He last played the Canadian Open in 2018, though he won the title four times (2007, 2011, 2012, 2016).

Alcaraz targets Cincinnati return

The 23-year-old Spaniard, ranked third in the world, has not competed since withdrawing from the Barcelona Open in mid-April because of the wrist problem. He missed both the French Open and Wimbledon and is aiming to come back at the Cincinnati Masters, which begins just after Montreal. Alcaraz has played the Canadian event only twice, the last time in 2023 when he reached the quarter-finals.

Organisers push for calendar reform

Tournament director Valérie Tétreault acknowledged the challenge of late withdrawals, linking the pattern to the expanded 12-day format of Masters 1000 tournaments and the congested summer calendar.

The Masters 1000 are among the flagship tournaments on the circuit, and fans have every right to expect to see the world's best compete.

She revealed that organisers are in talks with the ATP about adjustments that "are necessary in the near future to better protect the integrity of our Masters 1000 events, while taking into account the realities players face."

What happens next

With Sinner and Alcaraz out, Germany's Alexander Zverev, the world No.2, becomes the first seed. Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime, ranked fourth, is the second seed. The field still includes top-10 players such as defending champion Ben Shelton, Alex de Minaur, Daniil Medvedev, Flavio Cobolli and Taylor Fritz. The tournament runs from August 1 to 13 on hard courts, offering a prize fund of $9,415,724. Sinner and Alcaraz are expected to reappear in Cincinnati before the US Open begins on August 31.