The 2025 Canadian Open faces yet another setback, with reports confirming that Carlos Alcaraz is the fourth high-profile player to withdraw from the tournament.
It was confirmed on Sunday that Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic and Jack Draper have all withdrawn from the Masters 1000 event in Toronto.
According to a report by Spanish newspaper Marca, Alcaraz will join that trio by skipping the Canadian Open, which will be held from July 27 to August 7.
The world No 2 was beaten in four sets by Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon final earlier this month – a loss that snapped his 24-match win streak.
The five-time Grand Slam champion is expected to return to action at the Masters 1000 event in Cincinnati, which begins on August 8.
Alcaraz also missed the 2024 edition of the Canada Masters in Montreal, which was staged after the Olympic Games in Paris.
Alex Corretja, a Spanish tennis great and renowned analyst, recently urged Alcaraz not to play in Canada.
“I never interfere in the schedule my great friend Juan Carlos Ferrero decides with Carlos Alcaraz, but I just hope he doesn’t go to Toronto,” the two-time French Open runner-up and former world No 2 told Carrusel Deportivo.
“I say this with all the affection and respect for the Canadian tournament. But I think Alcaraz would need to recover from all these efforts now.
“We’re not talking about whether he won the Wimbledon final or lost it. We’re talking about the fact that he’s been in London for a month, that he won Queens.
“All of that takes its toll, and the surface changes, press conferences, doping controls, now a hotel, then a plane.
“All of this is very tiring. I think Carlos Alcaraz needs a bit of rest right now, so that in the second half of the season, when he sometimes loses some steam, he doesn’t really end up feeling so weak for the rest of the season.
“They should seriously consider what they have to do, and whatever they decide will be fine because they are the team. But from the outside, I think, please don’t let him go.”
In the absence of Sinner, Alcaraz, Draper and Djokovic, the top four seeds in Toronto are set to be Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz, Lorenzo Musetti and Ben Shelton.
