Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner have raised fresh injury concerns after pulling out of the upcoming Canadian Masters tournament.
Whilst withdrawals from the sixth Masters 1000 of the season are not rare – considering their place in the post-Wimbledon calendar – the latest news will be a significant blow for organisers.
To make matters potentially trickier for players, both the Canadian Masters and the Cincinnati Masters are now two-week events, with participants having a day off between matches, but within a further expanded draw.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion recently exited Wimbledon looking severely compromised in a 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 loss to Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals of Wimbledon.
Djokovic suffered a nasty slip on match point against Flavio Cobolli in the round prior, but was unwilling to detail specifics about the true extent of what appeared to be a hip or upper-leg issue.
“Honestly, it wasn’t really a pleasant feeling on the court,” said Djokovic, after his fifth consecutive loss to Sinner
“I don’t want to talk, in details, about my injury and just whine about not managing to play my best. I want to congratulate Jannik for another great performance. That’s it. He’s in the finals. He was too strong.
“I do feel disappointed that I just wasn’t able to move as well as I thought or hoped that I would.
“It’s just age, the wear and tear of the body. As much as I’m taking care of it, the reality hits me right now, last year and a half, like never before, to be honest.”
The Serbian superstar hasn’t competed in Canada since 2018.
Meanwhile, Sinner – who recently lifted his first Wimbledon title – also made the decision to skip the event, where he is a former champion (2023).
Whilst the world’s best player looked in scintillating form for much of the grass-court Grand Slam, he did suffer from elbow discomfort during his fourth-round and quarter-final matches, wearing an arm sleeve for the remainder of the tournament.
