Canadian Open withdrawal list: 12 top stars join Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner by pulling out of the event

The Canadian Open was once one of the biggest events on the tennis calendar, but it’s become a footnote for many of the top players in recent years.

The tournament has been won by the likes of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, and Novak Djokovic since 2000, but the last two years at least has seen players shun the event.

Novak Djokovic has not played the tournament since 2018, while Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s omission from this year’s event means they won’t have played the tournament since 2023.

That has tended to lead to more opportunities for lesser-ranked players at the event, with Ben Shelton and Leylah Fernandez landing the titles in 2025.

However, this year’s event has seen just as many lower-ranked stars drop out as top ranked stars, as the likes of Jack Draper and Holger Rune have joined Alcaraz, Djokovic, and Sinner.

ATP players to withdraw from the Canadian Open

• Carlos Alcaraz
• Jannik Sinner
• Novak Djokovic
• Jack Draper
• Holger Rune
• Tomas Machac
• Sebastian Korda

Tomas Machac and Sebastian Korda have also confirmed they will not be playing the event, as they both try to recover from injuries that kept them out of Wimbledon.

The top seeds at the event on the men’s side will now be Alexander Zverev, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Alex de Minaur. Zverev is the only player of the top three seeds to win the event, but that came all the way back in 2017, when he defeated Federer in the final.

On the WTA Tour side, Karolina Muchova, who confirmed she would not be playing the event after undergoing ‘small surgery’ following her Wimbledon final appearance, will not be playing the Toronto event.

WTA stars who have pulled out of the Canadian Open

• Karolina Muchova
• Victoria Mboko
• Hailey Baptiste
• Emma Raducanu
• Jasmine Paolini
• Dayana Yastremska
• Petra Marčinko

Tennishead are reporting that World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka will not be playing the event, although that is yet to be confirmed by the Masters event.

Muchova will be joined by Victoria Mboko and Hailey Baptiste, both of whom have suffered major knee injuries in the 2026 season.

Baptiste suffered an ACL and meniscus injury in her left knee at Roland Garros, while Mboko suffered an MCL injury on her left knee after a fall at Queen’s.

Elsewhere, the stress fracture in Emma Raducanu’s foot, which kept her out of Wimbledon at the last minute, will also force her to miss the Canadian Open.

Jasmine Paolini, Dayana Yastremska, and Petra Marinko will also not be playing the Masters event.

The top seeds in the women’s draw will now be Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula, and Coco Gauff. Pegula is a two-time winner of the event, but Rybakina and Gauff are yet to claim the title.

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