The 2025 Canadian Open lost another heavyweight as world No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz withdrew from the tournament. The Spaniard announced on Monday that he will not play for Toronto, and instead will recover from the tour from a tough start.
“After weeks of competition without rest, I won’t be able to play in Toronto this year. I have small muscle issues and I need to recover physically and mentally for what comes next,” Alcaraz wrote on social media. “I’m sorry to meet the tournament and Canadian fans, I’ll see you next year!”
Alcaraz joins a number of high ranking players who have come out of the tournament, citing injuries and recovery. The tournament was No. 1 in the ATP rankings on Sunday, Jannik Sinner. 6Novak Jjokovic announced that he had escaped from the competition, citing injuries and rest. Additionally, Jack Draper, ranked fifth, also missed the contest due to an arm injury.
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Last week, Thinner took home his first Wimbledon title in the High Stakes, winning a highly viewed rematch against Alcaraz. Djokovic is dealing with the Quad injury that affected his performance at Wimbledon.
In addition to these three and Alcaraz, four of the top six male species will be absent at the singles competition in Toronto.
The Canadian Open (officially known as the National Bank Open, presented by Rogers by its sponsorship) is one of nine tournaments categorized as the ATP Masters 1000, marking in key respects just below the Grand Slam. Competition usually hosts most of the top competitors, but it’s not uncommon for players to take one of them off to get rest.
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In Alkaraz’s case, he is already having a very busy year. The Spaniard drastically won his first French Open, playing a final against the sinners at Wimbledon, during which he won two other small titles (Monte Carlo Masters and the Italian Open).
With Alkaraz, the sinners and others, the main draw in Toronto will likely be third-placed Alexander Zverev and fourth-placed Taylor Fritz. Zverev is stepping into Fritz. The German won the Canadian Open in 2017, but Fritz has yet to advance past the third round.
No. 7 Lorenzo Musetti and No. 9 Holger Rune will also compete, but the highest-ranking Canadians, Dennis Shapovalov and Felix Auger Aliasime (27th and 28th respectively), will try to win the trophy at home.
