Canadian Open tournament director Karl Hale has said he is “disappointed” that Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic have withdrawn from the tournament in Toronto.The three are the biggest names on the men’s side of the sport, but they have elected to miss the competition in the first year that it is running as a 12-day event, rather than for 10 days.Speaking to Mundo Deportivo, tournament director Hale said: “Obviously, we’re disappointed with the withdrawals.

“But we’ve spoken with the players, we’ve spoken with the tour, Andrea [Gaudenzi], the CEO of the ATP. He’s coming this week, so we’ll be having discussions with him about how to improve the situation.

“It’s a new 12-day model, so we’ll work through the process. But so far we’re pleased with it and will continue to grow as we move forward.”

Despite the trio’s absence, Hale believes that the tournament’s popularity continues to grow, and that it may break its own attendance record given the two extra days of play.

“The good news is that last Sunday, all the tickets were already sold – and no one even knew what matches would be played. So tennis is doing really well in this market,” Hale added. 

picture

‘Nervous’ Kyrgios ready for return in DC after ‘difficult last couple years’

Video credit: SNTV

“We expect to break attendance records by the end of the tournament – the trend is stronger than in 2023.

The three players took the decision to withdraw amid regular complaints from athletes over the amount of tennis they are required to play to keep their place in the rankings.

By missing the competition, they will keep their powder dry for the Cincinnati Open, which plays an important part in the warm-up for the upcoming US Open.

Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas have already been eliminated from the tournament, but Hale dismissed the idea that the top players are struggling with fatigue.

He said: “It’s an opinion. I don’t necessarily agree with it. As you can see, the competition has been outstanding – some of the best tennis I’ve seen on the men’s side, with great matches and top seeds still in play.

“We’ll speak with the players about their concerns and with the tour about how we can improve the calendar and do the best we can. That’s our goal moving forward.”

On Sunday, Frances Tiafoe is due to play Alex de Minaur, Andrey Rublev to face Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Flavio Cobolli will take on Ben Shelton, and Jiri Lehecka will come up against Taylor Fritz, with the tournament currently in the round of 16.

The final of the event will take place on Thursday, August 7.

The first match of the US Open, the final Grand Slam event of the 2025 season, is scheduled to begin on August 24. All three of Sinner, Alcaraz and Djokovic are expected to take part.

Watch and stream top tennis action live and on demand on TNT Sports and discovery+