They were joined in withdrawing by four-time champion Novak Djokovic<\/a>, who doesn\u2019t plan on returning to the court until the US Open.<\/p>\n In their absence, several players have taken advantage, including Alexander Zverev<\/a> and Karen Khachanov, who both advanced to their first Masters 1000 semifinals of the season.<\/p>\n Only time will tell if either player, or the remaining quarterfinalists, Alex de Minaur, Ben Shelton, Andrey Rublev, or Taylor Fritz<\/a>, can win the title, but it will certainly be interesting to see who prevails in Toronto.<\/p>\n A lot has been made of the court conditions in Toronto this year, with players comparing them to those in Montreal, as the event switches locations annually.<\/p>\n Commenting on the two locations, former ATP star John Isner<\/a> has revealed whether he preferred playing the Canadian Open in Montreal or Toronto.<\/p>\n John Isner \u2018liked\u2019 how they switched between two locations but \u2018preferred\u2019 Montreal<\/p>\n During the latest episode of \u2018Nothing Major\u2019, Isner shared his thoughts on the two Canadian Open<\/a> locations.<\/p>\n \u201cI like how they do it. It\u2019s a different look every year,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cI personally preferred Montreal. The city in my mind, I preferred it.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought the atmosphere on site, there were crazy tennis fans there in a good way. But both tournaments were very solid, and I always enjoyed going up there.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I enjoyed the back and forth of it.\u201d<\/p>\n Isner\u2019s co-host, Jack Sock<\/a>, then weighed in with his thoughts, suggesting he preferred the tournament in Toronto.<\/p>\n \u201cI liked the city of Toronto better, so I preferred that one. I think I might have played better in Montreal,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cI never had that great results there, so it was never an exciting week for me, to be honest.\u201d<\/p>\n Former world number 11 Sam Querrey<\/a> agreed with Sock, although he admitted he struggled at both events.<\/p>\n \u201cI preferred Toronto, but I never had great results,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t love either one, but I liked the city of Toronto more than the city of Montreal; therefore, I liked the tournament more.\u201d<\/p>\n Isner, Sock, and Querrey all have their own opinions about Toronto and Montreal, but at which event did they actually perform the best?<\/p>\n John Isner, Jack Sock, and Sam Querrey\u2019s best Canadian Open performances<\/p>\n Throughout their careers, the trio made several trips to Toronto and Montreal, enjoying varying degrees of success.<\/p>\n John Isner\u2019s Canadian Open recordToronto \u2013 SF (2012, 2021)Montreal \u2013 QF (2015)Jack Sock\u2019s Canadian Open recordToronto \u2013 3R (2016)Montreal \u2013 3R (2015)Sam Querrey\u2019s Canadian Open recordToronto \u2013 3R (2012)Montreal \u2013 3R (2017)<\/p>\n Whilst Sock and Querrey struggled in Canada, Isner often found himself making deep runs.<\/p>\n However, whilst he claimed he preferred Montreal, his career-best results came in Toronto, where he reached two semifinals, in 2012 and 2021.<\/p>\n Entering the tournament as the number eight seed, Isner made a fantastic run through to the last four in 2012, before losing out to Frenchman Richard Gasquet<\/a>.<\/p>\n RoundOpponentResultScoreSFRichard Gasquet (14)Loss6-7, 3-6QFMilos Raonic (16)Win7-6, 6-43RPhillipp Kohlschreiber (12)Win6-7, 6-4, 6-42RPablo AndujarWin7-6, 7-5John Isner at the 2012 Canadian Open (Toronto)<\/p>\n Coming up short against Gasquet in 2012, he returned to the semifinal stage nine years later, on his final appearance at the Canadian Open.<\/p>\n RoundOpponentResultScoreSFDaniil Medvedev (1)Loss2-6, 2-6QFGael Monfils (11)Win7-6, 6-43RAndrey Rublev (4)Win7-5, 7-62RCristian Garin (13)Win4-6, 6-3, 6-41RAlejandro Davidovich Fokina Win6-4, 6-1John Isner at the 2021 Canadian Open (Toronto)<\/p>\n![\"Novak](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/GettyImages-2223968969-1-1024x631.jpg\")
Photo by Rob Newell \u2013 CameraSport via Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"John](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/GettyImages-1234662774-1024x688.jpg\")
Photo by Vaughn Ridley\/Getty Images<\/p>\n