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Djokovic, Alcaraz, Sinner skip Canadian Open; tournament chief disappointed
Some of the world's biggest tennis stars like Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, and Jannik Sinner decided not to play in the Canadian Open this year. They chose to rest and prepare for the US Open by playing in Cincinnati instead. This decision has left Canadian Open tournament director Karl Hale disappointed.
The Canadian Open was made bigger this year. A total of 96 men are competing instead of 56 in previous seasons. The tournament has also been extended from 10 days to 12. However, even with the changes, stars like Alcaraz and Sinner decided to miss out, while Djokovic hasn't played the tournament since 2019.
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'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,' Hale was quoted as saying to Mundo Deportivo.
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Why Novak Djokovic withdrew from Cincinnati Open 2025 as former World No. 1 cuts down on tournaments
It is important to note that the Canadian Open is not part of the Grand Slam series despite being the second-oldest active tennis tournament in the world.
Sinner, Alcaraz, and Djokovic last played at Wimbledon 2025. Sinner defeated Djokovic in the semi-finals and then went on to beat Alcaraz in the final, claiming his first Grand Slam title since returning from a doping ban in May. He had lost the final of French Open and Italian Open to Alcaraz before that.
Alexander Zverev qualifies for semi-finals
Alexander Zverev rallied from a set down to beat defending champion Alexei Popyrin 6-7(8) 6-4 6-3 and move into the semi-finals on Monday.
Top seed Zverev was unable to convert two set points in a tight first set, but built up 3-0 leads in both the second and third sets to clinch the win in two hours and 42 minutes.
The victory took the German's head-to-head record against Australian Popyrin to 4-0 and sent him to his 75th semi-final on the ATP Tour, joining Novak Djokovic as the only active men's tennis player to have reached the mark.
'I had to tell myself, even though I lost the first set, I thought we were both playing actually quite well,' said Zverev, who won the Canadian Open in 2017.
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'I had to find a return position in the beginning because he's a very big server, and when he gets into a rhythm, it's very difficult against him.
'I did that in the second and third set. Honestly, I can't complain about much. I played one loose game on my serve in the second set, but apart from that, it was pretty good.'
Zverev next faces Russian Karen Khachanov, who beat Alex Michelsen of the United States 6-4 7-6(3).
(With agency inputs)
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