Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic out of Canadian Masters with injury blows - Spotlight shifts to Carlos Alcaraz
"I'm really disappointed to be missing the National Bank Open in Toronto, especially as I have such fond memories of playing in Canada," Sinner, who picked up an elbow injury at SW19, said.
"Winning that title in Toronto two years ago was the start of a really special moment for me, but after speaking with my team, I have to prioritise my health. 'I would like to thank Karl Hale, the tournament director, for everything he does, and I'm looking forward to returning to Canada and Toronto in the future to play in front of the great fans.'
The Toronto Masters 1000, scheduled from July 27 to August 7, is set to miss several tennis superstars due to this year's crammed calendar, with Wimbledon concluding just two weeks prior. Sinner, Djokovic and Draper have already confirmed their absence due to injuries. According to Spanish outlet MARCA, Alcaraz may also skip the Canadian tournament. While his participation is not officially ruled out, Alcaraz has said he will listen to his body and take adequate rest to be in peak condition for the US Open, the season's final Grand Slam, held from August 24 to September 7.
He will play in Cincinnati to play the Masters 1000 prior to the New York Grand Slam from August 7 to 18.
Alcaraz will be coached by Samuel López in Ohio and Juan Carlos Ferrero in New York. Both were present during his campaigns in France and England. At the US Open, Alcaraz will have his first realistic opportunity to close the gap on Sinner for the world number 1 spot. He is defending just 50 points, compared to Sinner's 2,000. Across the entire American hard-court swing, Alcaraz has only 60 points to defend including just 10 from Cincinnati while Sinner stands to lose 200 points from skipping Canada and 3,000 points overall from his titles in Cincinnati and the US Open.
Toronto will be the second Masters 1000 event the Spaniard misses this season, following his withdrawal from the Mutua Madrid Open due to a muscle injury. He also skipped Montreal last year, owing to its close proximity to the Paris Olympic Games. His most recent appearance in Canada came in 2023, where he reached the quarterfinals before losing to Tommy Paul.
By missing Toronto, Alcaraz also loses the opportunity to close a 1,180-point gap with Sinner. While Sinner drops 180 points from last year's quarterfinal loss to Rublev, Alcaraz could have gained 1,000 by winning the title making this a significant missed opportunity in the battle for the top ranking.
Novak Djokovic will also miss the Canadian Open due to fitness concerns following an awkward fall during his Wimbledon quarterfinal earlier this month against world number 18 Flavio Cobolli. This marks the seventh time he has skipped the tournament, with his last appearance in 2022.
"After Wimbledon I picked up an injury in my left arm, nothing serious, but I have to make sure it recovers fully for the rest of the season," said the Serb.
"Unfortunately, I won't be able to compete in Toronto and Cincinnati. See you in NYC."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
17 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
At Oval, India finally shake hands with English cricket
For the Indian team, the Oval Test is when they finally came face to face with English cricket conditions they had expected on the tour. The situation, after almost two months on the road (and four energy sapping games across England during an unusually hot summer) was similar to going to a big party where you meet the host only as you are about to leave. Ben Stokes and Ravindra Jadeja shake hands for a draw on day five of the fourth Test in Manchester. (AFP) At Old Trafford, Jadeja famously refused a handshake with Stokes to make a point. At the Oval, India could not turn down the handshake with English cricket. Cricket, more than other sports, is impacted by conditions – the nature of the pitch and nature itself, heat, breeze, humidity, moisture, cloud cover. Conditions vary from country to country and the challenge of playing in India and overseas is starkly different. For Indian batters used to slow and low pitches, batting in England can be particularly tricky. The magic mantra is to reboot technique – play late, don't go hard at the ball. Play with soft hands, close to the body. Abandon all thoughts of hitting through the line. With grey skies, green wickets, swinging/seaming conditions in England, batters with weak techniques get found out. That is why success here brings respect and is a tick on the CV. This tour, England caught India by surprise. India played four Tests in England in (almost) Indian conditions, in grounds with large number of Indian fans – it was home away from home. But the Oval flicked the switch. The wicket was green, not brown. The light has been dull for long periods on the first three days. The pitch has been spicy and seaming, not batting friendly. The ball has moved, jumped and come to batters in crooked, wobbly lines instead of staying straight. Plus the rain and spitting drizzle resulted in a stop-start kind of play, the situation batters dread. When you play, come off and restart, batters are never 'in'. It's like being on zero all the time. But the batters' nightmare made for riveting, compelling cricket. After the run feast in the previous four Tests this was bat versus ball on more equal terms. The ball repeatedly sailed past the edge, which reminded one of the classic comment about a batsman who kept getting beaten but not edging. Noticing the growing frustration of his bowler the captain comforted him. 'Be patient,' he said, 'he will nick it soon as he gets his eye in.' Batters hate interruptions but spectators in England take such pauses in their stride. Soon as the umpires walk off and the ground staff start wheeling in the covers, long queues build around bars and food stalls. They know from experience that rain breaks are part of the game as much as basic uncertainty (it takes one ball to dismiss a player), the law of averages (Bradman made a zero in his last Test innings) and sledging. What would cricket be if there was no on-field needle (Gill versus Crawley, Akash Deep versus Duckett, Prasidh Krishna versus Root) and 'off-field' flare ups (Gambhir versus curator). In a way, it is fitting that India met typical England cricket at the Oval, the scene of their famous first ever series win against England in 1971. Chandrasekhar's 6/38 is etched in our cricket history as is Gavaskar's epic 221 during a fourth innings chase. The Oval, home of Surrey, has a proud history dating back to 1864 when it first won the County championship. At present it is the best performing team, having won the County championship the last three years. Ollie Pope is captain, Sam Curran is a key player and Sai Sudharsan a contracted foreign professional. Over the years, Surrey has had a long list of greats. Batsmen: Ken Barrington (Test avg 58.67), John Edrich (Test triple hundred) and Peter May (England captain). Bowlers: Alec Bedser (1,500 first class wickets) and Jim Laker (19 wickets in one Test). Surrey's greatest star is Jack Hobbs, who scored almost 61,000 first-class runs, including a staggering 197 hundreds, half of these after the age of 40. Interestingly, besides its cricket success, Surrey is one of the few Counties that is commercially profitable. The Oval has successfully monetised its infrastructure and smartly combined cricket and commerce to generate revenue. In London, The Oval and Lord's are only a short distance apart but miles away in character and culture. Lord's is aloof, intimidating, exclusive; Oval functional, friendly, accessible and accepting. It has an India hall, an Australia suite and a West Indies room and hospitality boxes named after Clive Lloyd and Dennis Lillee. The contributions of Intikhab Alam, Kumar Sangakkara and Hashim Amla are recognised and respected. But Lord's stands alone in terms of its history and brand value. The Oval team in The Hundred went to MI for around £60 million. Lord's was bought by a US-based tech group for a whopping £149 million.
India Today
an hour ago
- India Today
Canadian Open: Defending champion Jessica Pegula stunned by World No.386 in major upset
Anastasija Sevastova shocked the tennis world by beating defending champion Jessica Pegula at the Canadian Open in Montreal on August 1, 2025. Sevastova, ranked No. 386 and returning from injury and maternity leave, came back from a set down to win 3–6, 6–4, 6–1 in one of the tournament's biggest ranked No. 5 and the two-time defending champion, started strong. She took the first set easily and was up 2–0 in the second. But Sevastova stayed calm and slowly turned the match around. She began hitting more winners and made fewer mistakes, while Pegula started to struggle under don't know. Somehow, I was down 2-0 in the second set and started to play better and better. Third set, I played really well. Just trying to stay on the court as long as possible,' Sevastova said after the match. 'Just trying to stay on the court' In the final set, Sevastova dominated. She broke Pegula's serve three times and played confidently on her own serve. She saved 9 of 13 break points and converted 6 of 10 chances to break Pegula. It was a complete turnaround from the start of the 35, was out of tennis for over a year due to a torn ACL and the birth of her child. She returned to competition just 13 months ago using a protected ranking. This win is her biggest since coming back and shows she can still compete with the upset in Montreal Anastasija Sevastova defeats defending champion Jessica Pegula to advance at #OBN25 Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) August 1, 2025With the win, Sevastova ends Pegula's 11-match winning streak at the Canadian Open. She now moves on to face Naomi Osaka in the fourth round — another big test for the veteran Latvian."Somehow, I was down 2-0 in the second set and started to play better and better. Third set, I played really well. Just trying to stay on the court as long as possible,' Sevastova is next set to lock horns with four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka, who beat 22nd seed Naomi Osaka 6-2, 6-4 in the Round of 32.- Ends
The Hindu
2 hours ago
- The Hindu
World Swimming Championships 2025: Ledecky pips McIntosh for 800m freestyle title; USA sets new world record
Katie Ledecky showed she is still the gold standard in the 800 metres freestyle after ending Summer McIntosh's bid for five individual titles while fending off Australian surprise package Lani Pallister at the world championships on Saturday. American Ledecky had to fight all the way in a thrilling three-way battle to secure her seventh world title in the event and 23rd overall in a time of 8:05.62 at the Singapore pool. With three gold medals in the bag and grinding through a huge programme, McIntosh mounted a brave challenge and took the lead with 100 metres to go as fans roared in the stands. But Ledecky found another gear to snatch back the lead then rode home with the gallant Pallister (8:05.98) pushing her to the finish. (L-R) Gold medallist Katie Ledecky of USA and silver medallist Summer McIntosh of Canada pose on the podium. | Photo Credit: AFP 'I kind of figured it was going to be more than just Summer,' said Ledecky. 'Definitely the fastest field in the 800 ever ... I'm happy I could come out on top.' McIntosh, who finished 1.67 seconds behind Ledecky, had hoped to match Michael Phelps's feat of winning five individual gold medals at a single world championships. But the 18-year-old Canadian can finish off a brilliant campaign with gold in the 400 individual medley (IM) on the final day on Sunday. Record-breaking relay While McIntosh may one day be held in the same esteem as nine-time Olympic gold medallist Ledecky, Australia's Kaylee McKeown has already cemented her place as the greatest backstroker in women's swimming. ALSO READ | United States breaks mixed 4x100m freestyle relay world record The only woman to win back-to-back Olympic 100m and 200m backstroke golds, McKeown completed another double in Singapore with an emphatic win in the 200m. Once again it was American Regan Smith looking to take down McKeown, only to be reeled in on the last lap as the Australian dominator clocked 2:03.33, the third fastest swim of all time. It was nearly a second better than Smith (2:04.29), who had taken silver behind McKeown in the 100m and 200m at the Paris Olympics and again in the 100m in Singapore. Fastest off the blocks, McEvoy once again denied Ben Proud (21.26) gold, having beaten the Briton to the Olympic title by a fingertip in Paris exactly a year ago. | Photo Credit: AP Just like in Paris, McKeown's win came straight after compatriot Cameron McEvoy stormed to his second 50m freestyle title in 21.14 seconds, becoming the oldest Australian world champion at the age of 31. Fastest off the blocks, McEvoy once again denied Ben Proud (21.26) gold, having beaten the Briton to the Olympic title by a fingertip in Paris exactly a year ago. Leon Marchand and his 200m IM world record was one of the biggest headlines from the Singapore meet but another Frenchman grabbed the spotlight on Saturday. Maxime Grousset rocketed to his second 100m butterfly world title in 49.62, beating Swiss Noe Ponti and recording the third quickest swim of all-time in the event. Only American world record holder Caeleb Dressel (49.45) has gone faster. It was Grousset's second butterfly title in Singapore, having also beaten Ponti for the 50m on day two. Gretchen Walsh kept the U.S. team medal haul ticking upwards with a dominant victory in the 50m butterfly, adding to her 100m title in Singapore. Touching the wall in 24.83 seconds, Walsh was nearly half a second better than runner-up Alex Perkins, who set an Australian record of 25.31. There was more cheer for the United States as Jack Alexy, Patrick Sammon, Kate Douglass and Torri Huske combined to win the non-Olympic mixed 4x100m freestyle relay gold in a world record time of 3:18.83, shaving nearly half a second off Australia's mark from the event two years ago in Fukuoka (3:18.83). Marchand, the 'French Phelps', will look to add the 400m IM title to his 200m IM gold on the final day. | Photo Credit: Getty Images Apart from McIntosh's 400m IM title bid, there are seven other gold medals on offer in a packed programme on the final day. Marchand, the 'French Phelps', will look to add the 400m IM title to his 200m IM gold, while German iron man Florian Wellbrock will gun for the 1500m freestyle title to boost his bumper haul after sweeping the open water events.
