Overview

• Carlos Alcaraz cited small muscle issues and the need for physical and mental rest after Wimbledon as reasons for his withdrawal from the National Bank Open.
• His exit means four of the top six men’s seeds, including world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic and Jack Draper, will be missing from the singles draw.
• With those absences, world No. 3 Alexander Zverev and No. 4 Taylor Fritz have been elevated to the top of the field.
• The Canadian Open’s new 12-day schedule squeezes rest time after Wimbledon, intensifying concerns about player fatigue ahead of the US Open.
• National Bank Open director Karl Hale lamented the absence of marquee names, noting that Canadian players such as Denis Shapovalov and Felix Auger-Aliassime could seize the spotlight.