The Canadian Open has a proud history, boasting winners like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, and Novak Djokovic since the turn of the millennium. But in 2026, the tournament is fighting a familiar battle: keeping its biggest names in the draw.
More than 14 players across both tours have confirmed withdrawals, headlined on the ATP side by Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and Djokovic. Neither Alcaraz nor Sinner has competed at the event since 2023, and Djokovic has stayed away since 2018. Joining them on the men's absentee list are Jack Draper, Holger Rune, Tomas Machac, and Sebastian Korda, with Machac and Korda both managing injuries that kept them off the Wimbledon courts as well.
With so many withdrawals, Alexander Zverev, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Alex de Minaur are set to be the top three seeds in the men's draw. Zverev is the only one of that trio who has actually lifted the trophy here, doing so back in 2017 when he defeated Federer in the final.
The women's draw has taken an equally heavy hit. Karolina Muchova, fresh off her Wimbledon final appearance, is recovering from minor surgery. Emma Raducanu's stress fracture, which already forced her out of Wimbledon, will keep her sidelined further. Hailey Baptiste and Victoria Mboko are both dealing with serious knee injuries, while Jasmine Paolini, Dayana Yastremska, and Petra Marcinko have also withdrawn. Aryna Sabalenka's participation remains unconfirmed, with reports suggesting she too will skip the event.
That leaves Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula, and Coco Gauff as the projected top seeds in Toronto. It should be noted that TennisDraw users heavily backed Alcaraz and Sinner for deep runs before the withdrawal news broke.
