MONTREAL (AP) 鈥� World No. 1 Jannik Sinner and 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic have withdrawn from the National Bank Open.
Tennis Canada announced Friday that neither will compete in Montreal after both players were included on the entry list for the ATP Masters 1000 tournament beginning Aug. 1.
Seven-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz was not included on the player list as he continues to recover from a right wrist injury that forced him to miss the French Open and Wimbledon.
鈥淎fter carefully considering all the factors together with my team, we have made the difficult decision to withdraw from Montreal,鈥� said Sinner, who won at Wimbledon earlier this month.
鈥淚t is never easy to miss such an important event, but we believe this is the right decision to prioritize my health. I鈥檓 disappointed not to be there, but I look forward to returning to Montreal in the future.鈥�
French Open champion and Wimbledon runner-up Alexander Zverev will be the tournament鈥檚 top seed.
Montreal鈥檚 F茅lix Auger-Aliassime will be seeded second, making him the highest-seeded Canadian in the tournament鈥檚 history.
Sinner, Djokovic and Alcaraz 鈥� the three biggest draws in men鈥檚 tennis 鈥� also missed last year鈥檚 event in Toronto, when the 12-day tournament began just two weeks after Wimbledon.
Tournament officials had expected fewer withdrawals this year, with the event starting three weeks after the Wimbledon finals, and expressed their frustration in a press release.
鈥淲e are obviously very disappointed that Jannik and Novak won鈥檛 be joining us in Montr茅al this year, especially after they also withdrew from last year鈥檚 tournament in Toronto. We respect their decisions and understand that, with such a demanding schedule, players鈥� health must remain the priority,鈥� NBO tournament director Val茅rie T茅treault said in a statement.
鈥淭hat said, we believe the frequency of these last-minute withdrawals in the last few years raises a broader issue for our sport. Masters 1000 events are among the flagship tournaments on the tour, and fans rightfully expect to see the world鈥檚 best compete.鈥�
The 24-year-old Sinner and the 39-year-old Djokovic could return to action at the Cincinnati Open, with main draw play beginning the day the National Bank Open ends, before the U.S. Open in late August.
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