Several of the biggest names in tennis have pulled out of the Canadian Open as the US hard court season begins in strange fashion.
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are not playing in Canada, with Novak Djokovic and Jack Draper also dropping out of the Toronto competition.
Alcaraz and Sinner’s omission leaves a massive hole on the ATP Tour, as well as a strange pivot in the race for the World No. 1 spot by the end of the year.
It leaves the Canadian tournament lacking in star power and fans think they know the reason for the sheer amount of players dropping out.
ATP Tour summer break slashed in half in last decade as Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner withdraw
The ATP Tour has rapidly expanded over the years, with scarily few breaks for players between January and November.
The end of Wimbledon used to provide a slight break for the top players, but the Canadian Open has been brought forward by the organisers.
This year’s event is starting two weeks earlier than the same event a decade ago, leaving players in a difficult position following a gruelling Grand Slam at SW19.
It’s likely the reason for a number of players skipping the Canadian tournament, particularly with two ATP 1000 events back-to-back with Cincinnati beginning on the same day as the Toronto final.
Tennis fans have urged the ATP Tour to change the schedule so tournaments are not sparsely populated by the top stars.
Fans call on the ATP Tour to change the season layout
Fans are furious at the lack of top stars at the Canadian Open and believe the ATP Tour should act immediately in order to stop it happening at several more tournaments.
“The ATP programming is getting worse,” said one fan on X. “Tennis players travel all year, a sensible rest would be appropriate.”
Another fan wrote: “Bring back the old one week Masters format and see the difference. Money over health!”
The draw for the Canadian Open is yet to be confirmed. The tournament begins on July 27 and runs until August 7.