The withdrawals of Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic from the Canadian Open have once again sparked debate around the packed tennis calendar.
After Sinner and Djokovic pulled out of the ATP Masters 1000 event, Canadian Open tournament director Valerie Tetreault called for changes to be made to the schedule, with the tournament having experienced several big last-minute withdrawals over the past few years.
The Canadian Open is in an awkward position in the calendar, placed just after Wimbledon when many stars are looking to take a break after the demanding clay and grass swings.
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Sinner was bidding to become the first player ever to win all nine ATP Masters 1000 tournaments in a season, but the Italian felt the need to forgo the historic feat by skipping Montreal and prioritising his body.
As well as the two withdrawals, the Canadian Open will also be without Carlos Alcaraz, who is still recovering from a wrist injury.
After the news was made public, former British number one Greg Rusedski had sympathy for Sinner and Djokovic and blamed the ATP’s two-week Masters format.
Greg Rusedski reacts to the big Canadian Open withdrawals
Speaking on his podcast, ‘Off Court with Greg‘, Rusedski said: “Well, let’s look at what happened in Paris, the French Open. So he won all the Master Series going in. And then in Paris, he was a little bit tired.
“So he’s looking at preparation to win in New York. He wants to win a second Slam this year. He wants to be world number one at the end of the year again. And it’s just too long.
“Let’s look at it. Some players go to Washington. Montreal is a two-week event. Then Cincinnati is a two-week event. Then you’ve got a week in between before the US Open.
“So most Europeans don’t want to get there too early. In my day it was a lot easier. You play Cincinnati for one week. Montreal was one week or Toronto, whichever way the order was. Week off, then the [US] Open.
“So being away that much time is too long. And also he doesn’t want to burn out before the US Open. So it makes sense.
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“But from the Montreal and Toronto tournament point of view, when the men’s are either Montreal or Toronto, it is tough for them. They pay a lot of money for a Masters series. The history of the event is huge.
“On top of that, to lose two years in a row, Alcaraz, Sinner, Djokovic, it hurts the tournament. You’re talking about the three biggest stars in tennis.
“So from my point of view, I understand why the tournament directors are upset. They’re angry because last year the tournament director said, look, we’re going to get Alcaraz and Sinner next year. It didn’t happen two years in a row. It hurts the event.
“And everybody’s complaining about the two-week master series. This is a perfect example why they don’t work. But the players wanted more money. So they got more money because of the fact that they made longer events and more revenue.
“I understand why the big names have pulled out, especially Novak Djokovic. I mean, he’s barely played any tennis this year and still made the Australian Open final and semis at Wimbledon. And at 39 years of age, you can pick and choose. But the Sinner-Alcaraz miss is huge.”
Greg Rusedski praises Jannik Sinner for his decision
Sinner may never get a chance at winning all nine Masters events in a season again, but Rusedski praised the world number one for his decision.
“Sinner never makes the same mistake twice,” said Rusedski. “That’s where he is brilliant. And that’s why you look at what he’s achieved in his career and where he wants to go.
“I mean, he is the dream player to work with because he analyses it. He looks at each person on the team. He looks at his schedule. He would have reflected with Darren Cahill.
“What is the best schedule? Do I go for the nine? Do I not go for the nine? And they’ll say, what is the ultimate goal? What do you want to look back at your career? How many Slams you had or winning nine Masters, which would be an incredible feat. But it’s highly unrealistic to win all those.
“And also the other one that sometimes struggles at the end of the year is the Paris Masters, unless guys are trying to get in the top eight at the end of the year.
“So Montreal and Paris, where they’re sandwiched in the calendar, make it a little bit more difficult, unless they shorten the weeks.”
Sinner had won the first five Masters tournaments of the year in Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo, Madrid and Rome, needing just Canada, Cincinnati, Shanghai and Paris to complete the set.
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