Alexander Zverev has a chance to redeem himself as big names withdraw from the Canadian Open

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The Canadian Open field has been decimated over the past few days, as several top seeds withdrew from the tournament.

Over the weekend, Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic withdrew from the Canadian Open, handing over the number one seed to Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz.

Not holding on to that for long, Alcaraz announced he won’t be making the trip to Toronto, as he turns his attention to the Cincinnati Open.

Britain’s Jack Draper will also skip the Canadian Open while he recovers from an injury, as four top-ten players are set to miss the tournament.

Their loss could be another player’s gain, as the new number-one seed has a golden opportunity to redeem himself at the Canadian Open.

Alexander Zverev can redeem himself by winning the Canadian Open as the number one seed

Following the withdrawals, Alexander Zverev became the number one seed for the 2025 Canadian Open, ahead of America’s Taylor Fritz and Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti.

• 1. Alexander Zverev
• 2. Taylor Fritz
• 3. Lorenzo Musetti
• 4. Ben Shelton
• 5. Holger Rune
• 6. Andrey Rublev
• 7. Frances Tiafoe
• 8. Casper Ruud

Earlier this year, Zverev, then ranked number two in the world, became the ‘de facto’ number one when Sinner received a three-month suspension from tennis.

Many wondered whether the German could chase down the number one ranking in Sinner’s absence, but he was unable to do so.

Entering eight events as the number one seed, Zverev managed to win just one, an ATP 250 event in Munich, as he struggled to live up to expectations.

Suffering shock defeats to lower-ranked players Francisco Comesana, Learner Tien, and Tallon Griekspoor, Zverev failed to take advantage and soon gave up the number two ranking to Alcaraz.

Now trailing world number one Sinner by 6,000 points, it seems highly unlikely that we will see Zverev reach the top spot any time soon.

However, he does now have an opportunity to redeem himself and prove that in the absence of some of the world’s best players, he can capitalise and pick up another Masters 1000 title.

If he were to do so, Zverev would re-establish himself as a contender at the sport’s biggest tournaments in the lead-up to the US Open.

Who else is in contention to win the Canadian Open?

Zverev will likely touch down in Toronto as the favorite, but he certainly won’t be the overwhelming favorite, as several other players look to pick up a big win.

Number two seed Fritz hasn’t won a Masters title since Indian Wells in 2022, but has recently rediscovered his form and could well meet Zverev in the final.

Fritz’s fellow American Ben Shelton may be another to watch out for, as he searches for his first title above ATP 500 level.

The likes of Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, and Frances Tiafoe could also be dangerous, but the reality is, anyone can win the Canadian Open.

Since 2020, we’ve seen four first-time winners at the Canadian Open, including two unseeded champions.

• 2021 – Daniil Medvedev
• 2022 – Pablo Carreno Busta (unseeded)
• 2023 – Jannik Sinner
• 2024 – Alexei Popyrin (unseeded)

Last time around, Australia’s Alexei Popyrin shocked the world, qualifying for his maiden Masters 1000 final, picking up big wins over Shelton, Grigor Dimitrov, Hubert Hurkacz, and Sebastian Korda along the way.

In the final, Popyrin defeated Rublev to become the lowest-ranked Canadian Open champion of the 21st century.

The world number 24 would no doubt love a repeat of his 2024 success this time around, and may well be in with a shout of doing just that following the mass withdrawals.

Only time will tell if Popyrin, Zverev, Fritz, or any other big names can take advantage and win the Canadian Open, but you certainly won’t want to miss any of the action when the tournament begins on Monday, August 4.