{"id":2086568,"date":"2026-08-10T15:32:03","date_gmt":"2026-08-10T12:32:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2086568"},"modified":"2026-08-10T15:32:03","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T12:32:03","slug":"canadian-open-tournament-director-speaks-out-after-alcaraz-sinner-djokovic-led-withdrawals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2086568","title":{"rendered":"Canadian Open tournament director speaks out after Alcaraz, Sinner, Djokovic led withdrawals"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"ps-article-content rounded-lg lg:mt-5 lg:border lg:border-card lg:bg-card lg:shadow-primary\">\n<header>\n<h1 class=\"py-4 text-xl font-normal text-title sm:text-2xl\">Canadian Open tournament director speaks out after Alcaraz, Sinner, Djokovic led withdrawals<\/h1>\n<div class=\"my-2 flex items-center justify-between\">\n<div class=\"flex items-center\">\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/author\/ewan-west\" class=\"text-sm font-normal !text-author\"><br \/>\n                            Ewan West                        <\/a><br \/>\n                        <time class=\"ml-3 text-sm font-normal text-info md:ml-4\" datetime=\"10 Aug 2026 4:32 PM\" data-ps-date=\"10 Aug 2026 4:32 PM\" data-ps-datetime=\"1786375923\"><br \/>\n                            10 Aug 2026 4:32 PM                        <\/time>\n                    <\/div>\n<div class=\"hidden justify-end space-x-4 text-xl sm:flex sm:!opacity-100\">\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/google.com\/preferences\/source?q=tennis365.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\"><br \/>\n                            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"mx-auto !my-0 hidden dark:block h-6\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/content\/themes\/tennis365-sportsui\/img\/png\/preferred_source_badge_dark.png\" alt=\"Add as a preferred source on Google\" width=\"76\" height=\"24\"><br \/>\n                       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<button id=\"t365-article-share-btn-hidden\" class=\"mr-2 hidden h-6 w-6 appearance-none border-none !text-share-icon outline-none hover:!text-share-icon-active sm:hidden\" data-title=\"Canadian Open tournament director speaks out after Alcaraz, Sinner, Djokovic led withdrawals\"><\/p>\n<p>                        <\/button>\n                    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"-mx-3 sm:-mx-5 border-b border-page\"><\/div>\n<section>\n<div class=\"-mx-3 sm:-mx-5\">\n<figure class=\"aspect-h-9 aspect-w-16 relative\">\n                                        <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1320\" height=\"742\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"w-full h-full object-cover object-center !my-0\" src=\"https:\/\/d2me2qg8dfiw8u.cloudfront.net\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Jannik-Sinner-Carlos-Alcaraz-and-Novak-Djokovic-1320x742.jpg\" alt=\"Pictured: Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic\">                <\/figure><figcaption class=\"flex items-center space-x-3 border-b border-mobile-caption px-3 lg:border-caption\">\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"my-1.5 break-words !text-xs !text-content\">\n                                Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic                            <\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<div class=\"ciam-article-t365\"><!-- Article Start --><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tag\/jannik-sinner\">Jannik Sinner<\/a>, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic all missed the 2026 Canadian Open, and the tournament director has spoken candidly about these setbacks.<\/p>\n<p>Alcaraz, who has been sidelined since April due to a right wrist injury, did not enter the Masters event in Montreal, while Sinner and Djokovic both withdrew on 24 July \u2014 the week before it began.<\/p>\n<p>A total of 16 players \u2014 eight men and eight women \u2014 pulled out of the combined ATP\/WTA 1000 tournament in Canada before main draw play got underway.<\/p>\n<p>Valerie Tetreault, a Canadian former WTA player, was appointed as the National Bank Open tournament director in 2022.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking to <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lequipe.fr\/Tennis\/Article\/Un-masters-1000-de-montreal-ouvert-comme-jamais-entre-defections-des-meilleurs-et-eclosion-de-la-nouvelle-generation\/1709641\" target=\"_blank\">L\u2019Equipe<\/a>, Tetreault was open about the blow of Sinner and Djokovic withdrawing on the same day before this year\u2019s event.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is my fourth tournament and I think it was one of my toughest days,\u201d said Tetreault.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNormally, tough days are related to the weather, but here we had a lot of setbacks to take in a short period of time.<\/p>\n<h2>More Tennis News<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tennis-news\/jannik-sinner-injury-update-usopen-knee\"><strong>Jannik Sinner injury update: Initial reports similar to first Carlos Alcaraz claims after wrist injury<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tennis-news\/arthur-fils-sends-message-rafael-jodar-canadian-open-match\"><strong>Arthur Fils sends message to Rafael Jodar before their Canadian Open blockbuster<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Want more from Tennis365? Add us as <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=tennis365.com\" target=\"_blank\">a preferred source on Google to your favourites list<\/a> for tennis coverage you can trust.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf we had to write an ideal scenario, we wouldn\u2019t have written it like this.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe like surprises (smile), but we especially like a balance between surprises and big seeds who are doing well.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Asked about the success of rising players like Rafael Jodar, Jakub Mensik and Arthur Fils in Montreal, Tetreault said:\u00a0\u201cI\u2019d like the story to unfold so that this becomes something of a Next Gen tournament.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think it could be quite interesting for local fans to be among the first to see them all advance in a tournament at the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She added, though, that Ben Shelton defending his title would be a popular outcome for the event\u2019s organisers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI can\u2019t hide it, we\u2019d welcome a victory from Ben Shelton,\u201d said Tetreault.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s the defending champion and the most recognisable name still in the draw.<\/p>\n<p>Prior to the Canadian Open, Tetreault said the late withdrawals from the tournament \u201craises a broader issue for our sport.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe respect their decisions and understand that, with such a demanding schedule, players\u2019 health must remain the priority,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat said, we believe the frequency of these last-minute withdrawals in the last few years raises a broader issue for our sport.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMasters 1000 events are among the flagship tournaments on the tour, and fans rightfully expect to see the world\u2019s best compete.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are already in discussions with the ATP to ensure this matter receives serious consideration.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>READ NEXT: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tennis-news\/cincinnati-open-withdrawals-jannik-sinner-withdraws\">Cincinnati Open withdrawal list: 14 names now out as Jannik Sinner withdraws<\/a><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><!-- Article End --><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Canadian Open tournament director speaks out after Alcaraz, Sinner, Djokovic led withdrawals Ewan West 10 Aug 2026 4:32 PM Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic all missed the 2026 Canadian Open, and the tournament director has spoken candidly about these setbacks. Alcaraz, who has been sidelined since [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,249],"class_list":["post-2086568","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-tennis365-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2086568","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2086568"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2086568\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2086568"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2086568"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2086568"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}