ATP told to enforce major rule change so Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic can compete at Canadian Open

The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) have been urged to make a major change which may allow Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner to take part in the Canadian Open after recently confirming their absence.

Several players, including Sinner, Djokovic, Alexander Bublik and Sebastian Korda, have already confirmed they will not take part in the Masters 1000 event, which gets underway on August 1 and runs through to August 13.

The tournament is split between Montreal, where the men's competition is held, and Toronto, where the women's competition takes place, with the locations alternating each year.

Last week, world No. 1 Sinner released a statement explaining how he made the “difficult decision” to withdraw to “prioritise” his health.

World No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz will also skip the tournament as he recovers from a wrist injury ahead of a potential return at the final major of the season, the US Open.

Ex-tennis star urges major change to ATP schedule

And former professional tennis player turned broadcaster Andrea Petkovic believes the reason for the mass withdrawals is down to the increased length of the ATP Tour, with Masters events expanded from seven to 12 days from 2025.

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Discussing why so many male players have pulled out on the Big T Podcast, she said: “I do think that it’s not only the placement in the calendar, it’s that the men do play three, four weeks longer. The women are done after the first week in November, which is already an absurdly long season if you compare it to other sports.

“There is not a single sport that doesn’t have a six-week break somewhere, or an eight-week break. Sometimes tennis doesn’t have that, right? You have to somehow get your vacation in and then already prep for the next season.

“And I think for the men, because the season is even longer than for the women already, they have to manage their energies. And I do think that it is an issue, also a little bit, with the two-week events. I don’t think all two-week events are problematic.

“But if you have Cincinnati and Montreal back to back as two-week events, it’s too much. It’s too much. And so I think the best players like Jannik and like Novak, they will think, ‘Where are all the players that I need to play against if I want to see where my form is at before the US Open?’”

The Cincinnati Open takes place between August 13 and 23, with Djokovic already confirming his participation.

Petkovic added: “That’s Cincinnati. And so they make a choice. And it’s unfortunate for Canada because it’s a lovely place. Montreal was always one of my favourites on tour.

“I loved going there. But I do think for the men it’s much more crowded than for the women. I think that’s why the women go and play, and the men have to, I don’t know if they have to choose, but they choose not to.”

The ATP Tour concludes at the Davis Cup Finals in late November, while the WTA Tour ends with the WTA Finals taking place at Indian Wells between November 8 and 15.