Alexander Zverev has taken full advantage of Carlos Alcaraz’s absence and kept himself in the conversation alongside Jannik Sinner. After finally breaking through for his first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros earlier this year, Zverev built on that momentum with a strong Wimbledon campaign.

The German had never previously found much success at the grass-court major. Before the 2026 tournament, he had not gone beyond the fourth round. This time, riding the confidence of being a Grand Slam champion, he reached the final for the first time and produced a high-level contest against Sinner on Centre Court.

Zverev even claimed the opening set before eventually falling in four sets, but the run underlined the progress he has made across the season. He is now World No 2 in the ATP Tour rankings, and Andrea Petkovic believes that position reflects a player ready to challenge for the top spot for the first time in his career.

Speaking to Sport1, Petkovic said: “I think that window of opportunity is definitely there. If Sascha continues where he left off at Wimbledon, the chance is absolutely there.

“Of course, Sinner and Alcaraz will continue to set the tone, so it will be anything but easy. At first, I had the feeling that the old and the new Alexander Zverev were on the court at the same time. The longer the season went on, the more the new style of play prevailed.

“Wimbledon finally showed me that he now completely believes in this game. This is no longer a short-term adjustment, but his new identity on the court. He is more mature, more robust today and knows very well which path he wants to take.”

Zverev’s next assignment is the Canadian Open, where he will be the top seed after Sinner confirmed he would not play the Masters event. Djokovic is also absent, leaving Zverev as the clear favourite.

The German has not won the Masters event since 2017, when he beat Roger Federer, Denis Shapovalov, and Kevin Anderson to lift the title. A victory would add more ranking points and further trim the gap to Sinner. After Wimbledon, 4970 points separated the two, so there is still work to do. Even so, the ATP Tour has already shown how quickly the picture can change.

The conversation around tennis withdrawals has grown so prominent that it is now shaping the discussion as much as the tennis itself, and the latest Canadian Open announcement only sharpened that concern.

Organisers in Montreal have confirmed that world No 1 Jannik Sinner and 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic will not play next month, joining injured Carlos Alcaraz on the list of absent stars. Their decisions leave the first Masters 1000 event of the North American hard court swing facing another round of uncertainty, with elite players increasingly treating it as a tournament to miss.

Sinner and Djokovic can still turn to the Cincinnati Open later in August as preparation for the US Open, but that does little to help the Canadian event, which is beginning to look vulnerable when it comes to maintaining its standing. The ATP 1000 tournaments are mandatory, yet players who withdraw are only hit with a reduced share of ATP bonus pool payments at season’s end.

For players of Sinner and Djokovic’s financial standing, that punishment is unlikely to be decisive. The more striking response came from the tournament itself, where officials signalled that the issue has become serious enough to prompt discussions with the ATP Tour.

“We are obviously very disappointed that Jannik and Novak won’t be joining us in Montreal this year, especially after they also withdrew from last year’s tournament in Toronto,” said the Canadian Open’s tournament director Valerie Tetreault.

“We respect their decisions and understand that, with such a demanding schedule, players’ health must remain the priority.

“That said, we believe the frequency of these last-minute withdrawals in the last few years raises a broader issue for our sport.

“Masters 1000 events are among the flagship tournaments on the tour, and fans rightfully expect to see the world’s best compete.

“We are already in discussions with the ATP to ensure this matter receives serious consideration.”

A rule change that would punish top players for missing Masters 1000 events appears improbable, while calendar adjustments are also difficult after the move to 12-day events. That leaves the Canadian Open in an uncomfortable position, with the possibility of more withdrawals still to come.

Jack Draper’s 2026 campaign has been repeatedly disrupted by injuries, but he is now approaching a timely return that could reset the tone of his season.

After recovering from an arm problem in February, Draper began to show flashes of the level that carried him to World No 4 last season. He collected wins over Novak Djokovic, Francisco Cerundolo, and Roberto Bautista Agut before another setback hit at the Barcelona Open. There, a knee injury against Tomas Martin Etcheverry halted his progress and kept him sidelined until the grass-court stretch.

Even then, the run was brief. Draper managed only one grass event, reaching the semi-finals in Eastbourne before his arm forced him out of Wimbledon.

Now he is due back at the Washington Open, and there has already been an encouraging sign from courtside. Christian’s Court posted on social media: “ Draper just won a practice set 6-1 vs Shelton. Jack’s left arm and serve looked good; Coach Murray’s happy with his return too.”

That is an important update for Draper, particularly because Shelton is not an easy benchmark. He is ranked inside the top 10 and arrives as the second seed in Washington. If Draper can produce the kind of level that can trouble Shelton, it would point to a strong week ahead, which he badly needs.

There is also a wider implication. Draper is currently set to need qualifying to reach the US Open main draw, so a deep run in Washington could improve his case for a wildcard.

Shelton, though, may have concerns of his own. “Shelton’s FH has been very off though. Something to look out for next week,” said the update. He was beaten in the first round of Wimbledon by Otto Virtanen after being expected to go much further, and his 2026 season has already included both three ATP titles and early exits at Wimbledon, Roland Garros, Rome, Madrid, and Miami.

Draper opens against Alex Michelsen, while Shelton will face a qualifier or lucky loser. The main draw begins on Monday, July 27th.