Jannik Sinner’s decision to pull out of the Canadian Open drew attention for more than one reason, as it temporarily halted his pursuit of a rare place in tennis history.

The world No. 1 had been in position to chase the full set of nine Masters titles in a single calendar year, a feat no player has ever completed. Before the Canadian event, Sinner had already captured Indian Wells, the Miami Open, the Monte Carlo Masters, the Madrid Open and the Italian Open. Four tournaments remained on the list, and Montreal was expected to be one of the key stops.

Instead, Sinner withdrew from the tournament, joining Novak Djokovic in pulling out. The move was widely met with approval from former players and commentators, many of whom linked it to the growing strain of the new two-week Masters format.

That expanded structure has become a major point of discussion across the tour. Several Masters tournaments, including the Canadian Open, now run over 12 days rather than the traditional seven, a change that has not been universally embraced by players.

Andy Roddick, speaking on Served, said he believes that format change is the main reason Sinner has chosen not to play in Montreal for a second straight year.

“I saw Jannik after he won Wimbledon and I said, “What’s next?” And he goes, “Some rest.” And so, in my mind, you don’t kind of project your opinion on what someone’s saying. And I can’t come on here and say that, you know, he says that, therefore I think Canada’s out. But in my own mind, I’m going, okay, that means Canada’s out,” he said, before suggesting Sinner could miss more tournaments in the foreseeable.

“It’s tough. It’s kind of one of those weird things where it’s kind of be careful what you wish for. You know, is Jannik next year, this is another one that’s interesting. Like he pulls out of this. Is next year with going to Roland Garros and with kind of his tennis being almost perfect going in, but his body giving out, does he skip some of the claycourt stuff next year to get his body right to kind of prioritize fitness at Roland Garros?,” he said.

“It’s a lot easier to make the decision to let something go when it’s a two-week commitment as opposed to coming over and saying, “I’m going to get tons of matches in two weeks and then have a week off before the US Open.” You know, I don’t know. It’s just different.”

Sinner’s clay-court schedule earlier in the season also became part of the conversation. He played all three clay Masters events before Roland Garros, a workload many have pointed to when assessing his French Open campaign.

At Roland Garros, the Italian let a two-set lead slip against Juan Manuel Cerundolo in the second round and lost in five sets. He is still searching for his first title in Paris.

The Canadian Open begins the North American hard-court stretch, and Aryna Sabalenka sits at the top of the draw. Elena Rybakina, the world No. 2, anchors the other side as the WTA 1000 event in Toronto launches a run that continues through Cincinnati and concludes at the US Open in New York.

Victoria Mboko provided one of last year’s most memorable stories, winning the tournament on her debut in front of home support. Her title run included wins over Coco Gauff, Rybakina and Naomi Osaka, but she will not return to defend the trophy in 2026 because of injury.

Even without Mboko, the field still carries the weight of past success. Four former Canadian Open champions are in the main draw: Jessica Pegula, who won in 2022 and 2023, Bianca Andreescu, Elina Svitolina and Belinda Bencic.

This year’s event features a 96-player main draw, with the top 32 ranked players seeded and given first-round byes according to the WTA Rankings of 27 July. Eight wildcards have been awarded. The Canadian group includes Andreescu, Ariana Arseneault, Cadence Brace, Kayla Cross, Rebecca Marino, Katherine Sebov and Carol Zhao, while Venus Williams is the only non-Canadian wildcard recipient. Serena Williams was also approached, but she declined because she is still recovering from a knee injury.

Fifteen players will reach the main draw through qualifying, with the rest entering by ranking. Sabalenka is the top seed, followed by Rybakina, Pegula, Coco Gauff, Mirra Andreeva, Linda Noskova, Iga Swiatek, Amanda Anisimova, Elina Svitolina and Marta Kostyuk.

Swiatek’s ranking slide leaves her with a demanding path, likely involving Pegula, Gauff and Noskova before any potential meeting with Rybakina or Sabalenka in the latter rounds.

The main draw starts on 2 August at Sobeys Stadium in Toronto, with the women’s singles final scheduled for Thursday, 13 August. The official draw ceremony is set for Friday, 31 July.

Alexandra Eala’s rise across 2025 and 2026 has become one of tennis’s notable storylines, with support for her growing in arenas across Asia, the Americas, and Europe as she continues to move up the WTA rankings.

Her form has also sharpened on court, especially during the grass-court portion of the season. Eala captured the Birmingham Open, advanced to the Berlin Open semi-finals, and beat Iga Swiatek on her way to a first Grand Slam fourth-round appearance at Wimbledon.

That makes her latest update ahead of the Washington Open particularly significant. As she prepares for the start of the North American hardcourt swing, there is a sense that all may not be completely well physically.

Attention has also centered on her decision not to play doubles with Venus Williams in Washington, even though the pair had originally entered the event together. Addressing that change at her pre-tournament press conference, Eala said: “Venus is someone who deserves a partner who can give their all physically, emotionally, mentally.”

The comment has been taken as a sign that Eala may not currently be able to handle both singles and doubles at the same event, something she has managed during parts of this season. She has teamed up with Janice Tjen, Iva Jovic, and Nikola Bartunkova at various major tournaments while also competing in doubles.

At 21, Eala is at an important point in her season. She is defending only 70 points through the North American stretch until after the US Open, which gives her a major opening to keep rising in the rankings.

Before Washington, she is World No 26, and strong results in Washington, Toronto, Cincinnati, and New York could take her closer to the WTA elite. If fitness remains an issue, though, the opportunity could narrow while rivals collect ranking points of their own.

It is shaping as a decisive period for Eala, with her body now central to what could be another notable chapter for both her career and the Philippines.