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.

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.

Alex Eala and Venus Williams will not take the court together at this week’s Washington DC Open, after the Filipina confirmed why the doubles pairing was set aside for now.

The 21-year-old had joined the former world No 1 on grass at the Bad Homburg Open in June, a run that carried them to the quarter-finals before they were beaten by the second-seeded duo of Olivia Nicholls and Tereza Mihalikova. The same partnership had been scheduled to continue on hard courts at the William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center, where the pair had received a wildcard entry.

That plan changed over the weekend, when Williams was instead announced alongside Diana Shnaider in the women’s doubles. Williams said, “[It] didn’t work out this time. Would love for there to be future times. We’ll see what happens”.

Both players remain in the singles draw in Washington DC, and Eala later explained that stepping away from doubles was the right call as she returns to competition.

“I have so much respect for Venus. I am so grateful for every opportunity that I have to be around her, to learn from her, to hit with her,” the world No 28 said at her press conference.

“But I do think this is my first week coming back, and I think that Venus is someone who deserves a partner who can give their all physically, emotionally, mentally when they’re on court with her.

“I think right now I think I can only do that for singles. I don’t have the capacity yet to be able to give that in both singles and doubles. I’m really grateful for the opportunity that I had, or have, and hopefully we see more of it in the future.”

Eala’s singles path begins with a difficult first-round meeting against Zheng Qinwen. The former world No 4 and 2024 Australian Open runner-up has endured a difficult spell, losing in the opening round at both the French Open and Wimbledon. She is now ranked No 123 and required a wildcard to enter the event.

Eala arrives after reaching the Wimbledon last 16, where she defeated defending champion Iga Swiatek, and she remains in position to push toward the top 20 during the North American hard-court swing.