Jannik Sinner’s choice to withdraw from the Canadian Open has continued to draw attention. The World No. 1 will miss the Masters event for the second straight year, even though the schedule now leaves a third week between the tournament and the Wimbledon final.

The decision also ends any possibility of winning every Masters event in a single season, a feat no man has ever achieved in tennis history. That has brought criticism, particularly because Carlos Alcaraz is also set to miss the event because of a wrist injury.

Rick Macci, Serena Williams’ former coach, offered a different view. He believes Sinner is doing what is best for him. Speaking on social media, Macci said: “ Sinner and his team know what is best mentally and physically for him. How much he plays is very different than any player because every match he is suppose to win.

“That is a different mental vibe than any player on tour. To be highly motivated every match and have the juices flowing and not blink is mental magic. The Italian Flamethrower knows the feeling so he can be dealing.”

Sinner’s numbers in 2026 help explain the discussion. He has played nine tournaments and 47 matches this year, winning 44 of them. Even so, since May he has appeared in only two tournaments, Roland Garros and Wimbledon, after skipping a grass court warm-up event.

His earlier stretch was far more demanding. Before Roland Garros, he played Monte Carlo, Madrid and Rome in succession, and many believe that run contributed to his capitulation against Juan Manuel Cerundolo at Roland Garros.

The broader picture suggests a clear focus on the biggest prizes. Sinner is clearly prioritising Grand Slam titles, which are the achievements that remain long after a career ends. He has won one of the three Grand Slam titles available so far this year, despite dominating the ATP Tour for much of 2026. For a player who has lost only three times in seven months, that is still a modest return by his standards.

The US Open now stands as the next major target, and the choice to skip the Canadian Open may prove part of that approach.

Novak Djokovic is still refusing to let go of his last great pursuit, but the evidence is starting to build that time is tightening around him.

His straight-sets loss to Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon earlier this month carried a different feel from the usual post-match exchanges. Djokovic later acknowledged that the five hours and 15 minutes he had spent overcoming Felix Auger-Aliassime in the previous Tuesday’s quarter-final had left too much of a toll on his 39-year-old body to cope with Sinner. That explanation was understandable, but it also underlined a familiar pattern.

What Djokovic has done by competing at this level so far beyond the point when he could have walked away remains extraordinary. Even so, the closing stages of Grand Slams have increasingly become the place where the same story repeats itself. Since the start of 2024, beating Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz has been beyond the rest of the men’s game, and Djokovic, one of the few to have done it on the biggest stages, is seeing the path to a 25th Grand Slam title widen further away with each major.

He will go to New York next month with another chance to extend his record, but if a third straight year passes without the major he most wants, questions will grow over whether he still has the drive to continue into 2027. Alcaraz’s fitness issues also leave uncertainty over his participation, and even if the defending champion plays, he is unlikely to be fully sharp after a wrist injury that has kept him out since mid-April.

Alexander Zverev and Felix Auger-Aliassime may also present serious problems on a fast hard court, while Joao Fonseca’s victory over Djokovic at the French Open in May has already altered that matchup’s balance. For now, Djokovic can still place himself among the top tier behind Sinner and Alcaraz, with Zverev part of that group. But if losses begin to come against players outside it, the possibility that his final great dream is slipping away will become harder to ignore.

Djokovic’s public tone remains upbeat, yet his latest remarks suggested a champion who knows the challenge is becoming more severe. “I want to kick their a** every day of the week,” said Djokovic, as he was asked about the two dominant players in the men’s game.

“To be honest, when I see them play, there are contrasting styles with [Roger] Federer and [Rafael] Nadal, really contrasting styles. I showed up as well, different. Three of us, we were all different.

“And now with Alcaraz and Sinner being the dominant force in tennis, these two guys remind me of myself so much. I’m like: ‘I’m playing myself from 10/15 years ago’, and it kind of hurts me to feel that on the court. I mean, I know how to crack the code, but can I?”

He also reflected on Andre Agassi’s view that retirement can arrive suddenly. “Andre Agassi is one of the all-time greats, of course. He was part of my documentary, and he said: ‘I don’t know when the end is coming for Novak, but I’m sure as hell that, when it comes, it comes fast.’

“I think he’s right. Of course, I would lie if [I said] I don’t have those thoughts. I do have them. And I don’t know if there’s a perfect way (to bow out).

“I’m still just trying to enjoy myself competing. I’m there, and we’ll have this conversation later.”

Many have wondered whether that conversation has already begun, but Djokovic keeps returning for more, even as the emotional cost of each Grand Slam mounts.

Carlos Alcaraz is preparing to move his recovery forward after the wrist injury that has kept him out since April, and Greg Rusedski believes a clear timetable is now coming into view for the Spaniard.

Alcaraz has already missed the French Open and Wimbledon after suffering the problem at the Barcelona Open. A recent social media post suggested he is still some way from full-speed tennis, with the 23-year-old seen striking the ball softly in what appeared to be an early stage of his return.

More uncertainty followed when Alcaraz appeared at the World Cup final in New Jersey, where a wrist support remained visible as he watched Spain beat Argentina.

Rusedski has now offered his view on whether Alcaraz can be ready for the US Open next month. In his assessment, the ATP Masters 1000 event in Cincinnati looks like the crucial test before the final Grand Slam of the year.

“To have any chance to play at the US Open, he’s gotta play Cincinnati,” he declared on the edition of his Off Court with Greg Rusedski podcast that will be released on Monday.

He added: “If he plays Cincinnati and the wrist holds up, that is exciting news for our sport, because we definitely need him back.

“If he doesn’t play Cincinnati, we know the US Open isn’t gonna happen and he’s been away from the game for very, very long time.

“He’s got to be smart with it because the fact he’s got to get his volume up to a certain level and you don’t want to rush it back too much.

“The 12-day event in Cincinnati might actually help him because the fact that he can have a few more breaks in between matches, but this is still a huge question marks.

“It’s not like you’re playing a two-out-of-three major. So for the women’s, it’s a little bit easier because when you go into the majors, it’s like a regular week with a guaranteed day off every week is two out of three sets. To make the jump up to three out of five sets is tough for the men.

“From what I saw from that original video, I wasn’t thinking would play at the US Open, but we need him back in our sport and we’ll find out. Cincinnati, fingers crossed he’s back because we miss Carlos. I really hope he’s back in Cincinnati and healthy.”

Rusedski also felt the wrist support made sense when Alcaraz took part in the World Cup final role. He noted that bringing the trophy onto the pitch before kick-off would have meant repeated handshakes and a risk to the injury.

“You gotta shake people’s hands a lot when you take on a tole like that at the World Cup,” he added. “If you have one person all of a sudden give you a big handshake, you’re gonna put that injury back in there. So I think it was clever that he had the tape on the World Cup.”