Felix Auger-Aliassime will have little room for comfort as he begins his bid for an ATP Masters 1000 title in Montreal, where he is playing in front of home support as the No 2 seed.

With No 1 Jannik Sinner, No 3 Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic all absent, the Canadian would ordinarily have looked well placed to challenge for the trophy. Instead, the draw has given him a demanding route, with Brandon Nakashima, Arthur Rinderknech, Marin Cilic and Frances Tiafoe all sitting in his quarter.

Top seed Alexander Zverev enters as the leading contender after a strong run that has already brought him his first Grand Slam title at the French Open and his first Wimbledon final. Zverev will begin against Lorenzo Sonego or Tallon Griekspoor, and Taylor Fritz could be waiting in the quarter-finals if both progress as expected.

Pressure will also rest on Ben Shelton, who must defend both his title and the 1,000 ranking points he earned with the biggest win of his career last year. Shelton may meet Jenson Brooksby in the second round, while Joao Fonseca is also in his section.

The absence of Sinner, Alcaraz and Djokovic has again prompted debate over whether the leading players should be required to appear at Masters 1000 events. Tournament director Valerie Tetreault acknowledged the disappointment, saying: “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,”

She added: “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.”

Possible quarter-final line-up in Montreal:

Alexander Zverev (GER) vs Taylor Fritz (USA)

Daniil Medvedev vs Ben Shelton (USA)

Alex de Minaur (AUS) vs Jiri Lehecka (CZE)

Félix Auger-Aliassime (CAN) vs Flavio Cobolli (ITA)

Novak Djokovic has put together a respectable 2026 campaign, even if the search for a 25th Grand Slam title continues.

His season began with a run to the Australian Open final, highlighted by a superb five-set victory over Jannik Sinner. After that, the hardcourt stretch and the opening phase of the clay swing were less convincing, and his Roland Garros campaign ended in the third round against Joao Fonseca.

Wimbledon brought a stronger showing. Djokovic advanced to the semi-finals before Sinner exacted revenge for Melbourne by beating him there.

The Serbian has also been more selective with his schedule in 2026, yet he still owns an impressive 14-5 record. The real issue is not the volume of defeats, but the way they have unfolded.

Novak Djokovic’s defeats in 2026

Carlos Alcaraz – Australian Open

Jack Draper – Indian Wells

Dino Prizmic – Italian Open

Joao Fonseca – Roland Garros

Jannik Sinner – Wimbledon

Four of those five losses came after Djokovic had won the first set. That stands out sharply for a player who has long been one of the sport’s great front-runners.

Before this season, Djokovic had won 82 straight matches after taking the opening set, so this is a new problem that will require a solution. It also makes him far more likely to be involved in lengthy matches, especially at Grand Slam level.

His Roland Garros defeat to Fonseca came after he had moved two sets ahead, while he was also a set up against Alcaraz in the Australian Open final. The picture is becoming clearer: if Djokovic is to add another major, he may need to turn those leads into quicker wins and recover the front-running edge that has defined so much of his career.

He will next aim for a 25th Grand Slam title at the US Open at the end of August. Before that, he is set to return to the Cincinnati Open for the first time in three years, with the event beginning on August 11th. Djokovic has won that tournament three times, in 2018, 2020, and 2023.

Alexander Zverev has spent the last two seasons trying to close the gap on Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, with results that have varied from week to week. Even so, his standing remains clear: he is widely viewed as the third-best player on the ATP Tour at present.

This season, Zverev also took a major step forward while Alcaraz was sidelined for five months between April and August with a wrist injury. During that window, the German captured the first Grand Slam title of his career at Roland Garros and then reached the Wimbledon final for the first time.

With his return to tennis approaching on the North American hardcourt swing, Zverev discussed his matchups with the two leading figures on the ATP Tour. In an interview with Knossi, he was asked which of the pair he prefers to face.

“I like playing against Alcaraz. Sometimes I win, sometimes I lose, but the matches against him are always incredible and fun,” said the world No 2.

“We’ve always played fantastic matches, tough battles, like this year in Australia, where we went on for five and a half hours. In the end I lost, but I had a lot of fun.

“ Sinner? At the beginning of my career I liked playing against him. But now I’ve lost the last 7-8 matches, he’s improved his game a lot, he’s very consistent and never gives you anything. Against Sinner you always feel like you’re playing at a disadvantage.”

The numbers back up that view. Zverev has lost his last 11 matches against Sinner, including five meetings this year, and has not beaten him since the US Open in 2023. Their head-to-head sits at 11-4 in Sinner’s favour.

Against Alcaraz, the picture is far more competitive. Zverev has lost four of their last five, but the overall record is 7-6 to Alcaraz. The German has beaten the Spaniard in two Grand Slams and also at the ATP Finals, while his wins over Sinner have come twice at the US Open, as well as in Cologne and at the Monte Carlo Masters.

Zverev will soon have both players in his path again, with Alcaraz due back at the Cincinnati Open in mid-August.