The 2025 Canadian Open will proceed without the presence of the men’s Grand Slam champions Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, and Novak Djokovic, all absent due to injury and fatigue. Their absence opens opportunities for other contenders, potentially leading to an unexpected tournament winner.

Alexei Popyrin, who captured his maiden Masters title at the 2024 Canadian Open by defeating Andrey Rublev in the final, will face a significant drop in ranking points. Popyrin earned 1000 ATP points from last year’s victory and currently sits at No. 26 with 2050 points. Without defending his title, he is projected to fall outside the top 50 but can regain points with each round he advances this year.

Jannik Sinner, currently world No. 1 with 12,030 points, reached the quarter-finals at last year’s Canadian Open, earning 200 points which he stands to lose due to non-participation in 2025. After the event, Sinner’s total will drop to approximately 11,830 points, maintaining a healthy lead over Alcaraz, who is second with 8,600 points. Alcaraz and Djokovic will not lose points this year, having not competed in the previous edition, while Jack Draper will lose 10 points due to a first-round exit last year.

Other notable absences include seeded players Tommy Paul (-50 points), Grigor Dimitrov (-100 points), and Alexander Bublik (-10 points).

Among active competitors, Alexander Zverev enters as the top seed. He earned 200 points by reaching the quarter-finals last year and will lose those points. Taylor Fritz, the second seed, will drop 50 points. However, the ranking calculations are complicated this year as points from the 2024 Washington DC Open (an ATP 250 event) will also roll off during the same period as the Canadian Open.

Ben Shelton, for example, earned 50 points at the 2024 Canadian Open but will lose a total of 250 points considering his semi-final run in the Washington DC Open. Andrey Rublev, the 2024 runner-up in Canada, faces a significant drop of 750 points combined from these two tournaments. Other seeded players losing points include Holger Rune (-100), Casper Ruud (-100), Frances Tiafoe (-200), Flavio Cobolli (-380), Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (-150), and Matteo Arnaldi (-400).

Andrea Petkovic, former world No. 9 and respected tennis analyst, recently described Novak Djokovic’s current position in the sport as the “third wheel” alongside rising stars Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. Petkovic drew parallels to Djokovic’s earlier career when he was overshadowed by Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

Sinner and Alcaraz have dominated recent Grand Slams, sharing the last seven titles with Sinner winning four and Alcaraz three. Djokovic, now 38, was the last to break through before this era of dual dominance, earning his 24th Grand Slam at the 2023 US Open.

Since the start of 2024, Djokovic has been a strong contender, reaching the semifinals in five of seven Grand Slams and all three in 2025. Yet, four of his six losses at majors in this span have come at the hands of Sinner or Alcaraz.

On her podcast with Boris Becker, Petkovic stated, “He was with Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, and now he’s with Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. I’m glad we have him, but he’s no longer a favourite. It was his initial destiny in tennis to be number three, then there were years when he was number one. Now, towards the end of his career, it’s his destiny again to be the third wheel.” She acknowledged Djokovic’s continued excellence by noting, “He played three Grand Slam semi-finals in 2025. He’s clearly better than the rest of the field in big matches. But against those two (Alcaraz and Sinner), it’s not enough.”

Earlier in 2024, after Djokovic retired due to injury from the Australian Open semifinal, Petkovic shared her confidence in his tennis ability while expressing concern for his health. Regarding Djokovic’s quarterfinal victory over Alcaraz, she said, “I’m not worried about Novak, I thought he played so well at the Australian Open — that match against Carlos (Alcaraz). Some people wanted to put this one on Carlos, I just thought he was outplayed by Novak. I didn’t think he (Alcaraz) played so badly and so I’m not worried about Novak at all in terms of tennis, just worried about his health and if he’s healthy, he will be fine.”

Petkovic also wrote on her Substack blog during the Australian Open that Djokovic’s performance erased her doubts about his ability to compete with younger players. “Whoever doubts Novak’s tennis ever again, whether Novak’s 37 years old or 55 years old, should from this day forth be punished with perpetual silence,” she declared. She praised his adaptability and skill, noting, “Novak still has it and I would argue for three matches (Machac, Lehecka and Alcaraz), he played better than ever.” According to her, Djokovic remains a consistent and intelligent competitor, adjusting his game to retain unpredictability against opponents despite his age.

The Canadian Open, a prestigious Masters 1000 event on the ATP Tour, has seen many tennis legends perform at their best. Here, we spotlight the seven men who hold the highest win percentages at the Canadian Open in the Open Era, considering players with at least 10 matches played.

Boris Becker, a former world No 1, impressed with an 81.82% win rate based on a 9-2 record. Becker claimed the Canadian Open title on his debut in 1986, defeating Stefan Edberg in the final. He also reached the semifinals in 1987 and participated again in 1993.

Björn Borg was a dominant figure in the late 1970s. He secured the Canadian Open title in 1979 after defeating John McEnroe and reached the final in 1980 but retired injured against Ivan Lendl. Borg ended with an 82.61% win rate, holding a 19-4 match record at the tournament.

Rafael Nadal matches Borg’s 82.61% win percentage, the fifth highest in the Open Era. Nadal has claimed the Canadian Open five times: in 2005, 2008, 2013, 2018, and 2019. His 38-8 win-loss record highlights the event as his most successful hard-court tournament.

Novak Djokovic boasts a 84.09% win rate with a 37-7 record. The Serbian won the Canadian Open in 2007, 2011, 2012, and 2016 and finished runner-up to Andy Murray in 2015.

Ilie Năstase, a prominent player in the early Open Era, holds the third-highest win percentage at 84.62%. He won the title in 1972 and reached a second final in 1975, finishing with an 11-2 record.

Guillermo Vilas was a two-time Canadian Open champion in the 1970s, winning in 1974 and 1976. With a 17-3 match record, Vilas holds an 85% win rate.

Leading all others, Ivan Lendl owns the highest win percentage at the Canadian Open, winning six titles (1980, 1981, 1983, and 1987-89) and finishing runner-up in 1982 and 1985. His 57 wins in 66 matches give him an 86.36% winning percentage, underscoring his dominance at this event.