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).

As the 2025 Canadian Open approaches, players face significant ranking point changes influenced by their performances at this event and the 2024 Washington Open. The Canadian Open, a key WTA 1000 event in the North American hard-court season, runs from July 27 to August 7, stretched over 12 days for the first time.

Jessica Pegula, the defending champion, has the highest points at stake with 1,000 points to defend from her 2024 victory in Canada. She did not compete in the Washington Open last year, so her points drop there is zero. Amanda Anisimova, the 2024 runner-up in Canada, will lose a total of 783 points—650 from Canada and 133 from reaching the Washington quarter-finals.

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, absent from both the Washington Open and the Canadian Open this year, will lose 410 points earned from last year’s semi-final and quarter-final results in Washington and Canada respectively. Sabalenka chose to rest after Wimbledon and currently holds a solid lead in the rankings, with 12,420 points before the Canadian Open.

Coco Gauff, ranked second globally and reigning French Open champion, will drop 120 points, having reached the third round in last year’s Canadian Open but not playing in Washington. Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek holds no points to defend at either event, having not played in either during 2024.

Other notable players including Mirra Andreeva, Jasmine Paolini, and Elena Rybakina did not participate in either Washington or Canada last year, meaning they face no points losses here.

Emma Raducanu, excluded from last year’s Canadian Open due to ranking, will not lose points there but will see her 108 points from a 2024 Washington quarter-final expire. Raducanu’s stronger performance this year, reaching the Washington semi-final, will add 195 points after the Canadian tournament.

The unique scheduling this year, following a 2024 calendar impacted by the Paris Olympics, requires players to drop points from two tournaments. This complex ranking update will take place following the Canadian Open, affecting player seedings and rankings ahead of the US Open.

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.