The Toronto tournament director, Karl Hale, shared his views about Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz missing the Canadian Open and assured that the break time between Wimbledon and North American hardcourt tournaments will be extended next year. Sinner and Alcaraz, ranked 1 and 2, mindfully took some time off to rest and recover before the Cincinnati, building up to the US Open.
Sinner and Alcaraz have shared the last seven Grand Slam titles between them and will hopefully repeat the same at the upcoming Flushing Meadows. But they weren’t in action at the Citi Open and the Canadian Open, echoing the sentiments of several players who complained about the tight ATP Tour schedule.
The director of the Toronto tournament, Karl Hale, made his feelings clear about the tournament’s value being diminished by the absence of the top players. He shared details of a conversation his team had with Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, in which he advised them to participate in 2026,
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"As far as the top player withdrawal, it's definitely not what we want. Draper's out for Cincy as well in the season, Novak's out for Cincy as well. So those players, you know, were injuries. I think Carlos and Sinner have to look at our tour, the ATP tour, and commit to these majors, you know. So we're in talks with them to ensure that going forward that they'll be participating in our event."
When asked about the scheduling change in the tournament, Hale acknowledged the question but reiterated expecting Sinner and Alcaraz next year,
"That's a really good question. The first thing is I would have Sinner and Alcaraz. Yeah, so I actually told them, you know, because, you know, we were in talks when they withdrew and I said, you know, we talked to them for several days. And then I said, OK, you know, we're here 2026, you're going to be in Montreal and just make sure that happens. And I'm very, very confident that they'll be in Montreal next year."
Sinner recorded his fastest victory in the Cincinnati 1R, trouncing his opponent in straight sets 6-1, 6-1 in just 59 minutes. He will next play against Gabriel Diallo. Alcaraz will take on Damir Džumhur in the opening round.
Carlos Alcaraz once shared that the tight tour schedule makes it difficult for players to get rest time
Carlos Alcaraz has had a stellar season so far, beginning at the Australian Open, where he was ousted by Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals. He continued his excellence to bag more titles and ultimately won his fifth Grand Slam at the French Open. He clinched the Queen's title as well before facing a narrow loss at Wimbledon in the hands of Sinner.
Following the grass-court major, the Spaniard spent downtime before returning to the US Open series. In a candid conversation with the Financial Times, Carlos Alcaraz shed light on the importance of rescheduling the Tour a little, as the players hardly manage time in between.
"We’re trying to change the schedule a bit, seeing if they can remove more tournaments so we can have more rest time, more vacation time. It’s not easy, but we’re trying.”
The 22-year-old added 21 ATP Tour-level singles titles under his belt and finished 2022 as the youngest year-end No. 1 in ATP rankings history after his monumental US Open win.
