The Tournament Director of the Canadian Open has spoken out on the most recent edition of the event and the main issue surrounding it.
The Masters 1000 tournament came to a close a few days ago, with Ben Shelton winning the men's singles event in Toronto, and Victoria Mboko triumphing in the women's singles event in Montreal.
While there turned out to be some entertaining games across the tournament, fans would have been devastated to learn before everything got underway that some of the top players from the men's game would be skipping the event.
Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic and Jack Draper all did not feature in Toronto.
Alcaraz and Sinner pulled out as they cited the need for further rest and recuperation time ahead of the final stretch of the 2025 ATP Tour.
Sinner and Alcaraz are currently competing in Cincinnati after skipping Toronto, but Djokovic has chosen to miss another 1000 event in the lead up to the US Open.
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2025 marks the second the year in succession that the Canadian Open has gone ahead without a number of top ranked players.
Last summer's Olympic Games in Paris led to players in the men and women's game withdrawing from playing in Canada as the schedule was simply too intense.
What the Tournament Director has said about recent withdrawals in Canada
Canadian Open Tournament Director, Karl Hale, is keen to prevent tennis' top stars from missing the event again and confirmed that the schedule will be better structured next year.
"Losing the top players is not something we desire,” Hale stated on the Nothing Major Show podcast. "I believe Carlos and Jannik should commit to playing."
"In 2026, there will be three weeks between Wimbledon and Montreal. This year there were only two. That’s a significant change," Hale added.
The tournament boss then alluded to recent discussions had that would prevent another Canadian Open missing the presence of the world's top players.
"When Sinner and Alcaraz withdrew this year, we spoke with them and said, ‘Okay, in 2026 you will be in Montreal. Ensure that happens’. I’m confident they will be there next year, with the bonuses we offer and the three weeks between tournaments."
Hale then touched on a current topic of discussion in tennis, which is the intense schedule players players must adhere to. Many players have voiced their concerns about the lack of rest period between tournaments.
"The calendar has a problem, it’s too long. There are many 250 and 500 tournaments. The Saudi tournament is upcoming and soon they will announce its schedule and duration."
As the Canadian Open alternates the host city for both the men's and women's events every year, the 2026 tournament will see the men compete in Montreal, while the women will take to the court in Toronto.