PREVIEW Canadian Open ATP Toronto: Alexander Zverev's path to redemption, Ben Shelton and Taylor Fritz's form

The ATP Masters 1000 Canadian Open Toronto 2025 will be held from July 27th to August 7th with a 96-player draw that is more open than usual, following the confirmed absence of four top-6 players. Without Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, or Jack Draper, opportunities arise for top-10 tennis players, though not all arrive with high confidence.

The first seed is Alexander Zverev, who, as world No. 3, will be looking to regain his confidence. The German returns to hardcourts after a painful first-round defeat at Wimbledon against Arthur Rinderknech. Sascha will have a significant opportunity to make a deep run in the tournament given the withdrawals of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, which elevate him to the top seeded position.

One player who does arrive in better form is American Taylor Fritz, the tournament's second seed and fresh off a strong grass-court swing. The world No. 4 already had his first hardcourt tournament at the DC Open, reaching the quarterfinals where he was surprised by Spain's Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in a tight three-set battle. Nevertheless, he takes on a role as perhaps the title favorite, following strong campaigns in this part of the year during previous seasons.

The draw is wide open, with several top seeds lacking optimal confidence heading into the tournament. After five Masters 1000 events this year, only two players have managed to be champions in this category: Jakub Mensik and Casper Ruud, although neither seems to possess the necessary confidence to be considered a favorite. The question is: who will seize the opportunity to claim the title in perhaps the most open Masters draw of the season so far?

The 32 seeds will receive a first-round bye, and their draw will be key. Ben Shelton will be the fourth seed in the tournament and is one of the players tipped for a strong performance. The world No. 7 arrives at a career-high ranking and is having a great year, looking increasingly convincing in his role as one of the favorites in major tournaments. This could be his chance for a deep run – and why not – to aim for his first Masters 1000 title if he can display his usual level.

Two prominent names join the favorites, though without great confidence. Expectations are certainly high for Holger Rune and Lorenzo Musetti, but they will need to demonstrate that they can put behind them a last month that was far from their previous level. The Dane fell in the first round of Wimbledon – squandering a two-set lead against Nicolas Jarry – and will seek to regain confidence on hardcourts after an injury forced him to withdraw from the DC Open. On the other hand, the Italian rushed his recovery from an injury to be at Wimbledon but ended up defeated in the first round with a performance far from his level in previous months.

An opportunity exists in the draw for Andrey Rublev. The sixth seed has returned to prominence in recent weeks and re-entered the top 10. The Russian was one of the most consistent players over the past five seasons, but the last year saw him away from the headlines and the fight for major titles.

Similar is the case for Frances Tiafoe, who is now on the doorstep of the top 10 and has a significant amount of points to defend in the coming weeks, especially with his Cincinnati final and US Open quarterfinal appearances in 2024. "Big Foe" always finds confidence on hardcourts and will be a name to consider.

Also, Madrid Open champion Casper Ruud is one of the names to follow. The Norwegian suffered an injury that prevented him from participating in the entire grass-court swing, and he returned this week at the Gstaad Open, securing a win but being eliminated in the quarterfinals by Argentina's Juan Manuel Cerundolo. Despite the loss, Ruud will arrive in better physical condition and with a couple of matches under his belt, which could be key for the start of the tournament.