Who isn't playing at Canadian Open including Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic

The Canadian Open 2025 is set to begin on Sunday with players from all over the world participating to showcase their talent and secure the ultimate prize. This year, however, the tournament will be without some of the biggest names in tennis. In the men’s singles category, the top two-ranked players, Italy’s Jannik Sinner and Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, will not take part in the event.

Both recently played in the final of Wimbledon, where Sinner came out on top with a score of 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. It was his second Grand Slam title in 2025 and his fourth overall. After winning that title, Sinner announced that he would not participate in the competition to recover completely ahead of the US Open. “I’m really disappointed to be missing the National Bank Open in Toronto, especially as I have such fond memories of playing in Canada," he said in a report published by ATP's official website. "Winning that title in Toronto two years ago was the start of a really special moment for me, but after speaking with my team, I have to prioritise my health. I would like to thank Karl Hale, the Tournament Director, for everything he does and I’m looking forward to returning to Canada and Toronto in the future to play in front of the great fans.”

Alcaraz, who had a great tournament in London but came short in the final of a Grand Slam for the first time in his career, shared some similar words while describing the reason behind not featuring in the competition and also revealed that he was suffering from ‘muscle issues’. “After many consecutive weeks of competition without rest, I will not be able to play in Toronto this year,” he wrote in a post on X. I have small muscle issues, and I need to recover physically and mentally.”

Former world number one and 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic will also not participate in the tournament to recover from his Wimbledon semifinal run. It will be the sixth consecutive year that Djokovic will not feature in the tournament. Britain’s Jack Draper will miss the competition to recover from an arm injury. America’s Tommy Paul and Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov will also skip the competition to focus on recovering completely from the fitness issues ahead of the fourth and final Grand Slams of the year. In the absence of at least six players from the top 20 in the ATP ranking, Germany’s Alexander Zverev will start the competition as the top-seeded player.

The women’s singles category will also miss a few of the big-name players. World number one Aryna Sabalenka, who lost in the Wimbledon semifinal to America’s Amanda Anisimova with a score of 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, announced soon after that she has decided to skip the competition to focus on preparing for the ‘North American hard-court swing’. “I’m looking forward to kicking off the North American hard-court swing,” she said. “But to give myself the best chance for success this season, I’ve decided it’s in my best interest to skip Montreal."

World number 10 Spain’s Paula Badosa will not take part in the competition, as she continues her recovery after suffering a back injury earlier this year, which has kept her out of court for some time. She featured at Wimbledon but lost in the first round to Britain’s Katie Boulter. Three-time Grand Slam runner-up Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur will not feature in the competition as she has taken an indefinite break from the sport. Britain’s young tennis player Sonay Kartal has also withdrawn from the tournament.

Last year, in the men’s singles category, it was Australia’s Alexei Popyrin who lifted the title after beating Russia’s Andrey Rublev in straight sets with a score of 6-2, 6-4. On the other hand, in the women’s singles category, it was America’s Jessica Pegula who won the competition after beating fellow countrywoman Anisimova in the final with a score of 6-3, 2-6, 6-1.