Who isn't playing Canadian Open? Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu joined by eight more stars in pre-US Open struggles
Tennis NewsTuesday, 21 July 2026 at 14:00
The 2026 Canadian Open is the main tournament before the US Open and kicks off the run-in towards these events which also comprise of the Cincinnati Open too. Taking place between 1-13 August, the men's tournament is staged in Montreal and the women's tournament takes place in Toronto.
It is the first leg of the North American triple header along with the Cincinnati Open and US Open also in August and so many will have concerns. These players will need to pace themselves and take care of themselves to peak in New York.
Last year, Ben Shelton won the men's tournament with Victoria Mboko lifted the women's title albeit Mboko will likely be out for the remainder of the season and so she won't defend her title due to injury. She suffered a serious knee injury during the Queen's Club Championship and didn't play Wimbledon either.
Emma Raducanu joined the list as expected as she is out with a stress fracture in her right leg with her return date unclear as she will not compete at the Cincinnati Open. Two Grand Slam finalists have since joined that with Karolina Muchova recovering from a small surgery albeit no scope has been given as to when she will be back.
“I had to undergo a small surgery that will keep me off the court for a few weeks. Everything went well, and I’m already working on my recovery,” the world No 6 wrote on social media.
Alcaraz and De Jong only ATP stars out
And former French Open and Wimbledon runner-up Jasmine Paolini is the latest to be forced to withdraw. “Unfortunately, I’ve decided to withdraw from Washington and Toronto so I can give my foot extra time to rest,” the Italian, who reached the quarter-final at Wimbledon earlier in July, said.
Hailey Baptiste too is also still not involved and likely won't be either for a considerable period of time. Dayana Yastremska has also withdrawn, while Carlos Alcaraz and Jesper de Jong are the only ATP stars who will not play in Canada.
Could Serena Williams play in Canada.
Alcaraz of course is having issues with his wrist and seemingly will try and make a return at the Cincinnati Open over Canada. While Novak Djokovic will also not be a certainty. He hasn't played in this event since 2018.
In addition murmurs about Serena Williams back to the WTA side are that she will potentially play both singles and doubles in Canada. But at the moment is definitely playing doubles so that could also herald her return.
Who isn't playing Canadian Open ATP/WTA
| Withdrawn Player | World Ranking | Replacement |
| Karolina Muchova | No. 6 | Daria Snigur |
| Victoria Mboko | No. 12 | Karolina Pliskova |
| Jasmine Paolini | No. 15 | Tamara Korpatsch |
| Hailey Baptiste | No. 34 | Anna Bondar |
| Emma Raducanu | No. 37 | Eva Lys |
| Dayana Yastremska | No. 88 | Renata Zarazua |
| Carlos Alcaraz | No. 3 | Valentin Royer |
| Jesper de Jong | No. 105 | Jan-Lennard Struff |
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