The director of the Canadian Open has confirmed he’s ‘in talks’ with Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz to ensure their participation at future events. Sinner and Alcaraz both sat out the recent tournament in Toronto, with the tournament director keen to see them involved going forward.
Sinner and Alcaraz returned to the court at the Cincinnati Open, but Karl Hale is keen for them to get involved in the North American hard-court swing at an earlier date. Speaking to the Nothing Major podcast, he explained: “As far as the top players withdrawing, it’s definitely not what we want.
“[Jack] Draper is out for Cincy, Novak [Djokovic] is out for Cincy. So those players were injuries. I think Carlos and Sinner have to look at our tour and commit to these majors. We’re in talks with them going forward that they’re involved in our event.”
Hale referenced the quick turnaround this year, with the tournament having started just two weeks after the Wimbledon final. However, the Canadian Open bigwig revealed that’s set to change next year, giving those that go deep in Wimbledon a better chance of being ready.
He continued: “Next year there’s three weeks between Wimbledon and Montreal. Where this time it was two weeks.” When asked what other changes might be on their way for the 2026 edition, Hale joked: “The first thing, I would have Sinner and Alcaraz.”
Before adding: “So I actually told them, because we were in talks when they withdrew. We spoke to them for several days, and then I said ‘okay in 2026 you’re going to be in Montreal, just make sure that happens’. I’m very confident they’ll be in Montreal next year.”
The lack of big names at the Canadian Open allowed for a surprise winner, with Ben Shelton winning his first-ever Masters 1000 event. He defeated Karen Khachanov in the final, with Shelton moving to a career-high sixth in the ATP rankings.
Speaking after the win, he took the time to congratulate his opponent on a strong tournament. He said: “I have a lot to say but I want to start with Karen. I’m sorry about tonight. Incredible week. I watched a lot of your matches. The level you’ve played this week is really really high. The way you were hitting the ball tonight, not many people in the world can hit the ball like that.”
