Several top tennis stars, including Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, and Aryna Sabalenka, have pulled out of the Canadian Open to prioritize recovery ahead of the season’s final Grand Slam, the US Open. Tennis icon Jimmy Connors backed their decision, stressing the importance of maintaining physical health.
Alcaraz pointed to muscle strain and fatigue following an intense grass-court season as the reason for his withdrawal. Djokovic opted to rest and recover from a groin injury sustained at Wimbledon, while Sabalenka cited overall tiredness from the demanding calendar.
Connors, a five-time US Open champion, said their decisions made sense, especially given that most ATP 1000 events now span two weeks. On his ‘Advantage Connors’ podcast, he and his son Brett discussed the toll of back-to-back tournaments.
“A guy like Djokovic needs to manage his time and energy. He’s one of the older players now, and if he wants to peak when it matters most like the US Open he has to be smart about it,” Connors said. He added, “Many players go into these 12-day events, and that’s a lot of tennis. Thankfully, they’re not best-of-five matches, but still it’s exhausting. After Wimbledon, I’d take a week off myself just to regroup, do laundry, and get ready to go again.”
Despite missing the Canadian Open, these players are expected to return for the Cincinnati Open beginning August 5 as part of their US Open preparation.
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