Star power at Canadian Open dims after withdrawals
Top two seeds on the women's side, several stars in men's event sitting out
Health concerns and the absence of some of the game's brightest stars mean the Canadian Open women's tennis championship is up for grabs this year.
The top two players in the world — Australian Ash Barty and Naomi Osaka of Japan — have opted not to play in the National Bank Open, which begins Saturday with qualifying matches at the National Tennis Centre in Jarry Park. Barty never entered the WTA Masters 1000 event, while Osaka withdrew this week, citing fatigue after she was upset in the third round of the Olympic tournament in Tokyo.
Two other top 10 players also withdrew this week. No. 4 Sofia Kenin of the U.S. is still recovering from a foot injury, while No. 8 Iga Swiatek of Poland also pleaded fatigue after the Olympics. Also missing is American Serena Williams, who injured her right leg when she slipped on the grass in her first-round match at Wimbledon. At 39, Williams has dropped to No. 16 in the rankings, but she remains a popular player.
The defections have boosted Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus into the top-seeded position in the draw. Her consistent play has allowed her to claim the No. 3 spot in the world rankings, but unlike the no-shows, she has yet to win a Grand Slam The closest she has come was this year when she reached the semifinals at Wimbledon.
The No. 2 seed is Canadian Bianca Andreescu, who won the title in 2019 in Toronto and is still the defending champion because the 2020 tournament was wiped out by COVID -19. Andreescu, who also won the U.S. Open in 2019, missed all of 2020 with a knee injury and there are questions about her health and fitness. The 21-year-old lost in the final of the Miami Masters 1000 in April, but she missed some time with COVID and her results have been disappointing since then. She hasn't played since Wimbledon where she was crushed by Alizé Cornet in the first round.
Simona Halep of Romania, who was added as a wild card, will be the No. 6 seed. She has won the Canadian title twice in Montreal in 2016 and 2018 and is a crowd favourite. But she hasn't played in three months after a torn calf muscle kept her out of the French Open and Wimbledon.
The men's event in Toronto is facing a similar problem. No. 2 Novak Djokovic declined an invitation to play, while No. 5 Alexander Zverev, No. 8 Matteo Berrettini, No. 9 Roger Federer, No. 11 Pablo Carreno Busta and Canadian Milos Raonic sent their regrets this week. The big loss is Federer, who suffered a setback in his recovery from knee surgery. Federer, who turns 40 on Sunday, hasn't played in the Canadian Open since 2017 and this might have been the last chance for fans in Canada to see him.
Attendance will be limited to 5,000 fans for each session in Montreal and Toronto and fans will not be permitted to watch matches outside the main stadium. In past years, the tournament offered free admission to the qualifying matches, but this time around, fans in Montreal must buy tickets for Saturday and Sunday. No fans will be allowed in to watch the qualifying matches in Toronto.