Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic withdraw from National Bank Open

World No. 1 Jannik Sinner and 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic have withdrawn from the National Bank Open presented by Rogers.

Tennis Canada announced Friday that neither headliner will compete in Montreal after both players were included on the entry list for the ATP Masters 1000 tournament at IGA Stadium from Aug. 1-13.

Seven-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz had already been left off the player list as he continues to recover from a right wrist injury that forced him to miss the French Open and Wimbledon.

French Open champion and Wimbledon runner-up Alexander Zverev will now be the tournament’s top seed.

Montreal’s Félix Auger-Aliassime will be seeded second, making him the highest-seeded Canadian in the tournament’s history.

Sinner, Djokovic and Alcaraz — the three biggest draws in men’s tennis — also missed last year’s event in Toronto, when the 12-day tournament began just two weeks after Wimbledon. Tournament officials expected fewer withdrawals this year, with the event starting three weeks after the All England Club finals.

“After carefully considering all the factors together with my team, we have made the difficult decision to withdraw from Montreal,” Sinner said in a statement provided by Tennis Canada.

“It is never easy to miss such an important event, but we believe this is the right decision to prioritize my health. I’m disappointed not to be there, but I look forward to returning to Montreal in the future.”

The 24-year-old Italian and the 39-year-old Djokovic could return to action at the Cincinnati Open, with main-draw play beginning the day the National Bank Open ends, before the U.S. Open in late August.