"Alcaraz and Sinner must commit to playing the M1000"

Throughout the summer, the absences of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner in Canada were widely commented on. According to the tournament director, the Spaniard and the Italian have promised to be present at the 2026 edition.

This was revealed by Karl Hale, director of the Canadian tournament, in an interview with John Isner on the podcast ‘Nothing major’. For a tournament as important as this, the absence of the number 1 and number 2 in the rankings is a significant setback economically for both sponsors and ticket sales. The change to a two-week Masters 1000 format has contributed to all of this.

In 2025, there were only two weeks between Wimbledon and the Canadian tournament, making it impossible for top players like Jannik and Carlos Alcaraz to participate, as well as others with a heavy match workload like Djokovic or Draper. The Canadian tournament was left with a shortage, compounded by the absence of other top players like Aryna Sabalenka.

Sinner and Alcaraz to be in Canada in 2026

“Losing the top players is not something we desire,” comments Karl Hale. “I believe Carlos and Jannik should consider our circuit, the ATP, and commit to playing. We are in talks with them to ensure they participate next year. In 2026, there will be three weeks between Wimbledon and Montreal. This year there were only two. That’s a significant change.”

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The issue with the calendar affects certain tournaments due to their placement. Canada, for instance, has been facing this issue for years. “The calendar has a problem: it's too long. There are many 250 and 500 tournaments. The Saudi tournament is upcoming, and soon they will announce its schedule and duration,” explains Hale.

“When Sinner and Alcaraz withdrew this year, we spoke with them and said, ‘Okay, in 2026 you will be in Montreal. Ensure that happens’. I’m confident they will be there next year, with the bonuses we offer and the three weeks between tournaments,” he concludes.

The ATP circuit offers players who complete all M1000 tournaments a year-end bonus based on their earned points, with significant figures for the top players. It's a way to incentivize top players to attend these tournaments.

For them, absences like those of Carlos or Jannik Sinner represent a major financial loss, but we always come back to the same debate. With so many tournaments and little rest, players are always pushed to their limits, making it impossible to be physically at 100% throughout an 11-month season. 

We will see what happens in 2026 with this particular tournament, considering it will be two weeks long, while Cincinnati will end on a Monday to start the US Open six days later, on Sunday. All tournaments are extending their durations, and players have less and less time to rest.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, "Alcaraz y Sinner deben comprometerse a jugar los M1000"