Daniil Medvedev will be one of the top seeds at the Canadian Open, such is the sheer amount of withdrawals at the tournament.
The Russian star will enter the Canadian Open as the fourth seed, behind only Alexander Zverev, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Alex de Minaur.
Medvedev, who has already won two ATP Tour titles this year, will be one of the favourites to win the title without Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and Novak Djokovic entering the competition.
Speaking to Bolshe, Medvedev was asked about his thoughts on the withdrawals at the Canadian Open this year, as well as the potential reasoning the likes of Sinner, Djokovic, and Alcaraz have.
“I think it’s normal, everyone has their own reasons. Alcaraz injured his wrist, he missed two Slams and so on. Sinner, obviously it’s not easy when you win many tournaments in a row. You win Wimbledon, you don’t have much time,” said the Russian star.
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Obviously his main goal is the US Open and he chose to prepare the best way possible for the US Open,” he said about Sinner’s decision to miss the tournament again.
Medvedev then turned his attention towards Djokovic, who he admitted he has been surprised by following his decision after being knocked out of Wimbledon.
“If we talk about Novak, he’s 39, age is taking its toll, you need to choose tournaments where you can play well,” added the current world No 6.
“I saw that he’s playing Cincinnati, that’s already good. I thought maybe he would go straight to the US Open. So everyone has their own story, but there are still many great players in the draw and I hope the best one wins.”
Djokovic will be playing the Cincinnati Open for the first time since 2023, when he lifted the trophy for the third time in his career.
As for Medvedev, the Russian star has won both the Canadian Open and the Cincinnati Open in his career.
He lifted the American title in 2019 and followed it up by winning the Canadian Open trophy two years later. His recent record, however, is not so glittering.
He’s been knocked out before the quarter finals in the last two years at the Canadian Open, while he’s suffered early exits in Cincinnati in the last three years.
Medvedev will be hoping he can hit top form at the Masters event though, as he is very unlikely to get a better chance to lift the trophy once again than in 2026.
He will play either Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard or Botic van de Zandschulp in the second round of the event, after receiving a first round bye.
