Roger Federer made headlines last year when he suggested high-profile tournaments were slowing down there courts to give Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz an advantage.

Speaking at the Laver Cup last year, the Swiss icon said: “I understand the safety net that the tournament directors see in making the surface slower.

“It’s for the weaker player. He has to hit extra amazing shots to beat Sinner, whereas if it’s quick, he can only maybe blast a few and, at the right time, he gets past.

“So that’s what the tournament directors are [thinking], like: ‘I kind of like Sinner-Alcaraz in the finals, you know? It kind of works for the game’.”

Federer’s comments proved controversial at the time, particularly as the hardcourt swing had featured very fast courts at the Cincinnati Open, but the tennis legend might have a point.

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The Canadian Open courts in Montreal are incredibly slow this year, scoring a 35.4 CPI (court pace index) for the ATP event. Last year, it was 44.7 in Toronto for the men’s draw, so they have been dramatically slowed down for this year’s event.

The players have been complaining about the conditions in Toronto too, including Arthur Fils, who has reached the quarter finals in Toronto.

Speaking after his victory against Zachary Svajda in the second round, Fils said: “I needed my serve because on such a slow court, if I don’t win any free points, things start to get complicated. It’s almost slower than clay here. But overall, I’m very satisfied with my performance.”

While Sinner and Alcaraz have not played the event, the Canadian Open would have surely hoped they would sign up to the event, having missed it in 2025.

Perhaps the tournament did its best to try and convince Sinner and Alcaraz to attend by slowing down the conditions, as Federer said, but it ultimately didn’t work.

What it has done it made for some very difficult tennis, which has seen many of the other top stars stumble in the early rounds.

The likes of Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz, Daniil Medvedev, and Flavio Cobolli all exited the tournament at the second round stage, leaving the Canadian Open particularly devoid of star power.

With the tournament reaching the quarter final stages, Ben Shelton is the only player ranked inside the top 10 who is left in the competition.

He is the defending champion at the tournament and will play Joao Fonseca for a place in the last eight of the tournament. The likes of Rafael Jodar, Fils, and Luciano Darderi have all made the quarter finals.