Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic’s latest withdrawals from the Canadian Open just highlight the sheer dedication Alexander Zverev puts into the ATP Tour year on year.
The German has flourished while Carlos Alcaraz has been absent with injury, winning Roland Garros and reaching his very first Wimbledon final.
The star will now be the number one seed thanks to Sinner’s withdrawal and he is the likely favourite to win the tournament for the first time since 2017.
Sinner’s withdrawal is a tad bizarre considering the star has only played one tournament since exiting Roland Garros in the second round.
That was at Wimbledon, which he won, but the Italian would still have enjoyed a 20-day break between tournaments had he played the Canadian Open.
Alexander Zverev’s 2026 schedule so far
- United Cup
- Australian Open
- Acapulco Open
- Indian Wells
- Miami Open
- Monte Carlo Masters
- Munich Open
- Madrid Open
- Italian Open
- Roland Garros
- Halle Open
- Wimbledon
Compare that to Zverev, who played a warm-up event in Halle straight after winning his first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros. Zverev played just as many matches as Sinner at Wimbledon and he is still on the entry list for the Masters event.
How many matches has Alexander Zverev played compared to Jannik Sinner?
- Alexander Zverev: 55
- Jannik Sinner: 47
Zverev has already played more matches than Sinner this year, which is set to only get bigger as he makes his way through the Canadian Open in Montreal.
Zverev has also played three more tournaments than Sinner this year, taking part in ATP 500 events in Acapulco and Halle, as well as the United Cup at the beginning of the year.
While Sinner should absolutely take his fitness into account, particularly after what happened at Roland Garros earlier this year, Zverev should absolutely be applauded for his dedication to the ATP Tour.
The World No 2 rarely takes any time off and has been ever present on the ATP Tour for the last two years solid.
More Alexander Zverev news
That has helped him keep in touching distance with Sinner and Alcaraz while they dominated the rest of the Tour, and it’s been the catalyst in the star taking advantage of Alcaraz’s absence.
Should Zverev win the Canadian Open, he will collect yet more ranking points and really start to make up ground on Sinner, who currently sits on top spot with 13,450 points.
Additionally, he will continue to bridge the gap between him and Alcaraz before the Spaniard’s likely return at the Cincinnati Open in mid-August.
Zverev might not be as dominant as either Sinner or Alcaraz, but his impressive dedication and consistency has allowed him to be in the mix with both men in the rankings.
