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The tennis schedule has died down for a few weeks after a hectic summer in Europe, culminating with the Wimbledon finals over the weekend. While Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner take their victory tours after conquering the grass in London, the focus of the ATP and WTA tours turns to the hard courts in North America.
The buildup to the final major of the year at the U.S. Open gets underway for some on July 21 in Washington D.C., a 500 event, but the following week is where the rubber meets the road. The first of two WTA 1000 events gets underway in Montreal on July 26 while the men take part in a Masters 1000 over in Toronto.
In a surprising turn of events, the women's draw in Montreal will be missing its top player. World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka has pulled out of the event due to fatigue from her long summer, according to Michael Samulski.
“I'm looking forward to kicking off the North American hard-court swing, but to give myself the best chance for success this season, l've decided it's in my best interest to skip Montreal,” Sabalenka said in a statement, via Samulski. “I'll miss my amazing Canadian fans, but I'm already looking forward to seeing you all next year. Thanks for your understanding and support it means the world to me!”
Sabalenka is planning to be back for the second WTA 1000 of this swing in Cincinnati before heading to New York for the final Grand Slam of the season.
While it's a surprise to see the top player in the world pull out of such a big event, it makes sense considering Sabalenka's packed schedule this summer. She won a WTA 1000 title in Madrid back in May before losing in the quarterfinals in Rome and falling short in the Roland Garros final against Coco Gauff.
The three-time major champion suffered another heartbreaking loss recently at Wimbledon, losing to Amanda Anisimova in the semifinals.
Aryna Sabalenka is still firmly in the No. 1 spot in the rankings and the points race in 2025 despite not holding a Grand Slam this season, but Swiatek and others are closing in on her and will have a chance to make up more ground in Montreal.
However, the Belarusian will still be confident that she can maintain her spot. She is the defending champion both in Cincinnati and at the U.S. Open, so she will be the favorite coming into both events.
