Carlos Alcaraz Withdraws from Canadian Open Due to Muscle Issues

Carlos Alcaraz, the world number two tennis player, has withdrawn from the Canadian Open citing muscle issues. The 22-year-old won several titles before losing to Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon final. The Canadian Open will now be without four of the world's top six men's players.

World number two tennis player Carlos Alcaraz has withdrawn from the Canadian Open, citing muscle issues. The 22-year-old Spaniard, who won several titles before losing to Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon final, has joined a list of high-profile withdrawals from the tournament [1]. The Canadian Open, known officially as the National Bank Open presented by Rogers, is one of the nine tournaments categorized as ATP Masters 1000, marking them just below the Grand Slams in terms of importance [2].

Alcaraz's withdrawal adds to the list of top players who have pulled out of the tournament, including Jannik Sinner, No. 1 in the ATP rankings, Novak Djokovic, No. 6, and Jack Draper, ranked No. 5. All four cited injuries and recovery as reasons for their absence. With Alcaraz, Sinner, and Djokovic out, four of the top six men's seeds will be absent from the singles competition in Toronto [1].

Alcaraz's decision to withdraw comes after a grueling start to the tour. The Spaniard dramatically won his first French Open, made the final against Sinner at Wimbledon, and won two other smaller titles (the Monte Carlo Masters and the Italian Open) in between. With Alcaraz, Sinner, and the others out, the main draws in Toronto will likely be No. 3 Alexander Zverev and No. 4 Taylor Fritz — assuming that they don't also withdraw. Zverev has a leg up over Fritz: The German won the Canadian Open back in 2017, while Fritz has yet to advance past the third round [1].

The Canadian Open will still feature prominent names such as No. 7 Lorenzo Musetti and No. 9 Holger Rune, while the highest-ranked Canadians, Denis Shapovalov and Felix Auger-Aliassime (ranked No. 27 and No. 28, respectively), will attempt to earn the trophy at home [1].

References:
[1] https://sports.yahoo.com/tennis/article/carlos-alcaraz-pulls-out-of-canadian-open-joining-jannik-sinner-novak-djokovic-jack-draper-224615480.html
[2] https://www.profootballnetwork.com/tennis/fans-worried-carlos-alcaraz-jannik-sinner-novak-djokovic-abandon-canadian-open/