Roland Garros , Wimbledon , and the Olympic tennis tournament are over, so the international tennis elite is returning to the hard courts to prepare optimally for the US Open. Starting with the Toronto Open, also known as the National Bank Open. Last year, Jannik Sinner, the current world number one, won the Toronto Open by defeating Alex de Minaur in the final. Can the Italian defend his title? He is back on the entry list and is the top seed at the National Bank Open. Sjeng Sports is offering a preview to help you prepare for this tournament!
As every year, a fine field of participants
Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev, and Alexander Zverev: just a few of the big names who have won the Canadian Open in recent years. It's a popular tournament among top tennis players, who have gathered in Canada en masse again this year to bid for victory. It certainly won't be easy for Sinner to defend his title. Names like Zverev , Medvedev , and Stefanos Tsitsipas are on the Toronto Open entry list, as are players in excellent form like newly crowned Washington champion Sebastian Korda and Olympic semifinalist Felix Auger Aliassime .
But it doesn't stop there. Despite the absence of Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic, both Olympic finalists, the vast majority of the world's elite will be in Toronto. Hubert Hurkacz , Andrey Rublev , Grigor Dimitrov, and Taylor Fritz are just a few of the outsiders. American Ben Shelton has also repeatedly proven his prowess on hardcourt, and he too will be at the National Bank Open to try and win his second ATP title of the year. Among the Dutch players, Tallon Griekspoor is the only ace in the tournament. He will face Lorenzo Sonego in the first round.
Will it be Gauff, Sabalenka or Pegula again?
The field of participants in the women's Canadian Open tennis tournament can rightly be called strong this year. Despite the absence of Iga Światek and Elena Rybakina, there are plenty of names on the lineup who could compete for the overall victory. Coco Gauff, for example, will undoubtedly be looking to redeem herself after the disappointing Olympic Games, and Aryna Sabalenka is also back on court after having to withdraw from Paris. Another woman undoubtedly has a victory at the Toronto Open high on her list is Jessica Pegula . She is the defending champion in Canada, having convincingly defeated Liudmila Samsonova in the 2023 final, who is also participating this year.
Another player who should never be overlooked is Ons Jabeur . However, the Tunisian hasn't had much luck with her draw and will face the equally interesting Naomi Osaka in the first round. Will Jabeur win? Then the Belgian Elise Mertens might be waiting. Other names to consider include the ever-unpredictable Madison Keys , the young Emma Navarro, and Elina Svitolina , who has made a full comeback and has already won enough titles on hard courts to be able to say she's adept at it. She'll play Shelby Rogers in the first round and then possibly Marta Kostyuk. One thing is certain: the Toronto Open—or the National Bank Open—will be another thrilling tournament, and we're curious to see who will be the big winner of the Canadian Open tennis after next week!
Latest Toronto Open winners:
2018: Rafael Nadal (m) / Simona Halep (f)
2019: Rafael Nadal (m) / Bianca Andreescu (f)
2021: Daniil Medvedev (m) / Camila Giorgi (f)
2022: Pablo Carreno Busta (m) / Simona Halep (f)
2023: Jannik Sinner (m) / Jessica Pegula (f)
