Novak Djokovic's comments come true after Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz make decision before the US Open

The field at the Toronto Open is looking a little sparse this year, with some of the top-seeded male players withdrawing ahead of the tournament.

On Sunday, it was reported that Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic and Jack Draper withdrew from the tournament for various reasons.

This means four of the top six-ranked ATP players will not compete in Toronto, leaving Alexander Zverev and Taylor Fritz as the top seeds.

Draper has revealed a new injury to his left arm, while Sinner has said he needs to ‘prioritise’ his health. After the Wimbledon final, Alcaraz said he would prioritise rest and listen to his body.

The exodus has been simply shocking. The absence of these players will leave a massive hole at the tournament, while disappointing fans who may have travelled far to watch their favourite players perform.

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A number of players have discussed the issue of burnout on the ATP Tour, complaining about a packed ATP Tour schedule. In the last year, Carlos Alcaraz, Alex de Minaur and Alexander Zverev have all commented on the matter.

World number 10 Andrey Rublev also admitted he had been struggling with depression in recent years, and had utilised antidepressants for a year. Former Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic has also noted an issue with antidepressants on tour.

Earlier in July, Novak Djokovic spoke about the issue, and he has been proven entirely correct after the mass withdrawals from Toronto.

Novak Djokovic said the ‘longest season’ in sport is ‘too big of a bite for most’

Speaking to Sport Klub’s Sasa Ozmo at the start of July, Djokovic conveyed his thoughts regarding players feeling burnt out or turning to antidepressants.

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Djokovic said: “The first thing that comes to mind is that social media is extremely present and largely dictates the mood and daily rhythm of an athlete – especially young ones, but older ones too.

“Everyone is on social media, and you can get lost there, get too attached to comments, to what someone types on a keyboard or phone… and that hurts. It’s not trivial. That’s something we need to talk about seriously.”

“There are various other factors. The fact is, in my opinion, that kids are pushed too early into strict professionalism, before they’ve developed emotional intelligence, which is part of psychological preparation for life.

“When a talent is spotted, they push them professionally — just play, play, play — and then all sorts of agents latch on, those with interest in success, and they push the player to play as much as possible so they earn more.

“It’s a vicious circle, and if a player gets a bit lost in that, it can strongly affect their psyche and how they live their life.

“Tennis has the longest season of all global sports. For most who play the full schedule, it’s from January 1 to late November.

“Other sports have more competitions now too, but tennis is individual — there are no substitutes, no ‘I don’t feel good today, can you sub in for me for five minutes so I can rest’… Here, every point matters, every day matters.

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“If you want to reach the highest heights, you have to transform your entire life in service of tennis and sport. You lose yourself, it’s too big of a bite for most.”

It is worth noting that Djokovic himself has withdrawn from Toronto. However, this must be put into context as he is reaching the twilight of his career and has a legitimate reason to prioritise certain events over others in order to extend his career.

Chris Evert applauds Djokovic’s ‘tremendous answer’

On Sunday, 18-time Grand Slam winner Chris Evert weighed in on Djokovic’s comments from earlier in July.

Evert noted that Djokovic’s summary of the burnout and antidepressant situation was a ‘tremendous answer.’

It remains to be seen if any other top ATP players will withdraw from Toronto. However, the schedule has clearly become an issue for many players.

If fans are often left wanting due to the consistent withdrawal of players from major tournaments, then a rethink of the schedule may be in order.

Dan Evans previously hit out at tour schedule complaints

Dan Evans, former British number one, hit out at those complaining about the tour schedule when speaking to the BBC at the 2025 Queen’s Club Championships.

He said: “I think first and foremost we’re in a fortunate position.

“When I hear about the schedule [complaints], these guys don’t have to play every week. You are allowed to not play. The reason they play is so they pick up their bonus pool.”

After beating Frances Tiafoe in the first round, he added: “Everybody is entitled to their opinion on the schedule, but the tour has been like that for however many years.

“The top, top guys schedule properly, and that’s, you know, that’s I guess what’s part of the issue, I imagine, is how people schedule how many weeks they want to play, how many weeks they don’t want to play.

“Me personally, I see the weeks before Grand Slams are way stronger than they were maybe ten years ago. There is more top players playing. I don’t know if that’s to try and pick up cheap points, but, you know, there are these massive teams now.

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“They are allowed to have some input into it. There are loads of weeks in the year you can take off or train or whatnot. That’s up to them.

“Anybody outside the top 15 don’t have those views, because the bottom line is anybody outside the top 15 need to play every week. People need working opportunities. If you are at 60 in the world with more than two people on your staff each week, you need to make money.

“So you can’t just not have tournaments every week. They need tournaments. That’s it. Can’t just listen to the top guys on scheduling. Just because they are better than us at tennis doesn’t mean their voice is louder to talk.

“That’s what I’ll say. I’m more than happy to have the conversation with whoever wants it.”

The factor of exhibition matches must also be acknowledged. Players like Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have found time to compete in exhibition events in the last year, then later withdrawing from tour events.

This raises the matter of the players’ prioritisation of their own schedule before taking issue with the ATP Tour schedule. Andrea Gaudenzi, Executive Chairman of the ATP Tour, discussed this matter in December 2024.

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