Canadian Open 2024: the tournament’s big favourites

Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz have decided to skip the tournament. Novak beat Carlos in the final to win the gold medal at the Olympic Games on Sunday, August 4. They will be back in action next week at the Cincinnati Masters. Who can win the Canadian Open in his absence?

Casper Ruud

Ruud has 43 wins and 13 losses this season, just over half of them on clay. He won the biggest title of his career at the Barcelona Open and recently reached the quarter-finals of the Olympics. He also finished second at the Monte Carlo Masters and reached the semi-finals of Roland Garros.

Ruud has also performed well on hard courts, with an 18-5 record on the surface. He has reached the finals of the Los Cabos Open and the Mexican Open, as well as the quarterfinals of the Indian Wells Masters and the fourth round of the Miami Open. The Norwegian is a former semifinalist at the 2022 Canadian Open. He also reached the quarterfinals in his first tournament of 2021. He has been quite consistent this year, and if he improves further, he could win his first Masters in Canada.

Taylor Fritz

Fritz has been in good form this season. He has reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open and Wimbledon, as well as the fourth round of Roland Garros. He has won two titles this year: the Delray Beach Open and the Rothesay International in Eastbourne.

Fritz also won a bronze medal in men’s doubles at the recently concluded Paris Olympics. With a 37-13 record on the year, he stands out as one of the most consistent players of the season. The American has yet to advance past the third round in Canada, but this year he is capable of doing more.

Daniel Medvedev

Medvedev reached the final of the Australian Open this year but was defeated. He led the match against Jannik Sinner in straight sets, but lost 2:3. He then reached the semifinals of the Rotterdam Open and the Miami Open, as well as the final of the Indian Wells Masters.

This time, Medvedev’s clay-court season has not been as successful, although he reached the quarter-finals of the Madrid Open and the fourth round of Roland Garros. He reached the semi-finals of Wimbledon for the second year in a row and lost again to Alcaraz. The Russian is currently the only player in the top 10 without a title in the last 52 weeks. He won the Canadian Open in 2021 but has yet to win the same title twice in his career. However, his results on hard courts are commendable and he remains one of the favorites to win in Montreal this year.

Alexander Zverev

Zverev has shone on hard courts at the start of the season. He reached the semifinals of the Australian Open, Miami Open and Los Cabos Open, as well as the quarterfinals of the Indian Wells Masters. He also won the United Cup with Germany.

Zverev’s best performances this season have been on clay. He finished runner-up to Alcaraz at Roland Garros, won the Italian Open and also reached the final in Hamburg. His title defense at the Paris Olympics ended in the quarterfinals against Lorenzo Musetti. The German won the Canadian Open in 2017, when he also beat Roger Federer in the final. However, in his next three appearances at the tournament, he has won just five matches. He currently leads the tour in wins with a 47-14 record.

Jannik the fisherman

The best season of Sinner’s career brought him his first TBS title at the Australian Open and a rise to the top of the rankings. He also won titles in Rotterdam, Miami and Halle. The Italian has reached at least the quarterfinals of every tournament he has played this year and has a 42-4 record this season.

Last year’s Canadian Open was a turning point in Sinner’s career. He won his first Masters 1000 trophy, setting the stage for his incredible performance in the fall and his rise to the top this year. Given his numbers this year and the absence of Alcaraz, the only player to beat him twice this year, he is a top contender to win the Canadian Open for the second straight year.

Vyacheslav Gorbachev, Athletistic