World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka Withdraws From 2025 Canadian Open in Montreal

Thursday, 17 July 2025 at 12:15

byErik Virostko

The 2025 Canadian Open in Montreal lost plenty of star power after the reigning World No. 1 player, Aryna Sabalenka, announced her withdrawal.

The WTA 1000 tournament in Canada is the first such tournament held during the last part of the season. After coming to clay from the hard courts and then transitioning to grass, the tennis players return to the hard courts again, something that Sabalenka is likely very happy about.

Despite playing in the Roland Garros final this year and reaching the Wimbledon semi-finals, the Belarusian player has won all three of her Grand Slam titles on hard courts, and she is a very dominant player on the surface.

Despite that, Sabalenka surprisingly announced her withdrawal from the 2025 Canadian Open in Montreal, and she did so plenty of weeks ahead of the tournament. The reason, luckily for the world of tennis and Sabalenka's fans, is not an injury.

The three-time Grand Slam champion likely feels exhausted after coming so close to winning a Grand Slam many times in 2025, but failing to do so, so she has decided to take a little break from the sport.

In a statement, the defending US Open champion mentioned that it's in her best interested to skip this year's Canadian Open. That is likely to maximize her chances of succeeding at the US Open.

"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."

"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!"

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For now, Sabalenka's plans after the WTA 1000 tournament in Montreal should remain unchanged. The 27-year-old plans to compete at the Cincinnati Open, which will be her only warm-up event for the US Open.

Historically, she has performed exceptionally at these two tournaments in the United States. Sabalenka has reached at least the semi-finals at the US Open every time since 2021. In the past two seasons, she reached the final.

She has also reached at least the semi-finals at the Cincinnati Open as well, and last year, she completed the Cincinnati - US Open double, winning both tournaments. On the other hand, the two-time Australian Open champion has never enjoyed much success in Canada.

Her best-ever result at the Canadian Open came in 2021 when she reached the semi-finals. Last year in Toronto, Sabalenka lost in the quarter-finals of the tournament, and considering her winning percentage, it's her worst long-standing WTA 1000 tournament.

The 2025 Canadian Open in Montreal will run from July 27th until August 7th, and tennis fans in Canada can look forward to many great players, including their own Eugenie Bouchard. Bouchard will retire from the sport at this year's Canadian Open.