Just like the women’s draw, the men’s draw at the Canadian Open is in shambles. It may actually be in bigger shambles than the women’s draw. So far, we have Djokovic, Zverev, Thiem, Berrettini and Federer withdrawing.

Out of the withdrawals, Federer’s is the most concerning as he also withdrew from the Cincinnati Masters. His knee seems to be the issue. This means Federer will now head to the US Open without any hard-court preparation. Expect Federer not to make any noise at the US Open.

That being said, this blog is not about who’s not playing at the Canadian Open, it’s about who is playing and what their chances are. We have some great players on the list, of which Danill Medvedev will be the top seed followed by Rafa Nadal, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Andrey Rublev. Those four players alone have a shot at the title. However, if I was to pick a final, it would be Medvedev vs Tsitsipas. Medvedev keeps showing us how good he is on hard courts, and there is no reason to believe that he won’t be back in top form at his favorite surface. I like Tsitsipas as a finalist because of how consistent he has been all year on all surfaces – other than grass of course. Aside from Wimbledon, Tsitsipas posted big results at both the Australian and French Opens, reaching the semifinals and finals respectively. In addition to that, he captured the Monte Carlo Masters.

This doesn’t mean that Nadal and Rublev won’t have a shot here. Nadal has proven time and time again that you can’t count him out, no matter how hobbled he may seem. Currently, he’s dealing with a foot injury and was quickly dismissed from Washington DC in the third round. He’ll be looking to get as many matches as possible before the US Open. Rublev on the other hand has been healthy but cooled down after a great run at 500 level tournaments. Will Rublev get hot again? It’s entirely possible. Don’t count the heavy-hitting Russian out, he’s full of confidence.

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