Wimbledon was a whirlwind of emotions, to say the least! Jannik Sinner snatched the crown just a week ago, dethroning two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz with a steely performance. Novak Djokovic? He was one of many who couldn’t stop the Italian’s surge—his chance at a 25th Grand Slam and tying Roger Federer at SW19 slipping away. Now, with the grass season officially in the rear-view mirror, everyone’s prepping for what’s next on the hard courts. Or so we thought. Sinner and Djokovic seem to have hit pause on the action.

On Sunday, fans braced for the return of the Italian and the Serb, in Canada at the National Bank Open, but the organizers dropped a bombshell: “Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic have been forced to withdraw from the 2025 National Bank Open in Toronto as they recover following Wimbledon.” The two players really did give it their all, so is this a surprise?

Let’s not forget, both Wimbledon semifinalists had troubles of their own during their campaigns. Sinner, who won at the 2023 National Bank Open, took a nasty tumble in his first set against Grigor Dimitrov and landed hard on his elbow. He advanced after Dimitrov retired, but Jannik Sinner’s right arm was sleeved—the discomfort was visible. Even so, he powered through and won the final. Resilience at its finest.

He expressed his “disappointment” at skipping the tournament this year. “Winning that title in Toronto two years ago was the start of a really special moment for me, but after speaking with my team, I have to recover,” he said. What about Nole?

Djokovic, who won the National Bank Open four times, looked strong at Wimbledon until his quarterfinal against Andrey Rublev. That all changed in the last game—he slipped on the grass. At the time, he sounded hopeful about the recovery. “You’re expected to fall and have this kind of situation, so it did come at an awkward moment, but somehow I managed to find a good serve and pull it out. Obviously, I’m gonna visit this subject now with my physio, and hopefully, I’ll be well in two days.” It seems the injury has lasted longer than he expected, and it’s not without consequences.

Suddenly, there were whispers about his form heading into the semi against Sinner. He showed his trademark grit, but with both stars nursing injuries, it was Sinner who bested the Serb in their second semifinal duel this season.

Now, with both of them officially out of Toronto, the big question is: will we see these heavyweights back for Cincinnati? Only time will tell! But Novak was excited about returning to the Canadian Open, which would have been his first appearance since 2016!

However, after being defeated by Sinner, Novak was left disappointed at being unable to get his hands on the eluded 25th major title. Although the Italian was quite aware of his injury during their match.

Jannik Sinner reveals Novak’s discomfort during the semifinals

On July 11, the World No.1 blitzed past Novak Djokovic in straight sets—6-3, 6-3, 6-4—to reach his first Wimbledon final. Despite the crushing win, Sinner showed respect for Djokovic’s tough situation. “From my side, I served very well today. I felt great on court. I was moving much better today,” Jannik said. But he didn’t ignore Nole’s pain: “I think we all saw, especially in the third set, that he was a bit injured. He fell in the last couple of points in the quarterfinals, and he’s been in a very difficult situation.”

Djokovic’s injury drama started on Thursday in the quarterfinals against Flavio Cobolli. Down 1-4 in the fourth set, Novak mounted a fierce comeback—until a slippery patch on the grass sent him into an awkward split. He collapsed in visible discomfort and skipped practice the next day, sparking concerns over a hip or groin injury. “It was a nasty fall. It was very awkward. That happens on grass. I’ve had quite a few of those throughout my grass-court career. Obviously, [my] body is not the same today like it was before,” Djokovic admitted after the match.

True to form, Djokovic vowed to fight through the pain. “I’m hoping the next 24, 48 hours, the severity of what happened is not too bad, that I’ll be able to play at my best and free of pain,” he said. But when he faced Jannik Sinner in the semifinals just hours later, fans noticed the limp after the first set.

Meanwhile, Sinner kept his cool and focused. “I tried to stay calm, tried to play the best tennis I can, especially in the important moments, which today I felt like I was playing great. So, I’m very happy about my performance, and, yeah, let’s see what’s coming now in the final,” he said.

With Sinner now crowned Wimbledon champion and breaking Alcaraz’s 24-match streak, both stars have since withdrawn from the National Bank Open. It’s hard to say how they’ll return from these battles, but maybe this will ignite a new fire to chase even bigger goals. What do you think—will these fierce rivals come back stronger? Share your thoughts below!