Alexander Zverev has arrived at the 2026 Canadian Open as the top seed, headlining a depleted field with Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, and Carlos Alcaraz missing from the draw. Amid the discourse stirred by Djokovic and Sinner’s decisions to withdraw, Zverev pinpointed why neither financial incentives nor ranking penalties would have influenced the 24-time Grand Slam champion’s move.
Why Alexander Zverev Says Financial Bonuses Won’t Sway Novak Djokovic
After Sinner and Djokovic announced their decision to withdraw from the ATP Masters event in Montréal, tournament director Valérie Tétreault and Tennis Canada CEO Gavin Ziv suggested that “adjustments are needed” and revealed they are in discussions with the ATP to help ensure top players participate in important events.
During his pre-tournament press conference at the Canadian Open, Zverev was asked whether handing out bonuses to participants while imposing penalties on absentees could help address the issue.
However, the German pointed out that such a system already exists, as players who compete in eight of the nine Masters 1000 events receive a share of the ATP’s multimillion-dollar bonus pool.
“That’s the way it is right now. I mean, it’s not rocket science. We get bonuses at the end of the year if we play all nine Masters,” he said.
When asked whether a bigger financial incentive would persuade players like Djokovic to participate, Zverev scoffed at the suggestion.
“You think Novak will care if he gets a bigger bonus? I think the guy has — I mean, if I would have to guess, the guy is north of 400 million in his bank account, and so I’m not sure he would care about 50,000 more or less,” Zverev said.
Zverev also rejected the notion that Djokovic would be concerned about ranking penalties. He argued that players should not be punished for missing tournaments as long as the ATP Tour continues to stage extended Masters 1000 events.
“I don’t think he cares about his ranking either,” he said. “But what do you want? Do you want us to drop in rankings if we don’t play? Honestly, if everything goes to the old and we would play one-week Masters events, yeah, we can talk about it, but if you’re forcing us to be away for two and a half, three weeks during Grand Slams and the same then goes for Masters events, you can’t force us to play.”
“Sorry, that’s nonsense. At the end of the day, if you play all nine Masters, you get a bonus at the end of the year. So there is that to it as well,” he added.
Following a first-round bye, Alexander Zverev will face the winner of the match between Lorenzo Sonego and Tallon Griekspoor in his opening match at the Canadian Open. The world No. 2 will be on the hunt for his second title at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Montréal after lifting the trophy in 2017.
