The land of withdrawals and opportunity

As the North American hard-court swing kicks off, top-seed withdrawals open doors for everyone else.

Pulse Check

The post-Wimby, pre-USO carnage has shaken out over the past few days, with many top players pulling out of the upcoming 500 and 1000-level hard-court tournaments. Depending on which player you are (or are a fan of), it’s either a bummer, a much-needed respite, or a golden opportunity.

Jannik Sinner (1), Novak Djokovic (6), and Carlos Alcaraz (2) were never slated to play the 500-level DC Open, which starts today, but they’ve pulled out of the subsequent Masters 1000 tournament in Toronto. Sinner and Djokovic are nursing Wimbledon injuries, while Alcaraz is likely just taking a well-deserved break after a busy first half of the year that saw him on a 24-match win streak until he lost to Sinner in the Wimbledon final. More surprising was an announcement from Jack Draper (5) that he’d picked up an injury in his left arm sometime after Wimbledon and would be skipping both Toronto and Cincinnati (also a Masters 1000). I wouldn’t be shocked if Djokovic pulls out of Cincy, too.

On …