2026 National Bank Open Montreal Players: Meet…

The final countdown towards the 2026 National Bank Open has begun, with main-draw play getting underway on Aug. 2.

Nine of the ATP’s Top 10 players appeared on the entry list when it was announced on July 9, setting up what should be a very strong field in Montreal. Of course, the Masters 1000 events have been dominated at an unprecedented level by one man this year. Can he carry his dominance into Canada?

With the NBO just a few weeks away, let’s meet the best the ATP Tour has to offer. Here is the Top “10.”

(Note: Rankings and statistics are as of July 13, the Monday after Wimbledon, and may not correspond directly to the player list announced on July 9.)

Jannik Sinner

Age: 24
Current Ranking: 1
Career-High: 1
NBO Appearance: 5th
Best NBO Result: Champion (2023)
Most Recent NBO Result: Quarter-Final (2024)
2026 Record: 44-3
Career NBO Record: 7-3

Never in the history of the ATP Tour has a player arrived at the National Bank Open undefeated at the Masters 1000 level, having participated in every Masters 1000 event so far on the calendar. Until this year.

Jannik Sinner will arrive in Montreal looking to match the record for the most Masters 1000 titles in a single season with six in the sixth Masters 1000 event of the year. He has not lost a completed match in a Masters 1000 event in 14 months. The 24-year-old became the youngest and fastest player to complete the career Golden Masters with his win in Rome in May, a quest that began in Canada with his title in Toronto in 2023.

Oh, and he just successfully defended his Wimbledon title.

The most Canadian thing about Jannik Sinner: A man familiar to cold climates, coming from the Italian Alps, Sinner is an elite skier and considered going pro before choosing tennis instead.

Alexander Zverev

Age: 29
Current Ranking: 2
Career-High: 2
NBO Appearance: 8th
Best NBO Result: Champion (2017)
Most Recent NBO Result: Semifinal (2025)
2026 Record: 44-11
Career NBO Record: 16-6

Finally, Alexander Zverev will be competing at a Masters 1000 event as a Grand Slam champion. At the age of 29, after close to a decade as a Top 10 mainstay, the German broke through to win his first major in June at Roland-Garros.

In the absence of Carlos Alcaraz, Zverev has firmly established himself as the second-best player in the world behind Sinner, having reached the semifinals or better at almost every “Big” (Grand Slam or Masters 1000) event in 2026.

Like Sinner, Zverev’s road to the top took an important step in Canada. His second Masters 1000 title, and first on hard courts, came in Montreal almost a decade ago back in 2017, when he upset Roger Federer in the final.

Tennis in his veins: The Zverev family is all about tennis. Not only was his brother also a pro, both of their parents were tennis coaches. He credits his mum for his brilliant backhand.

*Note: World No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz did not enter the 2026 National Bank Open due to injury.

Félix Auger-Aliassime

Age: 25
Current Ranking: 4
Career-High: 4
NBO Appearance: 8th
Best NBO Result: Quarter-Final (2022)
Most Recent NBO Result: Second Round (2025)
2026 Record: 30-14
Career NBO Record: 5-7

As a Montrealer and the Canadian No. 1, Félix Auger-Aliassime is always in the spotlight at the National Bank Open, especially in Montreal years. But this year, that will be truer than ever as he projects to the No. 3 seed, the highest-seeded Canadian man at the Canadian Masters 1000 event in the Open Era.

The 25-year-old is in the midst of one of the best years of his career, highlighted by back-to-back Grand Slam quarter-finals recently at Roland-Garros and Wimbledon. He also became the first Canadian to reach the quarter-finals at every Big event on the regular calendar when he reached the last eight in Monte-Carlo to complete his Masters 1000 set and at Roland-Garros to accomplish the feat at the majors.

Fun fact about Félix Auger-Aliassime: Various nicknames given to him by his fellow players include “The Chosen One” and “Oxford.”

Alex de Minaur

Age: 27
Current Ranking: 5
Career-High: 5
NBO Appearance: Sixth
Best NBO Result: Runner-Up (2023)
Most Recent NBO Result: Quarter-Final (2025)
2026 Record: 27-14
Career NBO Record: 9-5

“The Demon” enters the National Bank Open, the tournament where he delivered his best Masters 1000 result (albeit in the other city) at a career-high ranking. However, the speedy Aussie has struggled a bit at big events, only reaching the quarter-finals at two of the eight “Big” events so far this year.

Canada has been good to de Minaur over the years, though. He has reached at least the quarters in his last two appearances at the National Bank Open. The world No. 5 should also be in good spirits after getting married earlier in July.

Fun fact about Alex de Minaur: The Aussie loves vintage cars and is the proud owner of two classic Mini Coopers.

Ben Shelton

Age: 23
Current Ranking: 6
Career-High: 5
NBO Appearance: 4th
Best NBO Result: Champion (2025)
Most Recent NBO Result: Champion (2025)
2026 Record: 25-11
Career NBO Record: 8-2

With his victory at the 2025 National Bank Open, Shelton stretched the streak of new winners in Canada to five in a row and became the fourth consecutive champion whose victory was their first at the Masters 1000 level.

Now in 2026, he is looking to join Rafael Nadal (2018-19), Novak Djokovic (2011-12), Andy Murray (2009-10), and Andre Agassi (1994-95) as the only men to win back-to-back titles in Montreal and Toronto since the introduction of the Masters 1000 series in 1990.

The defending champion is looking to bounce back after a shocking first-round loss at Wimbledon.

Family History: Shelton’s father Bryan was a professional on the ATP Tour and Bryan once faced off on tour with Tennis Canada’s current Head of Men’s Tennis, Martin Laurendeau. Laurendeau won that clash in Rio de Janeiro in three sets.

Novak Djokovic

Age: 39
Current Ranking: 7
Career-High: 1
NBO Appearance: 12th
Best NBO Result: Champion (Four times)
Most Recent NBO Result: Third round (2018)
2026 Record: 14-5
Career NBO Record: 37-7

It is getting close to a decade since Novak Djokovic last visited Canada. Even though he doesn’t play on tour as much as he used to, he has only contested 19 matches on tour so far this season, the most decorated men’s tennis player of all time still brings it in the big matches. At age 39, he just reached the semifinals of Wimbledon, breaking the record for most singles wins by a man at the All-England Club in the process.

Montreal holds a special place in the Djokovic story. While it was not his first Masters 1000 title back in 2007, it was the moment when he truly announced himself to the tennis world, becoming the first man in the 21st century to beat the Top 3 players in the world (Federer, Nadal, Andy Roddick) in the same tournament.

Respecting rivals: His kids are fans of Auger-Aliassime.

Daniil Medvedev

Age: 30
Current Ranking: 8
Career-High: 1
NBO Appearance: Ninth
Best NBO Result: Champion (2021)
Most Recent NBO Result: Third Round (2025)
2026 Record: 30-12
Career NBO Record: 14-7

Daniil Medvedev is the most recent man to have won the National Bank Open without it being his maiden Masters 1000 title. His victory in 2021 was a harbinger of great things to come as he went on to win his lone major title a month later at the US Open.

The last couple of years have been a bit up-and-down for the former world No. 1, but he is still one of the most dangerous players on tour on hard courts. He reached the final of Indian Wells earlier this season as has had success in both Canadian cities before, reaching the Montreal final in 2019 before his win in Toronto two years later.

The most Canadian thing about Daniil Medvedev: He speaks fluent French and can be quick to apologize for things.

Flavio Cobolli

Age: 24
Current Ranking: 9
Career-High: 9
NBO Appearance: Third
Best NBO Result: Fourth Round (2025)
Most Recent NBO Result: Fourth Round (2025)
2026 Record: 27-15
Career NBO Record: 3-2

If there is a Top 10 player who fans in Montreal should be most fascinated with, it is probably Flavio Cobolli. He is certainly the freshest face, as it will be his first time as a Top-10 seed in Canada and he was unseeded in his only other appearance at IGA Stadium.

The other Italian in the Top 10 may live in his countryman’s shadow, but Cobolli has put together a strong 2026 of his own. He was one of three players (along with Zverev and Auger-Aliassime) to reach the quarter-finals or better at both Roland-Garros and Wimbledon, including making his maiden Grand Slam final at the former.

Fun Fact about Flavio Cobolli: He is not just a fan of AS Roma, the football club, he was a member of their youth academy before choosing to focus on tennis.

Taylor Fritz

Age: 28
Current Ranking: 10
Career-High: 4
NBO Appearance: 8th
Best NBO Result: Semifinal (2025)
Most Recent NBO Result: Semifinal (2025)
2026 Record: 23-13
Career NBO Record: 8-7

After skipping almost the entire clay season, Fritz looked refreshed in June on the grass, reaching back-to-back finals in Stuttgart and Halle and then got to the quarter-finals at Wimbledon. It bodes well for the American as he returns to the surface where he has had the most success in his career.

Canada had been a difficult event for Fritz for most of his career until last year, when the former US Open runner-up finally broke through to reach the semifinals in Toronto, falling to the eventual champion Shelton. The National Bank Open is the only outdoor hard court Masters 1000 event where he has yet to reach the quarter-finals at least twice.

Canadian connection: His uncle Harry Fritz played under the Canadian flag on tour. He was a Canadian No. 1 and represented Canada at the Davis Cup.

*Please note, the Top 10 could change by the start of play on August 2 and appearance on the entry list is not a guarantee that a player will participate in the National Bank Open.

The ATP's best return to Montreal next summer for the National Bank Open presented by Rogers Aug 1 to 13 at IGA Stadium. Get your tickets today!

Feature Photo : Martin Sidorjak