National Bank Open's longer format is bad news for tennis fans, players: experts

Toronto tennis fans were served up disappointment after the likes of Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and other top players dropped out of the National Bank Open this year — a trend experts say could repeat if the tournament structure doesn't change.

The National Bank Open (NBO) expanded from one week to 12-days of competition, with the men facing off in Toronto and the women in Montreal from July 26 to Aug. 7. 

This year the tournament comes two weeks after Wimbledon and is immediately followed by the Cincinnati Open and the U.S. Open a week after that. 

The change limits the amount of rest time for top players, said Gill Gross, tennis commentator with Monday Match Analysis.

"Tennis is played 11 months out of the year. So, it is a grind for these players as is, but the expansion of the Masters 1000 to two-week events has actually made it worse," he said.

"They're spending more days out of the year at tournaments, living in hotels, out of suitcases, living with the anxiety that they feel just in that tournament mode, instead of being at home."

Gross and a former professional Canadian tennis player both say the NBO will continue to see withdrawals from tennis stars in the future if the elongated Masters 1000 schedule isn't changed. 

While NBO Toronto tournament director Karl Hale says he's excited for the new format, he says they will discuss possible changes with the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP).

"We're going to have talks with the tours about how we can mitigate against this, so we have some really good ideas," Hale said. 

"I just think the 12 days is bigger, better for the tournament, for the fans, more broadcasts … more kids watching and participating in tennis. So I think it's better for tennis in Canada."