Aryna Sabalenka, the world’s top-ranked women’s tennis player, is preparing for her return to hard-court action at the National Bank Open in Toronto following a challenging grass and clay season. The event, which begins Tuesday, marks Sabalenka’s first tournament since her early exit at Wimbledon, where she lost in the fourth round, her earliest Grand Slam departure since 2022. The setback followed a quarterfinal loss at the French Open last month.

Speaking at Sobeys Stadium on Sunday, Sabalenka acknowledged the difficulties she faced during the summer swing, both physically and mentally. “I suffered during the summer swing a lot with my body and mentally also a little bit,” the Belarusian said. She added that after a period of rest, including some downtime in Greece, she was eager to return to competition. “I felt much better. I couldn’t wait to get back on court and start working toward my goals.”

Sabalenka, a four-time Grand Slam champion, has been the WTA’s No. 1 player since October 2024. She did not participate in last year’s Canadian event in Montreal, citing fatigue following a deep run at the French Open and the Wimbledon semifinals. This year, she headlines a strong field in Toronto that includes world No. 2 Elena Rybakina, the 2026 Australian Open champion who defeated Sabalenka, two-time National Bank Open winner Jessica Pegula, two-time Grand Slam champion Coco Gauff, and 2026 French Open winner Mirra Andreeva.

Canada is represented among the seeded players by Leylah Fernandez of Laval, Quebec, ranked No. 30.

The National Bank Open is part of a demanding North American hard-court stretch leading up to the U.S. Open, including the Cincinnati Open. Sabalenka commented on the intense scheduling and surface changes, emphasizing the challenges this poses for player recovery and performance. “If you go far at the grass [events], you don’t have much time to reset, recharge, and go back on court to practise and then play the tournament … skipping the vacation time, which is really needed after that big part of the season,” she said. She noted how fatigue and insufficient recovery can negatively affect performance and increase injury risks.

Sabalenka’s recent results on grass and clay have not met her expectations—“This year I didn’t do well,” she admitted—making her return to Toronto a critical opportunity to regain form.

Among other competitors, Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova reflected on the challenges of frequent surface transitions. The Czech player, ranked seventh globally, described the recent weeks as “nothing more but crazy and chaos,” but welcomed the chance to start fresh in Toronto. “It’s a new week, new tournament, new surface. It’s all the changes at the same time,” she said.

Nineteen-year-old Russian Mirra Andreeva, fresh off her first Grand Slam victory at the French Open, will also compete in Toronto, following a third-round exit in Montreal last year. “One of the dreams that I was able to accomplish,” Andreeva said of her French Open win. “I’m happy it happened, but now I also have to focus on the future.”

While the women’s draw features much of the top talent on the tour, the men’s side has seen several high-profile withdrawals, including world No. 1 Jannik Sinner and No. 5 Novak Djokovic. The National Bank Open’s combined events conclude as players prepare for the final Grand Slam of the year in New York.