None of the top eight seeds in Canada have a Grand Slam title, which is unprecedented 16 years ago!

While the Washington tournament is still ongoing, the early withdrawals of several top-ranked players from the Canadian Masters in Toronto have made this upcoming event attract more attention than usual.

It is reported that the collective withdrawals of Sinner, Alcaraz, and Djokovic mean that none of the top eight seeds this year are Grand Slam champions. In stark contrast, the lineup of the 2009 Canadian Masters was truly impressive.

At that time, the top eight seeds successfully gathered in the quarter-finals, indicating a high level of competition. The achievements of that quarter-final lineup included 23 Grand Slam titles and 45 Masters titles, which makes this year's lineup seem insignificant by comparison.

Let’s take a look at the quarter-final matchups from that tournament. In the upper bracket, top seed Federer faced off against seventh seed Tsonga, while third seed Murray battled eighth seed Davydenko.

As a result, the king of North American hard courts for the past five years, Federer, stumbled and lost to Tsonga, who had achieved his best personal Grand Slam result the previous year as the Australian Open runner-up. This loss foreshadowed difficulties for Federer in defending his title at the US Open. On the other side, Murray, who was the runner-up at the US Open the previous year, defeated Davydenko and advanced smoothly to the semi-finals.

In the lower bracket, second seed Nadal faced Del Potro. Although Nadal had lost the Moselle Open for the first time since his debut, he did secure his first Australian Open title on hard courts. However, in this quarter-final, he fell to the Argentine, who entered the US Open with confidence after defeating the world number two; the rest of the story is well known.

Another quarter-final featured fourth seed Djokovic against fifth seed Roddick. The latter, as the newly crowned Wimbledon runner-up, secured another victory in their encounters, adding to the conversation about his career post-retirement.

In the semi-finals, Murray defeated Tsonga, while Del Potro overcame Roddick, both advancing to the final. In the final, Murray triumphed over Del Potro, claiming this highly prestigious title.

Among these eight players, the achievements of the major stars are well-known to fans. Among the other four, Del Potro is a Grand Slam and Masters champion, having defeated Federer to win both titles. Notably, at the 2009 US Open, he triumphed over both Federer and Nadal to claim the championship.

Roddick, also a Grand Slam champion and former world number one, can be considered the last world number one before the rise of the giants. His hard court skills were exceptional, and he achieved a rare triple crown in the same year.

Tsonga, regarded as the most accomplished among the French "Four Musketeers," earned the nickname "French Ali" due to his resemblance to the boxing legend. His retirement scene at the French Open remains unforgettable to this day.

As for Davydenko, winning a Masters title and the year-end finals championship during an era dominated by giants speaks volumes about his capabilities.

So the question arises: do you think this is the most prestigious Masters quarter-final lineup in history?(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Luo Cheng Qiye)