Zverev, Fritz Lament Tight North American Tennis Calendar

Alexander Zverev and Taylor Fritz expressed frustration with the demanding North American tennis calendar ahead of the Cincinnati Open. The two top male players were questioned about the extended schedule during a media session for the Masters 1000 event. Zverev pointed out that two-week tournaments, especially when followed by a major tournament like the US Open, make it difficult for players to focus and perform at their best.

"I think that's what two-week events do, unfortunately. Especially if there's a Slam coming after that," Zverev remarked. The North American tennis calendar features consecutive Masters 1000 events in Canada and Cincinnati prior to the US Open, the year's final Grand Slam. Both ATP events expanded from one-week to two-week tournaments last year, accommodating 96-player fields.

Taylor Fritz echoed Zverev's concerns, noting that the grueling nature of the extended schedule often leads players to withdraw from other events. "It's very hard to play an extended event, go deep in one, and then go straight to the next one, and then also go deep in that one. It's not easy," Fritz stated. This sentiment was reinforced by Jannik Sinner's recent decision to withdraw from both the Canadian Open and the Cincinnati Open due to a knee injury.

Sinner was on track to become the first player to win all Masters 1000 tournaments in a single calendar year after winning the first five events in India, Miami, Monte Carlo, Madrid, and Rome. Sinner cited the demanding schedule as the primary reason for his withdrawal. Zverev suggested that returning to the shorter format of the past could alleviate the issue, although he acknowledged that shorter tournaments might result in reduced prize money.

The ATP has responded to the extended schedule by increasing overall prize money, with a 25% boost in profit-sharing bonuses for 2025 ($18.3 million) and another $3.2 million increase for 2026. When asked if he would accept lower earnings for shorter tournaments, Zverev argued that past instances of winning the same tournament multiple times have not always translated to equal prize money.

Zverev won the Rome Masters for €820,035 in 2017 but earned €963,225 for his 2024 victory. Taylor Fritz, who lost his first match in Canada after winning the DC Open two days earlier, seemed resigned to the rigorous nature of the entire tennis calendar. "To be honest, that's a lot of the year. If you do really well at one tournament, it's a very tough turnaround to go play the next one," Fritz concluded.