Zverev says cutting Masters events to one week an easy fix for crowded calendar

World number three tennis player Alexander Zverev suggested that reducing the length of Masters tournaments to one week could help preserve players' fitness and workload management. French Open champion Zverev, who had lost his opening match in Montreal, explained that two-week events leave players with a grueling seven weeks of play in North America following a Grand Slam tournament.

This long stretch of consecutive competition leaves top players choosing to skip events like the Canadian Masters for multiple years. Other top players, including 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic and rising star Carlos Alcaraz, also withdrew from the event due to concerns about their workload. Zverev advocated for a simple solution: holding the Masters events for just two weeks instead of the current seven.

Since 2025, seven of the nine ATP Masters 1000 events have been held over 12 days, with only the Monte-Carlo and Paris Masters retaining their one-week schedule. While players have criticized the extended event lengths, the ATP maintains that the tournaments' schedules are self-determined and is working on incentives to ensure a balanced number of matches throughout the season.