It’s been six months into the 2025 season, with three Grand Slams already behind us. The tour is shifting again to hard courts, a favorite surface for many. But back-to-back tournaments seem to be taking a toll. Jannik Sinner, fresh off his first Wimbledon title last week, joins Novak Djokovic in withdrawing from the National Bank Open. Alongside Carlos Alcaraz and Jack Draper, all have cited injury or fatigue as reasons. While not new, having so many seeded players out of a Masters 1000 is eye-opening. Naturally, Taylor Fritz had thoughts to share.
On Tuesday, Fritz, coming off his first-ever Wimbledon semifinal, didn’t hold back on the packed tennis calendar. The Canadian Open has been extended from seven to 12 days this year and starts just two weeks after Wimbledon ended. With such a tight turnaround, top players are already skipping the event, and Fritz called it “insane.”
He said, “I mean, probably pretty much all the players for a long time have been asking for the season to be shorter, but all we are doing is just lengthening it, adding more stuff, we’re adding more, like, longer tournaments.” Many stars, including Alcaraz and Swiatek, have been voicing the same concerns about back-to-back matches and injury risks.
Fritz also highlighted the craziness after Wimbledon, where players dive straight into events like the Hopman Cup with names like Felix Auger-Aliassime and Flavio Cobolli before the grueling Canadian Open. “It’s insane. We are just adding stuff to the calendar over and over again,” he said, perfectly capturing the players’ frustration with an overloaded schedule.
Taylor Fritz during his third round match Wimbledon Tennis Championships, Day 5, The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, UK – 04 Jul 2025London The All England Lawn Tennis and United Kingdom PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxHUNxGRExMLTxCYPxROUxBULxUAExKSAxCHNxDENxINDxITAxPORxESPxSWExTURxMEXxCOLxVENxPERxECUxBRAxARGxCHIxURUxPARxPANxONLY Copyright: xJavierxGarcia/Shutterstockx 15384469fj
The Masters 1000s in Canada and Cincinnati now span three weeks, with the Canadian Open final set for Thursday, August 7 — the very day Cincinnati begins. Fritz, world No. 4 and already having played 32 matches in 13 tournaments this season, wants more wiggle room. He said, “I think they shortened parts to obviously give themselves an extra week to do this, to make it the three weeks between the two tournaments.”
While Fritz will play the Canadian Masters as the top seed this year, the issue is a concern for players across the board. Sinner and Djokovic might return for Cincinnati, though. Novak has also spoken up about the jam-packed schedule during the Championships, adding his voice to the growing call for change.
Djokovic echoes Taylor Fritz’s sentiments on the tennis tour
During Wimbledon, Novak Djokovic opened up about why so many players today feel burnt out or turn to antidepressants. His reply was painfully honest: “Tennis has the longest season of all global sports . For most who play the full schedule, it’s from January 1 to late November. Other sports have more competitions now too, but tennis is individual — there are no substitutes,” he told journalist Sasa Ozmo via X.
He’s not exaggerating. The ATP Tour kicks off as early as late December or January 1 and runs straight through to late November. In 2024, for example, the season started December 29, 2023, and ended on November 24, covering over 70 tournaments worldwide. That’s nearly an 11-month grind.
Djokovic put it in perspective against team sports like basketball or football where players get rotations, subs, or scheduled breaks. Tennis players? There’s no bench to hide behind. No one substitutes for you mid-match if you’re sick or mentally drained. “No ‘I don’t feel good today, can you sub in for me for five minutes so I can rest’…” Djokovic said. It’s just you out there, every single point, every single day.
The pressure is relentless. Each point impacts rankings, major tournament entries, sponsorship deals, and a player’s entire career path. One bad stretch means sliding down the ladder. Skip a tournament, and you lose crucial momentum. Djokovic nailed it: “Here, every point matters, every day matters.” It’s a brutal reality few sports match.
And then the kicker: “If you want to reach the highest heights, you have to transform your entire life in service of tennis and sport. You lose yourself…” Now, with Djokovic and the World No.1 and No.2 out of the National Bank Open, the big question: can Taylor Fritz avoid this burnout and claim his second Masters 1000 title? Share your thoughts below!
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