The ATP’s summer calendar has long been a headache, and July is where the crunch hits hardest. Wimbledon wraps up in the first week of the month, followed almost immediately by smaller hard- and clay-court events, before the North American hard-court swing begins just weeks later. The result? Many top players opt out of key tournaments to stay fresh for the U.S. Open. One of the loudest critics of the setup is World No. 4 Taylor Fritz, who says the current schedule leaves little room for recovery.
On the men’s side, Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, and Novak Djokovic are all absent. The women’s draw isn’t at full strength either, with Aryna Sabalenka also sitting out. The withdrawals underscore what players have long called one of the toughest stretches of the season: the narrow window between Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.
Fritz, currently World No. 4, is defending runner-up points from last year’s U.S. Open. This summer, his schedule has been relentless — Washington, then Toronto, then Cincinnati — with little room to breathe.
“It’s a tough time of year because there’s no week where it makes sense to take a break,” Fritz said during his press conference. “Don’t get me wrong — I really like Washington and I like playing the tournament — but with how tight my grass-court schedule was, I probably should have skipped it”.
The 26-year-old says he was essentially forced to play Washington due to new ATP rules requiring top-30 players to compete in a minimum number of 500-level tournaments. “There’s a new rule that says you have to play a certain number of 500 events or they put a zero on your record,” Fritz explained. “Because I was injured earlier this year, I missed two 500s, so I had to play in Washington to meet my quota”.
Fritz believes the mandate unfairly limits players’ ability to manage their workload ahead of Grand Slam events. “I’ll be honest, I don’t think it’s the best policy,” he said. “A lot of guys are prioritizing the U.S. Open and don’t want to come here, play this tournament, play in Cincinnati, and be exhausted for the U.S. Open. So it’s just a matter of priorities”.
The rule at the center of Fritz’s frustration
Beginning in 2025, ATP rules will require all top-30 players to compete in at least five ATP 500 events during the season. Those tournaments must span three different parts of the calendar. Notably, Monte Carlo — despite being a Masters 1000 — also counts toward the 500 quota.
The ATP 500 circuit is spread across the year:
- Early season: Rotterdam, Rio de Janeiro, Doha, Dallas, Dubai, Acapulco, Barcelona, Munich.
- Mid-season: Hamburg, Queen’s, Halle, Washington.
- Late season: Beijing, Tokyo, Vienna, Basel.
Fritz argues that this structure squeezes players during the summer swing, making it harder to rest and prepare for the year’s final Grand Slam in New York.