CINCINNATI : World number three Alexander Zverev said reducing ATP Masters 1000 tournaments to one week would help top players manage their workloads and avoid skipping events because of fitness concerns.
The German’s comments came after Jannik Sinner withdrew from the Canadian Open following his Wimbledon title defence, while 24-times Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic also opted out of the U.S. Open tune-up. World number two Carlos Alcaraz missed the tournament with a wrist injury.
The withdrawals left the Canadian Open without three of the sport’s biggest names for a second straight year.
Zverev, who lost his opening match in Montreal, said the expansion of Masters events had made the North American hard-court swing particularly demanding ahead of the U.S. Open.
“Unfortunately, especially if there’s a Grand Slam coming after that. If you play everything and you’re a top player, you spend seven weeks here in North America,” Zverev told reporters ahead of the Cincinnati Open.
“That is quite a long time and I think that’s why a lot of top players choose not to play Canada for multiple years now. That’s unfortunately the sad reality of it.”
Zverev said returning Masters tournaments to a one-week format would be a straightforward solution.
“It’s quite simple. Make us be here for two weeks, not seven. For the Masters, it’s two weeks for both of them. I think that’s an easy fix regarding top players playing,” he added.
Since 2025, seven of the nine Masters 1000 events have been staged over 12 days, while the Monte Carlo and Paris Masters remain one-week tournaments.
Players have repeatedly raised concerns about the length of the expanded events, while the ATP has said players retain control over their schedules and that it is working on incentives to encourage an appropriate number of matches during the season.
