Taylor Fritz Slams ‘Insane’ Tennis Calendar After Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and Novak Djokovic Withdraw From Canadian Masters

Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, and Novak Djokovic are expected to start their campaigns in the US at the Cincinnati Masters.

Taylor Fritz Slams ‘Insane’ Tennis Calendar After Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and Novak Djokovic Withdraw From Canadian Masters

Novak Djokovic, Taylor Fritz, Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz (Image via X/Novak Djokovic, Jose Morgado, #AusOpen, Carlos Alcaraz 4K)

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One high-profile player after another has been withdrawing from the Canadian Open, which will start on July 28. According to Taylor Fritz, the reason could be the hectic calendar.

The 11-month calendar is blamed for players not getting enough rest and recovering from fatigue after playing tournaments one after the other. As expected, some top players chose not to come to Washington to recharge their batteries after the grass swing.

But at the Canadian Masters, it’s no different. World No.1 from the WTA tour, Aryna Sabalenka, withdrew; from the men’s side, World No.1 Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic won’t be playing.

After some confusion, World No.2 Carlos Alcaraz finally announced that he needs more time to rest, and hence, he won’t be playing. Fritz, who is in Washington for the ATP 500 Citi Open, said at the pre-tournament press conference that he just cannot understand the calendar.

Yeah, I think, 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.

The American ace will kick-start his campaign on the North American hard-court swing against Aleksandar Vukic, who beat Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in three sets. The World No.4 has played the Aussie ace twice, winning both matches.

The Hopman Cup was after Wimbledon. I didn’t even know this was going on. They had an event with Felix [Auger-Aliassime] and [Flavio] Cobolli playing a tournament right after Wimbledon, and one of them is coming and playing here. It’s insane, we are just adding stuff to the calendar over and over again.

Taylor Fritz added

Fritz has lifted two titles this season- both on grass. He defeated Alexander Zverev in the Stuttgart Open final and captured his fourth Eastbourne International trophy by beating Jenson Brooksby.

Last year in his home tournaments, Fritz was defeated in the second round of the Canadian Open by compatriot Sebastian Korda. He suffered a first-round exit at the Cincinnati Masters, losing the match to compatriot Brandon Nakashima. The 27-year-old then played his first Grand Slam final at the US Open but was no match for Sinner.

Martina Trevisan explains how Jannik Sinner was able to beat Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final

Jannik Sinner was pitted against Carlos Alcaraz for the first time in a Grand Slam final at the French Open. Despite a two-set lead, he ended up losing the match but not before squandering three championship points in the fourth set.

Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz (3)
Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz (Image via X/Jannik Sinner HQ)

But the 23-year-old didn’t let the painful defeat get the better of him and made a strong comeback at Wimbledon, only to end it as the champion, by avenging his Paris Major defeat. Italian tennis player Martina Trevisan lauded Sinner for his incredible turnaround.

It takes great courage, a determined and positive mental attitude, to transform in a month what could have been a paralyzing trauma into an extraordinary victory. That’s why the mind is 80%: if you’re able to transform the ‘poison’ of a defeat into the ‘medicine’ needed for a victory, you have everything it takes to be a champion.

Martina Trevisan said during an interview with Fanpage

Sinner and Alcaraz are expected to return at the Cincinnati Masters, which the latter had skipped last season. The four-time Grand Slam champion, on the other hand, ended the event in his favor by beating home favorite Frances Tiafoe. Next, he doubled his Major tally at the US Open. Alcaraz, too, won the US Open back in 2022, overcoming Casper Ruud.

Also read: Goran Ivanisevic explains why Jannik Sinner defeated Novak Djokovic at the Wimbledon Championship