Jannik Sinner's Cincinnati Retirement Showed Why ATP & WTA Must Change Masters Format

Jannik Sinner's retirement after five games of the 2025 Cincinnati Open men's singles final against Carlos Alcaraz was the latest evidence that the schedule needs to change.

The 2025 Canadian Open and Cincinnati Opens were 12-day tournaments, switching from the seven used for many years. That meant the event in Canada began just two weeks after the 2025 Wimbledon Championships.

Since 2023, the Madrid Open and Italian Opens have been 12-day events. Although that also caused controversy, and many fans and players want them switched back to seven days, the change to the Canadian Open and Cincinnati Opens has been even more disastrous.

Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and Novak Djokovic all withdrew from the Canadian Open. While Djokovic's withdrawal almost certainly would have happened anyway, Alcaraz and Sinner might have played if the event had been seven days and a week later in the calendar.

WTA world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka also did not play in Canada. She cited fatigue as the reason, demonstrating how the intense calendar makes it challenging for top players to compete at all 1000-level tournaments.

Many others also withdrew from the Canadian Open. Although the number of players removing themselves from the Cincinnati Open entry list was lower overall, several still missed the event, some injured after their bodies broke down earlier in the season.

Very high temperatures in Cincinnati proved too much for some players. Alexander Zverev bravely finished his semifinal against Carlos Alcaraz despite being unwell throughout the entire contest.

Zverev played in Toronto and reached the semifinal. The accumulative impact of those matches and then starting again in Cincinnati a few days later might have contributed to his struggles in the heat.

Although Sinner had been struggling with an illness the day before his match against Alcaraz, starting at 3 p.m., earlier than previous years, and when the Cincinnati heat is more intense, made his chances of competing even slimmer. He retired after five games.

The ATP and WTA Cincinnati finals were played on Monday, which meant the Cincinnati Open, US Open fan week, Monterrey Open, Cleveland Open, and Winston-Salem Open were all active on that day.

That situation is absurd and needs to change. The negative impact on players due to health risks, on tournaments because of top players withdrawing, and on fans because there is too much happening simultaneously is obvious.

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who previously complained about being scheduled to play at 11 am during the Canadian Open, drawing a fiery response from Daniel Evans, made a social media post calling for the current schedule to change.

Although the players are very fit, they are not machines. Pushing top stars like Carlos Alcaraz and Coco Gauff, who generate the most interest and ensure tickets are sold, beyond their limits risks serious injuries occurring, which would severely harm the sport.

However, the ATP already released its 2026 calendar several months ago. Change only seems possible if players from both tours join collectively and demand it.