The debate over the length of the hectic ATP Tour schedule continues to rumble on, as multiple high-profile stars have called out the number of tournaments in a calendar year.
Taylor Fritz has questioned the ATP Tour’s schedule, while Jack Draper has also been vocal about how much tennis he’s expected to play.
The British number one missed most of the second half of the season after withdrawing from the US Open with an arm injury.
Draper has called for shorter Masters tournaments and now the ATP president, Andrea Gaudenzi, has responded to his claims.
ATP president hits back at Jack Draper’s criticisms
Some of the Masters tournaments in 2025, including the Shanghai Masters and the Cincinnati Open, have opted for a 12-day tournament rather than the standard seven days.
Many of the top players have questioned the decision, but ATP president Gaudenzi has shared the main reason for the change.
“Back to the 12 days’ expansion. I really haven’t invented anything. Indian Wells, Miami were there for 35 years. I came in, I really looked at the numbers, and I could see these tournaments were really out-performing the others.
“You look even at the slams. Why are they so successful? Two reasons: infrastructure, incredible infrastructure, and of course, history, the brand. They have big stadiums and they have three weeks technically, 15 days of main draw plus quallies is three weeks.”
| Tournaments played by Jack Draper in 2025 |
| Australian Open |
| Doha Open |
| Indian Wells |
| Miami Open |
| Monte-Carlo Masters |
| Madrid Open |
| Rome Open |
| Roland Garros |
| Queen’s |
| Wimbledon |
| US Open |
Gaudenzi believes that opening up the Masters tournament provides a major boost to the ATP Tour and the tournaments.
He explained: “We are a sport that is very, very heavy in terms of ticketing. Ticketing revenue are already above 50% or 60%. You compare other sports, they’re very media.
“You look at their breakdown of revenue, media is probably 60%, 70%. We are low in media and very high in ticketing for many reasons, one of them the fragmentation I told you before. So ticketing is really the core.
“When you add days, I’ve seen now ’25 was year three of the plan, but year one of the expanded Masters, including Canada and Cincinnati, and I already see the results. If you look at the top-line revenue, that I cannot disclose, it’s going really up high. It’s changing a lot.”
Draper will return to the courts for the UTS Grand Final in London in December, and he’s also confirmed his appearance at the United Cup and the Auckland Open.
Players’ criticism of the tennis schedule
Draper and Fritz are not the only stars to complain about the hectic tennis schedule, with a number of top stars also weighing in on the debate.
In an interview with ESPN, world number two Iga Swiatek dubbed the tennis schedule ‘super intense’, while Carlos Alcaraz said the ATP ‘have to do something’ during his Japan Open campaign.
Novak Djokovic was equally vocal about the issues facing players at this year’s Shanghai Masters and even told the players to organise their anger.
He explained: “Complaining to media doesn’t change anything. Top players need to invest energy to change the state of the system. I tried to do it, but couldn’t. It’s complex.”
That is exactly what Draper is planning to do with his latest call for change, and it’s only a matter of time before we see if something truly changes in the sport.
