The Canadian Open and Cincinnati Open Masters 1000 tournaments will be contested over two weeks for the first time in 2025.
Following the trend of Masters 1000 events expanding to 96-player draws, the Canadian Open made the switch this year.
The move has been controversial, as several players and pundits have shared their disdain over the longer format in recent years.
World number three Alexander Zverev claimed nobody ‘loves’ the two-week Masters 1000 events during a recent podcast appearance, and he isn’t the only player to have complained.
Photo by Mert Alper Dervis/Anadolu via Getty Images
It’s not all doom and gloom, as the second seed in Toronto, Taylor Fritz, believes there are some positives associated with the two-week format.
However, he has suggested a tweak to the schedule that he would be ‘way in favor’ of making.
Taylor Fritz wants one-week Masters 1000 events and a longer off-season
Speaking to the media after his third-round win over home-favorite Gabriel Diallo, Fritz shared his thoughts on the two-week Masters 1000 events.
“There are pros and cons to it. I think the thing I can say that’s the most in support of it on my side, I do like the format of play a day, day off, play a day,” he said.
“That’s what we do at Slams, obviously at the Slams we’re playing three out of five, but I do think that I don’t mind that format.
“Once you get into it, playing six matches in a row potentially, if you go all the way, six matches every day, that’s a lot. Then straight off to the next tournament to do the same thing all over again, that’s pretty tough to do.
“But at the same time, it adds extra weeks.”
2025 Masters 1000 schedule
Commenting on a potential switch back to the seven-day format, Fritz shared his concerns over what the ATP Tour may do.
“To be honest, the way I see it, if we’re going to have this stretch of three weeks, if we’re going to go back to how it used to be, one week each, if it’s going to mean we’re going to add another tournament, then I would be against it,” he said.
Photo by Mathew Tsang/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
“But if it’s going to mean that we make these Masters 1000s one week and we can lengthen the off-season, to give those extra weeks back at the end of the season, and give us a six/seven week off-season rather than a four week off-season, that would be massive and I would be way in favor of doing the one week events.
“But if they were just going to add another event in there, I’d say this format is probably better.”
Fritz, like many other players on tour, endured a quick turnaround from his 2024 season to his 2025 season, which arguably hurt him during the first few months of the year.
How long was Taylor Fritz’s ‘off-season’?
Fritz finished up his 2024 campaign at the Davis Cup Finals, when Team USA were beaten by Australia on Thursday, November 21.
The American star was back in action representing his country just 38 days later at the 2025 United Cup on Sunday, December 29.
Initially, his return to action was successful, as Fritz and Team USA won the United Cup, although his ATP Tour form wasn’t all that impressive during the first half of the year.
Photo by Robert Prange/Getty Images
Before finding his form on the grass a few months ago, Fritz suffered several early exits at tournaments he’d enjoyed success at in the past.
Taylor Fritz’s 2025 ATP Tour results before the grass-court season
Only Fritz will know how much the short off-season affected him, but it certainly wouldn’t have helped.
Now back playing some of his best tennis, Fritz will prepare for his fourth-round match at the Canadian Open against Jiri Lehecka on Sunday, August 3.