The ATP and WTA told they need to hold 'urgent' meeting to stop a 'serious problem' worsening

The US Open is right around the corner, as the stars of the ATP and WTA Tour prepare for the final Grand Slam of the year.

World number ones Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka will return to defend their titles in New York as the heavy favorites in 2025.

That’s not to say they won’t be challenged, however, as the likes of Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Coco Gauff, and Iga Swiatek could well be in contention during the second week.

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Many of the names listed above were in action at the Cincinnati Open recently, an event that was scrutinized for various reasons.

Several players retired from matches and withdrew from the event due to fatigue and illness, including Sinner, who retired from the Cincinnati Open final during the first set.

Reacting to the events that unfolded in Ohio, a former ATP star has told the tennis tours they must sit down and sort out the issues with the calendar.

Paolo Bertolucci says the ATP and WTA Tour ‘urgently’ need to fix the calendar

Writing for La Gazzetta dello Sport, 1976 Davis Cup winner Paolo Bertolucci addressed the mass withdrawals in Cincinnati.

“Returning to the forfeit issue: I believe it’s urgent for all parties involved, ATP, WTA, organizers, and players, to sit down and discuss, at the very least, calendars and playing times. Before the problem becomes even more serious,” he said.

“Having to do without [Jannik] Sinner and it would have been the same if [Carlos] Alcaraz had withdrawn, obviously made everyone understand that the health and physical integrity of champions are priorities for the show.”

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Fans were left disappointed in Cincinnati as the 14th installment of Alcaraz and Sinner’s rivalry was over in less than half an hour.

Match Winner Loser Score 2025 Cincinnati Open – F Carlos Alcaraz Jannik Sinner 5-0 (RET) 2025 Wimbledon – F Jannik Sinner Carlos Alcaraz 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 2025 French Open – F Carlos Alcaraz Jannik Sinner 4-6, 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 7-6 2025 Italian Open – F Carlos Alcaraz Jannik Sinner 7-6, 6-1 2024 China Open – F Carlos Alcaraz Jannik Sinner 6-7, 6-4, 7-6 2024 French Open – SF Carlos Alcaraz Jannik Sinner 2-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 2024 Indian Wells – SF Carlos Alcaraz Jannik Sinner 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 2023 China Open – SF Jannik Sinner Carlos Alcaraz 7-6, 6-1 2023 Miami Open – SF Jannik Sinner Carlos Alcaraz 6-7, 6-4, 6-2 2023 Indian Wells – SF Carlos Alcaraz Jannik Sinner 7-6, 6-3 2022 US Open – QF Carlos Alcaraz Jannik Sinner 6-3, 6-7, 6-7, 7-5, 6-3 2022 Croatia Open – F Jannik Sinner Carlos Alcaraz 6-7, 6-1, 6-1 2022 Wimbledon – 4R Jannik Sinner Carlos Alcaraz 6-1, 6-4, 6-7, 6-3 2021 Paris Masters – 2R Carlos Alcaraz Jannik Sinner 7-6, 7-5 Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s head-to-head record

Bertolucci believes there were several other issues with the Cincinnati Open event, which he clearly outlined.

“In Cincinnati, they invested $250 million in an exceptional facility without even including a covered court, which would have helped,” he said.

“They [also] didn’t address the color situation properly. The color of the court, I mean. It doesn’t seem like a great idea to spend all that money only to have TV images where you can’t see the ball.”

For all the money spent on renovating the facilities, no roofs were installed in Cincinnati, as players had to deal with rain delays throughout the tournament.

Fans watching at home were also left frustrated, as the color of the ball and court clashed, making it difficult to follow the matches.

It remains to be seen if any of the above issues will be resolved for the 2026 tournament, but it certainly looks like the Cincinnati Open organizers have some work to do.

How many tournaments are left in the 2025 ATP season?

A lot has been made of the busy ATP schedule over recent weeks, but just how many more tournaments are left to be played between now and the end of the season?

Start date Tournament Tier Defending champion(s) August 18 Winston-Salem Open ATP 250 Lorenzo Sonego August 24 US Open Grand Slam Jannik Sinner September 8 Davis Cup qualifiers Davis Cup Italy September 15 Laver Cup Laver Cup Team Europe September 15 Chengdu Open ATP 250 Juncheng Shang September 15 Hangzhou Open ATP 250 Marin Cilic September 22 China Open ATP 500 Carlos Alcaraz September 22 Japan Open ATP 500 Arthur Fils September 29 Shanghai Masters Masters 1000 Jannik Sinner October 13 Almaty Open ATP 250 Karen Khachanov October 13 European Open ATP 250 Roberto Bautista Agut October 13 Stockholm Open ATP 250 Tommy Paul October 15 Six Kings Slam Exhibition Jannik Sinner October 20 Swiss Indoors ATP 500 Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard October 20 Vienna Open ATP 500 Jack Draper October 27 Paris Masters Masters 1000 Alexander Zverev November 3 Hellenic Championships ATP 250 – November 3 Moselle Open ATP 250 Benjamin Bonzi November 10 ATP Finals ATP Finals Jannik Sinner November 17 Davis Cup Finals Davis Cup Italy 2025 ATP calendar

Including this week’s Winston-Salem Open, there are 20 events left to be played on the ATP calendar.

However, as many of those tournaments are played at the same time, the most events any player can compete in is 11.

Only time will tell who will emerge victorious at the remaining 20 tournaments, but you certainly won’t want to miss any of the action.

The 2025 US Open, the final Grand Slam of the year, is scheduled to begin on Sunday, August 24.

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