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“Having to do without [Jannik] Sinner and it would have been the same if [Carlos] Alcaraz had withdrawn, obviously made everyone understand that the health and physical integrity of champions are priorities for the show.”
Fans were left disappointed in Cincinnati as the 14th installment of Alcaraz and Sinner’s rivalry was over in less than half an hour.
MatchWinner LoserScore2025 Cincinnati Open – FCarlos AlcarazJannik Sinner5-0 (RET)2025 Wimbledon – FJannik SinnerCarlos Alcaraz4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-42025 French Open – FCarlos AlcarazJannik Sinner4-6, 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 7-62025 Italian Open – FCarlos AlcarazJannik Sinner7-6, 6-12024 China Open – FCarlos AlcarazJannik Sinner6-7, 6-4, 7-62024 French Open – SFCarlos AlcarazJannik Sinner2-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-32024 Indian Wells – SFCarlos AlcarazJannik Sinner1-6, 6-3, 6-22023 China Open – SFJannik SinnerCarlos Alcaraz7-6, 6-12023 Miami Open – SFJannik SinnerCarlos Alcaraz6-7, 6-4, 6-22023 Indian Wells – SFCarlos AlcarazJannik Sinner7-6, 6-32022 US Open – QFCarlos AlcarazJannik Sinner6-3, 6-7, 6-7, 7-5, 6-32022 Croatia Open – FJannik SinnerCarlos Alcaraz6-7, 6-1, 6-12022 Wimbledon – 4RJannik SinnerCarlos Alcaraz6-1, 6-4, 6-7, 6-32021 Paris Masters – 2RCarlos AlcarazJannik Sinner7-6, 7-5Carlos 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 dateTournamentTierDefending champion(s)August 18Winston-Salem OpenATP 250Lorenzo SonegoAugust 24US OpenGrand SlamJannik SinnerSeptember 8Davis Cup qualifiersDavis CupItalySeptember 15Laver CupLaver CupTeam EuropeSeptember 15Chengdu OpenATP 250Juncheng ShangSeptember 15Hangzhou OpenATP 250Marin CilicSeptember 22China OpenATP 500Carlos AlcarazSeptember 22Japan OpenATP 500Arthur FilsSeptember 29Shanghai MastersMasters 1000Jannik SinnerOctober 13Almaty OpenATP 250Karen KhachanovOctober 13European OpenATP 250Roberto Bautista AgutOctober 13Stockholm OpenATP 250Tommy PaulOctober 15Six Kings SlamExhibitionJannik SinnerOctober 20Swiss IndoorsATP 500Giovanni Mpetshi PerricardOctober 20Vienna OpenATP 500Jack DraperOctober 27Paris MastersMasters 1000Alexander ZverevNovember 3Hellenic ChampionshipsATP 250–November 3Moselle OpenATP 250Benjamin BonziNovember 10ATP FinalsATP FinalsJannik SinnerNovember 17Davis Cup FinalsDavis CupItaly2025 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.