The tennis schedule is moving back into focus after a quiet spell since Wimbledon, and the Washington Open is first up as the North American hardcourt swing gets underway.

The ATP 500 event is often treated as a launch pad for the bigger events that follow. Over the next six weeks, players will look ahead to the Canadian Open, the Cincinnati Open, and the US Open, which is why Washington regularly draws a strong field.

This year, though, the picture is different. Only two players from the top 10 are set to compete in the US capital: Alex de Minaur and Taylor Fritz. That limited elite presence comes after Felix Auger-Aliassime and Daniil Medvedev withdrew just three days before the tournament was due to begin.

They are the only main-draw withdrawals listed so far, but qualifying has also lost several notable names. Mattia Bellucci, Arthur Fery, Luca Van Assche, Adam Walton, and Eliot Spizzirri are all confirmed absentees.

Fery is the most eye-catching withdrawal among them after his memorable run to the Wimbledon semi finals at his home Grand Slam. Even so, he had already indicated that Washington was not part of his main North American plan. “Cincinnati, Winston-Salem and the US Open, they’re pretty much locked in,” said the British star when asked which tournaments he would be playing on the North American hardcourt swing.

He also spoke about the US Open seeding picture, saying, “I might already be in there [the top 32] if I’m lucky, a few withdrawals,” he said. “I don’t think I will be able to contribute to the ranking anymore before the list comes out for the US Open, because it’s going to come out soon.

“Being seeded obviously protects you a little bit from the top guys, but it’s my first main draw that I qualify for directly with my ranking so just going to take it as it goes.”

With so few top-ranked players in the draw, the Washington Open could still offer a breakthrough moment for someone lower down the list. The entry sheet also includes Lorenzo Musetti, Learner Tien, Jakub Mensik, Frances Tiafoe, Arthur Fils, Tommy Paul, Rafael Jodar, Arthur Rinderknech, Ugo Humbert, Brandon Nakashima, Tomas Etcheverry, Alejandro Tabilo, Matteo Arnaldi, Zizou Bergs, Adrian Mannarino, Kamil Majchrzak, Alex Michelsen, Tallon Griekspoor, Ethan Quinn, Terence Atmane, and wildcard entries Ben Shelton, Jack Draper, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Kei Nishikori.

Among the names to watch, Rafael Jodar will be aiming for his first hardcourt title, while Jack Draper is hoping to show the US Open that he deserves a wildcard. Arthur Fils, Tommy Paul, and Learner Tien, meanwhile, will be trying to extend the strong form they have shown throughout 2026.

Brad Gilbert has offered a simple explanation for the recent wave of coaching changes across the men’s game as the North American hard court swing approaches.

Within just a few days at Wimbledon, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Daniil Medvedev ended their working relationships with their coaches. Auger-Aliassime closed a near 10-year partnership with Frederic Fontang, while Medvedev moved on from Thomas Johansson after almost a year together. Around the same time, Jiri Lehecka and Michal Navratil also split after eight years.

Although the players are at different points in their careers, Gilbert believes the common goal is the same: Grand Slam success. The former coach of Andre Agassi said the spread at the top of the men’s game is pushing players to make changes in pursuit of improvement.

He said on the Tennis Channel, “Right now there is a massive difference in women’s 1-20 and men’s 1-20. I feel like that’s why we have seven different winners in the last seven majors.

“In the men’s, the guys at the top have massively separated, and I think that is what is forcing decisions on players who go, ‘I need to add something asap or I am going to go further back’.”

Gilbert pointed to the ranking gap between the leading men, with Jannik Sinner on 13,450 points, Alexander Zverev second on 8,480 and Carlos Alcaraz third on 8,160 despite being sidelined since mid-April. He contrasted that with the WTA picture, where Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina and Jessica Pegula are much closer together.

He also noted that Sinner is more than 11,000 points ahead of 20th-ranked Francisco Cerundolo, while Sabalenka is roughly 6,500 points clear of world No 20 Anna Kalinskaya.

Medvedev has beaten Alcaraz in Indian Wells this year and pushed Sinner close at the same event. Auger-Aliassime is ranked fourth and continues to reach the second week of majors, while Lehecka sits just outside the top 10. Even so, Gilbert suggested the coaching moves show ambition rather than comfort.

He added, “I’ve heard this so much in coaching. Why does a top player need a coach?

“And I am like, because they obviously want to get better. If you don’t have a coach, you are not thinking that you can get better.”

Former world No 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas also changed direction in late June when he split from his father Apostolos after years of working on and off together.

Carlos Alcaraz could be on track to return during the American hard-court swing, yet the bigger issue may be whether he can immediately look like himself again after such a long break.

The Spaniard has been absent for five months since suffering an injury at the Barcelona Open in April. Even so, his name has appeared on the entry lists for both the Cincinnati Open and the US Open.

There are still signs that his preparation is not fully advanced. Reports indicate that Alcaraz is only doing light training on court, and he was also seen at the World Cup Final wearing a brace on his wrist.

If he does make it back in time for the final Grand Slam of the year in New York, Christina McHale believes the main uncertainty is not talent, but match readiness. Speaking on The Inside-In Tennis Podcast, the former World No 24 said: “Where’s his fitness level at too? Playing best-of-five in New York, where it’s really hot, having not played for so many months, not competed.

“Will we be surprised if all of a sudden he comes out playing great? No, because that’s what he’s capable of. But I think most likely he’ll have to work himself into the tournament.”

McHale knows the challenges of a similar issue first-hand after dealing with the same type of injury during the 2025 season. “Well, I actually had that TFCC (Triangular Fibrocartilage Complex) injury last year. Thankfully I did not need surgery but I had sprained it and it required so much more PT than I ever imagined,” she said.

“I’d never had many injuries before. So, I can imagine he had a surgery and like and it’s tough because it’s you, you know, you start to come back and then you might start compensating and then all of a sudden you start feeling a little bit something elsewhere or you’re so eager to get back on court that you maybe do too much. So, it’s such a fine line and a balance.”

For now, the Cincinnati Open appears to be the target return point, and any withdrawal from that event would be the clearest cause for concern.

The stakes are significant. Alcaraz is the defending champion there and is protecting 1000 ranking points, a haul that could matter in his bid to climb back toward the top two. He dropped to World No 3 after Alexander Zverev reached the Wimbledon final for the first time in his career.