The wave of withdrawals from the Canadian Open has again turned attention to the demands of the ATP Tour.

Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner have all already confirmed they will not play the Masters event, while Alexander Bublik and Sebastian Korda are among the other names to have pulled out.

A number of explanations have been offered for why the tournament has become less attractive to leading players, with the expanded two-week format often identified as a major factor. Most Masters events were stretched from seven to 12 days for the 2025 season, a change that has drawn clear criticism from players.

Andrea Petkovic, though, believes the issue reaches further than the event’s placement on the calendar. Speaking on The Big T Podcast, she argued that the men’s season is simply too long and forces players to manage their energy with care.

“I do think that it’s not only the placement in the calendar it’s that the men do play three, four weeks longer. The women are done after the first week in November which is already an absurdly long season if you compare it to other sports.

“There is not a single sport that doesn’t have a six week break somewhere there or eight week break. Sometimes tennis doesn’t have that, right? You have to like somehow get your vacation in and then already prep for the next season.

“And I think for the men because the season is even longer than for the women already, they have to they have to manage their energies. And I do think that it is an issue also a little bit with the two week events. I don’t think all two week events are problematic.

“But if you have Cincinnati and Montreal back to back as two week events, it’s too much. It’s too much. And so I think the best players like Jannik and like Novak, they will think who where are all the players that I need to play against if I want to see where my form is at before the US Open.

“That’s Cincinnati. And so they make a choice. And it’s unfortunate for Canada because it’s a lovely place. Montreal was always one of my favorites on tour.

“I loved going there. But I do think for the men it’s much more crowded than for the women. I think that’s why the women go and play and the men have to I don’t know if they have to choose, but they choose not to.”

The men’s season also runs through the Davis Cup and ATP Finals, which extends it further than the WTA Tour. While many top players commit to the ATP Finals, interest in the Davis Cup has fallen in recent years.

Cruz Hewitt’s Washington Open campaign ended with a 6-2, 6-3 defeat to fellow Australian Alex de Minaur, but the 17-year-old will still leave with a significant reward through the ATP Rankings.

Hewitt, the son of former world No and Grand Slam champion Lleyton Hewitt, produced a composed showing against a player he has practiced with many times over recent years. De Minaur, with far more experience behind him, found the answers on serve and prevented Hewitt from making a sustained breakthrough against the defending champion in Washington.

The loss does not alter the size of Hewitt’s ranking gain. His 6-3, 6-4 victory over Marcos Giron in the opening round has secured a rise of about 244 places. Hewitt began the week at No 606 and is projected to move to around No 370 when the rankings update on Monday.

That result adds to a week that already reflected encouraging progress. Hewitt reached the final of the junior singles at Wimbledon earlier this month, and in Washington he recorded his first ATP Tour win. Those two matches offered a useful indication of where he stands as he looks to build momentum at lower-ranked events and continue developing in the professional game.

On the evidence of what he produced, there is reason for optimism. His all-round game suggested he could challenge plenty of players in the senior ranks despite his novice status, and the Washington experience gave him another measure of the standards he will need to meet.

De Minaur, meanwhile, acknowledged how unusual it felt to face someone he knows so well.

“It was definitely weird,” said De Minaur, as he reflected on the win. “I knew I was going to play him on the Tour some day, but I didn’t actually expect it to be this week. It was an amazing feeling.

“Even all the lead up, seeing all the incredible pictures that we have together and how we’ve both grown up. I’m glad I managed to get through, but I’m sure we’re going to have many battles in the years to come.”

De Minaur next meets Brandon Nakashima in the quarter-finals. Nakashima beat him at Queen’s Club in London on grass last month, and De Minaur noted the challenge ahead.

“He’s a very good player in these conditions,” added De Minaur as he looked ahead to his next match.

“He likes the lively conditions, so I’m going to do my best to try and get some revenge from earlier in this year at Queen’s.”

For Hewitt, the defeat arrives with a clear upside: a first ATP Tour win and a strong ranking rise from a week that hinted at more to come.

Ben Shelton has stepped in to support Jannik Sinner after the world No. 1 came under scrutiny for pulling out of the Canadian Open.

Sinner, along with Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz, will not feature at the Masters event. The Italian said he wanted to “prioritise his health”, a decision that has drawn questions, especially because he was on course to become the first player in tennis history to win every Masters event in a single calendar year.

Even so, Sinner has also drawn approval from former players, with Kim Clijsters among those to praise his choice to sit out the tournament.

Shelton, who is competing at the Washington Open before moving on to the Canadian Open, also defended Sinner during his press conference.

“I’m not sure how sustainable the current circuit setup is. I think, for me, the biggest concern is injuries. Sinner knows his body better than anyone, like all players,” he said during his Washington Open press conference.

“If Jannik and Novak feel physically and mentally prepared, they’ll play. In my opinion, they don’t miss a tournament without a reason. (Jannik) is winning as many matches as he plays; his match count is extremely high. How is he going to be able to play in all the tournaments? I don’t think it’s sustainable.”

The numbers help explain Shelton’s point. Sinner has already played 47 matches on the ATP Tour this season, despite skipping several tournaments. Shelton, by comparison, has played 36 matches across the first seven months of the year, while also collecting three ATP titles.

Sinner’s schedule has still been packed with matches at the events he has entered. He has reached the final of every tournament he has played this season except the Australian Open, the Qatar Open and Roland Garros. His loss at Roland Garros was also the only time he exited a tournament before the quarter-finals.

That becomes more notable when set against the fact that Sinner took most of the grass court season off. For the world No. 1, the strategy may be a practical way to manage fatigue and health without giving up on his Grand Slam ambitions.

If that approach continues, it could become a pattern not just for Sinner, but for other leading players on the ATP Tour as well.