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Tennis analyst Jon Wertheim has pointed to Jannik Sinner’s $6 million payday in at the Six Kings Slam in Saudi Arabia while backing Taylor Fritz’s criticism of the ATP’s demanding schedule. Sinner, along with several other top stars, earned a the sum in just a few matches, an amount that would be extremely difficult to earn in regular ATP events.
Fritz joined the growing conversation around the demanding ATP schedule after fellow player Jack Draper, who ended his season early due to injury, shared a post on X about the subject.
Fritz explained that the tour’s calendar has become increasingly tough to manage, leaving players with little time to recover between long events. He noted that while fans often claim players can “choose” their schedule, the reality is far more complicated.
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Tennis analyst Wertheim commended Taylor Fritz for his take on the ATP’s grueling schedule. He pointed out that top players are increasingly pushing back against the tour’s outdated structure, which hasn’t evolved alongside the sport’s growing physical demands and global travel requirements.
Further, he also noted that lucrative exhibition events, like Jannik Sinner’s $6 million win in Saudi Arabia, might actually be a response to these scheduling pressures.
"Sinner made $6m for beating Alcaraz to win Saudi. Sinner made $4m for beating Alcaraz to win @Wimbledon title. Maybe these $$exhibitions$$ are in response to the schedule demands - not inconsistent with them. Top players ask: why grind (for 12 days now) in the August heat of "mandatory" Canada and Cincy...when I can pop into Riyadh for a few days, play indoors and at set times, give less-than-full effort, and make more $$?" Wertheim wrote.
Notably, Sinner won just over $4 million after playing and winning seven best-of-five matches at Wimbledon. Meanwhile, he played and won three low-intensity best-of-three matches at the Six Kings Slam to earn a $6 million prize. The stark contrast highlights why top players might increasingly favor exhibitions.
Taylor Fritz pushed back on accusations of 'hypocrisy' after playing exhibitions while complaining about the ATP calendar
Taylor Fritz has pushed back against accusations of 'hypocrisy' after he criticized the demanding ATP schedule while also competing in the lucrative Six Kings Slam exhibition in Saudi Arabia.
The American, who has played nearly 70 matches this season, joined Jack Draper in saying that the tour needs to adapt to the growing physical toll on players. Fritz wrote that balls, courts, conditions had slowed down a lot making the weekly tennis even more physically demanding on the body.
When fans argued that he couldn’t complain about fatigue while taking part in exhibitions, Fritz defended himself by explaining that the new ATP rules force players to meet certain quotas. According to him, mandatory events leave little room for rest or recovery.
The World No. 4 also clarified that exhibitions like the Six Kings Slam or Laver Cup are far less taxing.
"The fatigue, stress, and overall time commitment of these events is nowhere near the same as playing a tour event," Taylor Fritz explained.
He emphasized that he even turns down several well-paying offers to prioritize rest. His comments have reignited the debate about whether tennis’s demanding calendar is to blame for the rising injury count.
