“It’s so bad” – John Isner delivers scathing verdict on US Open series schedule amid Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic’s withdrawals

August 5, 2025

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Amid Carlos Alcaraz and other top players’ withdrawals from the Canada Open, former player John Isner slammed the hectic North American summer schedule that culminates at the US Open, the final Grand Slam of the year. Alcaraz had a stellar run at Wimbledon, but lost to his fiercest opponent and rival, Jannik Sinner, in the finals.

Alcaraz, who amassed the ATP Rotterdam, Monte Carlo Masters, Italian Open, and Queen’s Club titles, besides his fifth major win at the French Open, played last in the grass-court season. Even Sinner, Novak Djokovic, and British No. 1 Jack Draper pulled themselves out of the ongoing Toronto Masters in the build-up to the Flushing Meadows.

Amid this, journalist Ben Rothenberg shared a post on X, asking enthusiasts and fans whether they were enjoying the season.

"As we are both midway through Canada and on the cusp of Cincinnati, thoughts on how the newly revamped North American summer schedule is working out so far, tennis fans?"

Responding to him, former player John Isner made his feelings clear, noting:

"It's so bad"

The Canadian Open usually spans a week, but this year, it has been extended to 12 days. The tournament has begun just two weeks after Wimbledon and will conclude on August 7, the same day the Cincinnati Open gets underway. Several players, including American No. 1 Taylor Fritz, called out the lengthy season and noted that players were not getting enough breaks.

Carlos Alcaraz announces that he will miss the ATP Masters 1000 event in Toronto due to health issues

Carlos Alcaraz Training Session - (Source: Getty)

Carlos Alcaraz has been playing his best tennis in the 2025 season, as he only faced an early exit at the Miami Open. However, ahead of his final Grand Slam outing, where he will aim to clinch his second US Open title, the Spaniard informed his fans that he would withdraw from Toronto and take time to address his muscle issues.

Alcaraz said:

"After many consecutive weeks of competition without rest, I will not be able to play in Toronto this year. I have small muscle issues and I need to recover physically and mentally for what comes next. To the tournament and to my fans in Canada I am very sorry, I will see you next year!”

Earlier, Alcaraz echoed the sentiments of other players and shared his views that players get minimal vacation time and inadequate rest between tournaments.

"We’re trying to change the schedule a bit, seeing if they can remove more tournaments so we can have more rest time, more vacation time. It’s not easy, but we’re trying.”

Carlos Alcaraz will next be in action at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Cincinnati alongside Jannik Sinner. However, Djokovic made a shocking withdrawal from the US Open warm-up outing.

About the author

Agnijeeta is a US Olympics journalist at Sportskeeda. She holds a Master’s degree in English and has worked as a school teacher, a blogger, a content writer and a sports writer over the past 5 years. A lover of high-adrenaline track and field events, she was also a sprinter during her school days.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone happens to be her favorite Olympian, and the athlete’s feat of breaking four records within 13 months inspires her, apart from the American's body language on and off the track. Grant Hackett swimming with a partially dysfunctional lung and winning gold in Athens is her all-time favorite Olympic moment.

Agnijeeta believes that deriving of unique angles from podcasts and interviews carried out by Olympics.com, along with hype-building of potential Olympic events on social media can help fill the coverage gap during the off season.

When not at her work desk, Agnijeeta likes to sing and paint. She also plays string instruments like guitar and ukulele and is an avid player of word puzzles.

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