Taylor Fritz’s campaign at the 2025 Nitto ATP Finals came to a disappointing end on Thursday in Turin, extinguished by a straight-sets defeat to Australia’s Alex de Minaur. In a match where the American needed to be at his sharpest, he instead struggled to find his rhythm, falling 7-6(3), 6-3. The encounter was defined by Fritz’s uncharacteristic errors, as he committed 33 unforced errors over the one-hour, 35-minute clash and won a lower percentage of points on his first serve compared to his previous matches.

On the other hand, de Minaur showcased an impressive and aggressive performance, demonstrating resilience to secure his maiden victory at the season-ending event and maintain his chances of reaching the semi-finals. In the aftermath of the loss, Fritz’s frustration was palpable, and he directed it squarely at the structure of the ATP tour. He revealed that the demanding calendar was a significant factor in his subpar performance, expressing his clear discontent with the governing body’s scheduling priorities.

“I think I played really well in the first two matches. Demon caused me problems. Today is the match that I’m not happy about. Right now I’m feeling pretty upset. I prefer one-week Masters 1000 but to create more free weeks in the calendar. If it’s to have even more tournaments, I don’t see the point,” said the American, as reported by journalist José Morgado on X.

This is not the first time Taylor Fritz has encountered issues with the ATP’s operations, hinting at a broader sense of player frustration. Earlier in the year, he recounted a negative experience with an ATP-organized media commitment, specifically a car interview in Madrid, which he felt was edited to make him look bad.

“I’ll be honest. I think the Madrid car interview, they were trying to get me, because in all honesty, I had gotten in the day before from the U.S., was really jet lagged, and I preemptively said I was watching a game. My team that I partially own was playing league, and I was, ‘Hey, I have been waiting for this all day. ‘ I’m going to lock in on this, whatever. All the times that I was really nice, I had to talk to ATP about this. All the times I was very nice to the person, they just cut that out, and then just put all the parts in where I was being, hey, I’m kind of being upset,” Fritz said, back then.

This previous friction, combined with his latest comments on the schedule, paints a picture of a top player increasingly willing to challenge the tour’s administration. While his immediate disappointment stems from a defeat that ended his Finals journey, his criticisms touch on systemic issues of workload and presentation that resonate with many on the tour.

Just like Taylor Fritz, other ATP stars have the same complaint in tennis

The 2025 ATP season really shows just how tough the professional tennis calendar can be, putting players through some serious physical and mental challenges. There have been quite a few withdrawals, and players like Carlos Alcaraz and Alex de Minaur have openly called it “not normal.” This year, we’ve noticed a significant increase in the number of matches ending in retirement, reaching the highest percentage since 1990.

So, even Jan-Lennard Struff, the 35-year-old German tennis star, shared his thoughts on these issues, saying, “I think we’re all good actors, too. We athletes and tennis players. I don’t think that everyone feels good all the time, absolutely not. In a year, when I play around 50 matches, I’d say for 5 or 6 of them it is 100% great. The rest is just about dealing with what’s available, dealing with what I have today, what I can play, how I’m feeling mentally, and pushing through.”

Struff pointed out that for most of the season, players aren’t really at their best. Instead, they’re just trying to manage and endure, hiding their physical and mental challenges to meet their professional duties. Earlier this year, Alexander Bublik called his top-ranked peers “robots.” He pointed out how they’re so laser-focused on winning that they treat their own bodies like tools, no matter what it costs them.

This metaphor of dehumanization goes hand in hand with Struff’s analogy of acting, creating a vivid image of a sports world that expects its athletes to perform with superhuman consistency.