Medvedev’s Solution to Streamlining Schedule

By Richard Pagliaro | Wednesday, February 25, 2026
Photo credit: Shi Tang/Getty

Daniil Medvedev suggests trimming tournament ranking points to streamline the schedule.

Speaking to the media in Dubai, Medvedev said he sees one way to shorten the schedule: make the four Grand Slams and ATP Masters 1000 events mandatory and strip ranking points away from all other ATP 500 and 250-level tournaments.

“In general, yeah, I would say make four Grand Slams, I don’t know, 11 Masters, and that’s it,” Medvedev said. “The other tournaments, maybe make them without points or something. Not like exhibitions, but without points or something.

“Because what happens is last year, like, Holger [Rune] got injured in Stockholm, everybody was like, Yeah, but you don’t have to play it. If he wants to be in Turin, he has to, even if it’s not a mandatory tournament. That is where it is borderline. Players don’t even know.”

Former world No. 1 Medvedev’s suggestion is unlikely to be implemented given the 250 and 500 tournaments pay the ATP licensing fees and would likely not voluntarily want to give up ranking points in return. Also, lower-ranked players who cannot get into the ATP 1000 events can build up their ranking points at the 250 level.

Medvedev concedes the ATP won’t buy back licenses of the smaller events and says its unlikely he will see any significant schedule change during his playing days.

“Make it a bit more, like get rid of the other ones. I love them. That’s the only way to make the tour shorter,” Medvedev said. “It’s never going to happen because there are licenses, and basically ATP won’t have enough money to buy all of them. The other tournaments, they won’t say, Yeah, okay, we’re out, because they would lose the money. It’s business.

“I think right now with how the ATP Tour, it’s never going to change, at least while I’m playing, many other guys.”

The third-seeded Medvedev defeated wild card Stan Wawrinka 6-2, 6-3 to set up a Dubai quarterfinal against Jenson Brooksby. Earlier, Brooksby beat seventh-seeded Karen Khachanov 7-6(6), 6-4 in a match that featured just one break point.