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Taylor Fritz and Carlos Alcaraz are among some of the top players to experience a burnout before the closing of the 2025 season. On her podcast, Serena Williams' former coach Rennae Stubbs discussed the toll that the tour's gruelling schedule took on the players and believed that they should "learn" how to manage their season from the 23-time Grand Slam champion.
Carlos Alcaraz is not competing at the ongoing 2025 Shanghai Masters while Taylor Fritz suffered a second-round loss to Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard at the event. In light of Fritz's dwindling form after the Laver Cup Stubbs co-host Caitlin Thompson spoke of the pressure the World No. 4 might be feeling as the ATP Finals drew closer.
"Taylor Fritz even said after the match [at Shanghai Masters], like he wrote a lengthy note, like 'I am cooked. I am tired. My body, my mind are pushing so hard for so long.' "
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"Yes, he chose to play the Laver Cup and got a pretty penny for it. And I don't think he's going to shut down his season because he is going to be in the Top 8 and he will qualify, probably, if he hasn't already, for the ATP Finals but he needs a mini break just to be able to get back on some solid footing and feel refereshed."
Stubbs was quick to highlight Williams' management of her season while being respectful of the prestigious year-end WTA Finals.
"I think these players should learn something from Serena Williams. I mean honestly, like she would shut her season down the last 5-10, I'd say 5-7 years of her career. Didn't even play the WTA Finals. Now I'm not being a proponent to that because we should have the best players playing our WTA and ATP Finals. That's the whole point of them. They are the biggest tournaments outside the Majors."
Serena Wiliams last appearance at the WTA Finals was in 2014. She withdrew from her first match at the 2016 WTA Finals due to injury.
Serena Williams' ex-coach referred to Taylor Fritz's note after Shanghai Masters loss to discuss player burnout
Serena Williams' former coach Rennae Stubbs discussed the grind of the tour with her co-host Caitlin Thompson on her podcast. While citing Taylor Fritz's example, Thompson referred to Fritz's note on Instagram that he posted after his second-round loss at the 2025 Shanghai Masters.
Taylor Fritz reached out to his fans and wrote that he needed a break to "rest and recharge".
"Brutal conditions out there yesterday— respect to my opponent for a tough, gritty win. If u know me, you know I love to compete more than anything. That being said it’s been A LOT lately, and this week it’s clear to me that I’ve hit my limit. Thank you for all the love in Shanghai❤️ It’s time to take a very short and needed rest to recharge and finish the year strong 💪🏻" Fritz wrote on Instagram.
The Shanghai Masters has reached the quarterfinal stage where Novak Djokovic, Alex De Minaur, Daniil Medvedev, Arthur Rinderknech, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Valentin Vacherot have booked their spots.
