Stock market investors looking to build long-term wealth are routinely told that smooth, consistent results over time will deliver better returns than making frequent trades chasing a home run. Time in the market is more important than timing the market, they say.

Tennis, however, has a way of rewarding volatility, and players typically have a 52-week time horizon (for rankings purposes) rather than a multi-year focus. Get hot during a few key weeks of the year and you can walk away with big paydays and a bunch of Pepperstone ATP Rankings points critical for tournament entry, seedings and year-end contract bonuses.

In 2022, Taylor Fritz caught fire at key moments and won three titles, including his first ATP Masters 1000 crown in Indian Wells and the ATP 500 in Tokyo (on the back of a week of hotel isolation due to Covid-19 protocols). He also qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals.

In 2023 the Californian is on pace to top the 46-match wins tally of last season, but he has just one title to show for his year and he has some work to do to hold onto his place in the Top 10 after reaching a career-high No. 5 in March. Boasting 34 wins year to date, Fritz has gone deep in many tournaments, but has reached just one final, at February’s Delray Beach Open, which marked his fifth career crown.

“The Tour doesn’t reward consistency as much as it does kind of going boom or bust, winning titles and losing in the first round,” Fritz said.

“I started this year pretty strong and I’ve had more consistent results than last year. I’ve put myself a lot deeper in a lot of tournaments this year but I’ve just kind of let some matches slip away that I maybe didn’t let happen last year… if I won a couple of matches I would just go on and win the tournament, which is very rewarding rankings-wise.”

As he begins his North American hard-court campaign at the Atlanta Open, the 25-year-old sits ninth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin. He is setting himself for a big push to gather points during one of his favourite swings of the year to strengthen his claim for a place at the Nitto ATP Finals  for the second consecutive year.

“I’m nine in the Race, which is pretty encouraging because I feel like I’ve
underperformed a lot and can do way better,” the Netflix Break Point star said. “With the many big matches I’ve lost, I think it’s encouraging for the rest of the year.

“I just need to play stronger in the big moments in the big matches. I’m just kind of just letting those get away from me.

“Success can come at random times. My biggest points tournament so far this year is Monte-Carlo on clay, which I wouldn’t expect. Obviously hard courts are very good for me. It’s going to take a big result, perhaps a final or a win at a Masters 1000 or a title in Washington and Atlanta to push higher. That’s what I’m looking for.”

Fritz’s recent run during the grass season, where he won just two of five matches, has marked the only time during his 2023 campaign that he has suffered a string of early-round defeats. But after a strong training block after Wimbledon, Fritz is well positioned to do some damage during the hard-court swing according to coach Michael Russell.

“We’re looking to have a good hard-court season coming up. He trained really hard after Wimbledon, and I think that’s given him a lot of motivation,” Russell said.

“On the grass the margins are so fine; a few of the matches he lost were so close. It can come down to a couple of tie-breaks and a couple of shots. But in general, I feel that he’s been playing well and his fitness is getting better, which is the main thing. He needs to be stronger, more explosive.”

Top-seeded Fritz plays his opening-round match at the Atlanta Open Thursday against China’s Wu Yibing.

Stan Wawrinka earned victory on his return to the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag on Wednesday, moving past Austrian qualifier Filip Misolic 6-3, 6-2 to reach the second round.

Competing at the ATP 250 clay-court event for the first time since 2007, the 38-year-old won 77 per cent (23/30) of his first-serve points to advance after 63 minutes.

Wawrinka, who lifted the trophy in Umag in 2006, will next play Federico Coria. The Argentine Coria beat Swiss Marc-Andrea Huesler 6-4, 6-2 in one hour and 57 minutes.

In other action, seventh-seeded Italian Matteo Arnaldi defeated Flavio Cobolli 6-3, 7-6(5) to reach the third round, while Alexei Popyrin overcame Austrian Sebastian Ofner 6-4, 6-1 to advance to the same stage.

Spaniard Jaume Munar reached the second round, downing Gstaad runner-up Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. He will next meet Hungarian Fabian Marozsan after the World No. 87 beat Juan Manuel Cerundolo 6-3, 6-2. Marozsan shocked World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz in Rome earlier this season.

Croatian wild card Dino Prizmic continued to carry home hopes in Umag. The 17-year-old, who is the reigning Roland Garros boys’ singles champion, earned his second tour-level win when he defeated Hungarian Zsombor Piros 6-2, 6-3 to reach the third round.

The world’s best will compete at the Mubadala Citi DC Open, which is the fifth largest professional tennis event in the United States and the only combined ATP-WTA 500 level tennis tournament in the world. Co-founded by Arthur Ashe, Donald Dell, and John A. Harris, the tournament is the fourth-longest running pro tennis event in the U.S. and the longest-running tournament in a public park.

Among those in action at this year’s edition are Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Andy Murray and wild cards Kei Nishikori, Gael Monfils and Kevin Anderson

Here is everything you need to know about the hard-court tournament:

When is the Mubadala Citi DC Open?

The 2023 Mubadala Citi DC Open will be held from 31 July-6 August. The hard-court ATP 500 tournament, established in 1969, will take place at the Fitzgerald Tennis Center in Rock Creek Park, located in Washington, D.C. The tournament director is Dani Vallverdu. 

Who is playing at the Mubadala Citi DC Open?

The Mubadala Citi DC Open will feature stars including Fritz, Tiafoe, Auger-Aliassime, Murray, Nishikori, Monfils and Anderson.

When is the draw for the Mubadala Citi DC Open?

The Washington, D.C. draw will be made Friday, 28 July at 12 p.m. local time.

What is the schedule for the Mubadala Citi DC Open?

*Qualifying: Saturday, 29 July – Sunday, 30 July at 10 a.m.
*Main Draw: Monday, 31 July – Saturday, August 5; TBD and 7 p.m.
*Doubles Final: Sunday, 6 August at 12 p.m.
*Singles Final: Sunday, 6 August at 5 p.m.
*View On Official Website

What is the prize money and points for the Mubadala Citi DC Open?

The prize money for the Mubadala Citi DC Open is $2,013,940 and the Total Financial Commitment is $2,178,980.

SINGLES
Winner: $353,445 / 500 points
Finalist: $188,505 / 300 points
Semi-finalist: $97,785 / 180 points
Quarter-finalist: $51,055 / 90 points
Round of 16: $26,905 / 45 points
Round of 32: $14,725 / 20 points
Round of 48: $7,855 / 0 points

DOUBLES ($ per team)
Winner: $123,700 / 500 points
Finalist: $65,980 / 300 points
Semi-finalist: $33,380 / 180 points
Quarter-finalist: $16,690 / 90 points
Round of 16: $8,640 / 0 points

How can I watch the Mubadala Citi DC Open?

Watch Live On Tennis TV
TV Schedule

How can I follow the Mubadala Citi DC Open?

Hashtag: #MubadalaCitiDCOpen
Facebook: Mubadala Citi DC Open
Twitter: @mubadalacitidc
Instagram: @mubadalacitidcopen

Who won the last edition of the Mubadala Citi DC Open in 2022?

Nick Kyrgios won the 2022 Mubadala Citi DC Open title with a 6-4, 6-3 victory against Yoshihito Nishioka in the championship match (Read More). Kyrgios completed the Washington, D.C. sweep by partnering Jack Sock to lift the doubles trophy, defeating Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek 7-5, 6-4 in the final (Read More).

Who holds the Mubadala Citi DC Open record for most titles, oldest champion, youngest champion and more?

Most Titles, Singles: Andre Agassi (5)
Most Titles, Doubles: Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan (4)
Oldest Champion: Ken Rosewall, 36, in 1971
Youngest Champion: Andy Roddick, 18, in 2001
Highest-Ranked Champion: No. 1 Jimmy Connors in 1976, 1978, Ivan Lendl in 1987 and Andre Agassi in 1995.
Lowest-Ranked Champion: No. 117 David Nalbandian in 2010
Last Home Champion: Andy Roddick (2007)
Most Match Wins: Andre Agassi (44)

View Who Is Playing, Past Champions, Seeds, Points & Prize Money Breakdown

Daniil Medvedev and Nick Kyrgios on Wednesday withdrew from the Mubadala Citi DC Open.

Medvedev has competed at the Washington ATP 500 event on three previous occasions, tallying an 8-3 record. In 2019 he reached the final, losing to Kyrgios.

The 27-year-old has enjoyed a standout 2023 season, earning a 46-9 record and five titles. Only Carlos Alcaraz has more wins this year, with 47. Medvedev has triumphed in Rotterdam, Doha, Dubai, Miami and Rome.

The No. 3 player in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings last competed at Wimbledon, where he reached the semi-finals for the first time. Eventual champion Alcaraz stopped him there in straight sets.

Kyrgios is a two-time Washington champion, having lifted the trophy in 2019 and 2022. The Australian has only competed in one event this year — last month in Stuttgart — due to injury.

The Mubadala Citi DC Open announced on Wednesday that Kevin Anderson will join Kei Nishikori and Gael Monfils as wild cards into the ATP 500 event.

Anderson returned from retirement last week in Newport, where he advanced to the quarter-finals. The 37-year-old earned two victories in his first action since Miami in 2022.

The South African has enjoyed success in Washington, where he made the final in 2017. Anderson owns an 11-8 record at the tournament.

🚨 Men’s Wild Card Announcement 🚨

Three former Top 🔟 players add to a stacked men’s singles lineup!

🇿🇦 Kevin Anderson
🇯🇵 Kei Nishikori
🇫🇷 Gael Monfils#MubadalaCitiDCOpen pic.twitter.com/QLmmalfXfA

— Mubadala Citi DC Open (@mubadalacitidc) July 26, 2023

Nishikori will also play the second tour-level event of his comeback at the ATP 500. The Japanese star owns an 18-7 record at the Mubadala Citi DC Open and claimed the title in 2015. He has reached at least the quarter-finals in five consecutive appearances.

Monfils is another former champion receiving a wild card, having lifted the trophy in 2016. The Frenchman is 12-3 in Washington, with his most recent appearance coming in 2017.

Bianca Andreescu, Danielle Collins, Sofia Kenin and Elina Svitolina were also announced as wild cards into the women’s field.

Casper Ruud bounced back from his Bastad final defeat on Wednesday when he overcame Argentine Sebastian Baez 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 to reach the second round at the Hamburg European Open.

The Norwegian, who is making his fourth appearance at the ATP 500 clay-court event, won 46 per cent (33/71) of points on Baez’s first-serve to earn his 21st tour-level clay-court win of the season after one hour and 58 minutes.

“It was really tough,” Ruud said. “Sebastian is a great fighter. He has taken big steps in the past year, so it was always going to be a tough challenge. It takes a little time to adjust to new conditions. Today we had to play indoors under the roof, so it makes a difference on clay. It makes it a lot more humid and the balls are heavier, it took a while to adjust.

“I started well but the second set was not great, but I fought hard in the last and I am happy to be through.”

Ruud will next meet Chilean Cristian Garin. The top seed is chasing his second tour-level title of the season, having triumphed on clay in Estoril in April. Last week Ruud reached the championship match in Bastad, where he lost against Andrey Rublev.

Ruud advanced to the semi-finals in his previous appearance in Hamburg in 2020 and will be aiming for another deep run in Germany as he tries to climb in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin. The 24-year-old is currently eighth, and is pursuing a third consecutive appearance in the Nitto ATP Finals.

#NextGenATP Frenchman Luca Van Assche reached the third round at a tour-level event for the first time this season when he upset seventh seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-4.

The 19-year-old, who has won two ATP Challenger Tour titles this year, is sixth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Next Gen Race and aiming to make his debut at the Next Gen ATP Finals at the end of the season. Van Assche will next play Alexander Zverev or Maximilian Marterer.

Andrey Rublev came back from the brink on Wednesday at the Hamburg European Open, where he saved three match points to claw past Spaniard Bernabe Zapata Miralles 5-7, 6-1, 7-6(7).

The second seed recovered from a slow start at the ATP 500 clay-court event, finding his best level deep in the third set to fend off Zapata Miralles, who was chasing his first Top 10 win of the season. Rublev rallied from 4/6 in the third-set tie-break and saved his third match point at 6/7 with a blistering forehand winner. The 25-year-old raised his arms aloft after winning the two-hour, 53-minute first-round thriller.

“The feeling was that I was playing well and it was under control, but somehow I lost the first set and was frustrated,” Rublev said. “I came back and recovered mentally and won a really good second set. The third set was tough. I started to get tired and nervous, because the score is going to the tie-break and I didn’t have many chances to break him.

“The feeling was that he deserved to win. He was fighting like crazy from tough scores. When I went 0/3, I started to stress a lot. But then I played two amazing rallies and told myself to keep fighting, keep fighting… It is amazing I was able to win.”

The World No. 7 has now won five consecutive matches after clinching his second tour-level title of the season at the ATP 250 in Bastad last week. He will aim to continue his run when he meets Yannick Hanfmann or Zhang Zhizhen in the second round.

Rublev, who saved all four break points he faced in the third set against Zapata Miralles, holds fond memories in Hamburg, having triumphed at the tournament in 2020. He also reached the final in 2019.

In other action, Serbian Laslo Djere overcame Guido Pella 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 in two hours. The World No. 57, who struck eight aces, will meet defending champion Lorenzo Musetti or Jozef Kovalik in the third round.

There is nothing like returning home after a long trip.

Just ask Christopher Eubanks, who raced through his opening-round match Tuesday at the Atlanta Open. Playing his first match since his dream Wimbledon quarter-final run, Eubanks wasted no time to defeat Andres Martin 6-2, 6-4.

In a match of two Atlanta natives, Eubanks produced firepower and clean hitting from the baseline to dispatch the wild card after one hour, seven minutes. In the opening set, Eubanks did not a drop a point behind his hefty serve (16/16) and as the match wore on, the fifth seed continued to thrill the home crowd by striking one-handed backhand winners with ease.

“I knew it was going to be a fun atmosphere,” Eubanks said in his on-court interview. “I knew college night, even the years that I played it and last year Andres had the privilege of playing on college night, Georgia Tech fans really come out and they show a lot of support.

“Andres and I know each other really well. He’s the guy I practise with probably the most of anybody in Atlanta when I’m home. We’ve had some pretty good battles in practice, so I knew going out there that he’s going to know my game and I’m going to know his game.”

At World No. 32 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, Eubanks is in the form of his life. The 27-year-old, who will meet countryman Brandon Nakashima in the second round, enjoyed a quarter-final run at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Miami and hit a new high this month after triumphing at the Mallorca Championships and reaching the last eight at Wimbledon. 

“I left I think probably back in April and I was on the road for 12 straight weeks, played 11 of 12 weeks and had some ups and downs, but the ups kind of came towards the end and things were going really well,” Eubanks said. “I’m hoping to continue that trajectory and see where the summer takes me. This entire year really has been a dream come true, so I’m hoping to keep it going.”

Martin, 22, recently completed his junior year at Georgia Tech, where Eubanks was a student-athlete from 2014-17. The World No. 723 Martin, who ousted Thanasi Kokkinakis last year as a wild card in Atlanta, was playing just his third tour-level match.

In other action Tuesday at the hard-court event, Dominik Koepfer rallied past six-time Atlanta champion John Isner 3-6, 7-6(4), 7-6(3). Despite not breaking the 6’10” American’s serve, the German Koepfer held his nerve in two tie-breaks to earn his first main draw tour-level win since last year’s ATP 500 event in Washington, D.C. Koepfer will face third seed Daniel Evans in the second round.

Tuesday was the 38-year-old Isner’s first opening-round loss at the Atlanta Open in 13 appearances.

Kei Nishikori just couldn’t catch a break.

After sitting out the 2022 season following hip surgery, the Japanese star was in Bradenton, Florida working hard at the end of the year to be ready for a return at the start of 2023. That’s when a seemingly minor ankle sprain spiralled into something much more serious.

“After eight or nine months of rehab after the hip surgery I was almost ready to come back when I sprained my ankle,” Nishikori told ATPTour.com Tuesday at the Atlanta Open. “It turned out to be complicated and much worse than what I first saw. That set me back another four or five months.

“Once or twice I almost thought [about retiring]. It was mentally shocking to be so close and then to have a second injury. I wasn’t sure if I could come back from that. So that was the toughest time.”

Little wonder then that Nishikori’s first tour-level win (over Jordan Thompson Tuesday in the first round of the Atlanta Open) since Indian Wells in October 2021 was an emotional experience.

“It was very emotional after everything that it took to get back,” he said after the 7-6(5), 7-6(5) victory in two hours and 25 minutes in the heat. “I’m just so happy to be back here playing. I have zero pressure and can play free. I’m just having fun on the court. And I’m excited to be playing against the top guys again.

“I have had a good team around me and I’m very thankful that Max and Michael kept encouraging me. They still believe in me and I believe it too.”

Max Mirnyi, part of Nishikori’s coaching team with Michael Chang, has been at the 33-year-old’s side during the tough moments and was on hand Tuesday in Atlanta for the comeback win.

“He never lost sight of the light at the end of the tunnel. It can be gruelling and tough to stay motivated, but he was never in doubt and kept on working,” said Mirnyi, who played 486 singles matches and 1125 doubles matches during his career. “He always saw that this was a possibility. He was very professional throughout this time and to see him back and competing on the Tour is great.”

Former World No. 4 Nishikori, who finds himself at No. 439 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, began his comeback in mid-June in Puerto Rico on the ATP Challenger Tour. He was searching for matches to get some rhythm and build confidence. The decision to start in the minor leagues paid immediate dividends as he won the title for the loss of just one set. He then got another five matches under his belt at Challengers in Bloomfield Hills, MI, and Chicago before heading to Atlanta.

Kei Nishikori in action at the Chicago Challenger.” />
^{Kei Nishikori in action at the Chicago Challenger. Photo: Daniel Westhoff}

“I was just expecting to play one match, maybe two, but with each match I played better and started feeling the confidence,” Nishikori said of his Challenger Tour run. “I started getting the feeling of being back playing matches, feeling the nerves. I was very happy to win a title in my first tournament back and then I lost to a couple of good players after that. I wasn’t too sad about it. I was just excited to be playing.”

Nishikori decided to have hip surgery in February 2022 to avoid the fate of Bob Bryan and Andy Murray, who are both sporting metal hips. The former US Open finalist had similar surgery at a similar time to James Duckworth, although the Australian made it back on Tour just a few months later in May.

“My hip was not too bad, not like Andy,” Nishikori said. “We shaved some bone away and also I had a little bit of a tear in the labrum. Had I kept playing without the surgery then I may have had to do something like Andy did. But fortunately, I found out before it got really bad.

“I talked to James Duckworth, who had the same surgery and I was really surprised how quickly he came back to playing. But he told me that he had some issues, so perhaps he came back too early. I decided to take a little more time.

“One of my biggest doubts was whether I would be able to move like I used to. And also that you lose the feeling for the ball on the racquet and you have zero confidence. You’ve got to build again from zero, so it’s a tough mental challenge.”

If his body cooperates, Nishikori says that he has the hunger to play for several more years. One motivating factor is to compete against the game’s new faces who have climbed into the Top 10 during his absence.

“One thing I hope to get the chance to do is to play against these great young players like Alcaraz, Rune and Sinner at some point,” he said. “That’s part of my motivation to try to play for a few more years.

“I don’t think we have seen anyone like Alcaraz before. He looks like Rafa but he has more speed. Good defence, unbelievable forehand and he has a good backhand too.”

Mirnyi, affectionately known as ‘The Beast’, said that Team Nishikori is pleased with the progress, but is in no rush to set lofty goals for the remainder of this year and next.

“There was a lot of patience involved and it’s great to see him back playing at the Tour level,” Mirnyi said. “He may not be back to his best yet but most importantly he is healthy. Including the Challengers, he’s been back for three or four weeks and he is feeling strong and his body is allowing him to play a tough match like the one he just played today.”

Italian Matteo Arnaldi earned victory on debut at the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag on Tuesday when he overcame Dutch qualifier Jesper De Dong 6-3, 6-2 to reach the second round.

The 22-year-old, who competed at the Next Gen ATP Finals in 2022, won 77 per cent (20/26) of his first-serve points and broke De Dong four times to triumph one hour and 33 minutes at the clay-court ATP 250.

The seventh seed Arnaldi has now earned seven tour-level wins this year, with his best result a run to the third round in Madrid. He will next play countryman Flavio Cobolli.

In other action, Hungarian Zsombor Piros beat Australian Christopher O’Connell 6-3, 6-4. The World No. 124 has won two ATP Challenger Tour titles this year.

Several other matches on the schedule, including Stan Wawrinka’s clash against Filip Misolic, were cancelled due to rain.