Washington 2026 - ATP 500

Here is my preview of the ATP 500 of Washington (Mubadala DC Open).

Washington is played on outdoor HARD courts.

Speed Data

Here are the statistics from the last five years:

• 72.5% of points won on the first serve
• 80.0% of service games held
• 0.62 aces/game
• 0.25 tie-breaks/set

Based on data from recent years, Washington is played on medium-paced hard courts, although I will expand on this below.

Previous winners

2025: De Minaur d. Davidovich

2024: Korda d. Cobolli

2023: Evans d. Griekspoor

2022: Kyrgios d. Nishioka

2021: Sinner d. McDonald

Andre Agassi has won this tournament 5 times. Del Potro and Roddick have won it 3 times. Zverev and Kyrgios have won it twice.

This is the tournament where last year in the final De Minaur saved 3 match points, one of them an incredible one where Davidovich was so unlucky...do you remember?

Weather

A hot and humid week is expected this week in Washington, with daytime temperatures generally ranging from 28–32°C (82–90°F) and overnight lows of 19–23°C (66–73°F). Humidity will remain high throughout the week, typically around 60–85%, making it feel even warmer. Winds will be mostly light to moderate at around 10–20 km/h (6–12 mph), with stronger gusts possible near thunderstorms. Expect a typical midsummer pattern of sunshine mixed with clouds, with frequent afternoon thunderstorm chances, especially early in the week, while the second half looks a bit more settled but will remain hot and humid.

Player's quotes

Shelton, 2026: "No matter how I come off the European season, I usually am pretty good at finding my form here on the hard courts. The last three weeks for me in terms of training has been great, and I'm really looking forward to getting started here. Obviously I feel the most comfortable playing on this surface and in these conditions. It being hot outside, I think it's a huge advantage for me."

De Minaur, 2025: “It’s so tough to play in these conditions. The ball is super quick and the courts are rapid. If you can land a first serve it’s so important. Anyone that has a big serve like Jiri (Lehecka) makes it really tough to return like it was for me today. For me it’s about trying to everything I can to get the return back into play and make sure I get nice flat hits in to extend rallies."

Fritz, 2025: “Normally it changes from the day to night as it’s a lot slower here at night. But the first round match I played wasn’t too hot, definitely a more mild day. Tonight was a bit more humid but we haven’t had one of those really hot, humid middle of the day matches yet so those are the ones you have to prepare for.”

Shelton, 2025: "The heat is a huge thing for me."

Kokkinakis, 2024: "It’s humid as anything out here."

Fritz, 2023: "The ball was moving a bit more than when I played late at night, but I had to go to the net and play more drop shots. I had to move the ball more. It's not so much that the courts are slow, but the balls. They are horrible. Humid conditions with the heaviest balls in the world." 

Monfils, 2023: "Slower conditions (at night). It's very slow, I can cover the court quite well, serve well, and use my forehand. I can make it a physical battle."

Murray, 2023: "I think a challenge for all players is the conditions. You go from playing the entire grass season, where physically it's quite easy in terms of not having extreme weather, the points tend to be a bit shorter, it's a bit easier on the body. Whereas here, you really feel the physical aspect; if you've taken care of yourself and are in good shape, physically, it can have great benefits going into this series of tournaments."

"We arrived on Tuesday night, so, yeah, I'm trying to get used to the humidity. Obviously, I had a lot of trouble last year during the U.S. summer with cramping and stuff like that. I wanted to make sure I arrived early to give myself enough time to adjust. It's been good. So in preparation, I did a lot of bike sessions, basically set up the bike there, and we can open the steam room a bit to increase the humidity, obviously the heaters to increase the heat in the room. I set it to about 35 degrees Celsius and like, 70% humidity and then did my bike sessions there."

M. Ymer, 2022: "On the court, I felt good today, but the conditions are very tough. I come from playing in Umag last week, which was hotter than this, so for me, it's very difficult, of course, but I feel a bit acclimated coming from there."

Draper, 2022: "The conditions here are quite lively, and you have to play with a bit more control."

Isner, 2019: "I think the ball bounces very high in conditions like this, which is naturally very good for me. Now, I don't necessarily love playing in the heat. It affects me quite a bit. In a match like this, where I'm ahead, up a set, 3-1, those conditions are perfect. I just have to try to hold my serve, and the match is over. I love conditions like that. The conditions here I think are a bit slower than in Atlanta last week. Those courts were really fast. I always prefer playing on slow courts that bounce quite high. These are not super slow by any means. They have a nice medium pace. These conditions, this weather, suit my game very well."

Summary

Medium-paced conditions overall, but the difference between day and night sessions is significant. During the day, the courts play fairly quick, while at night they become noticeably slower. So calling Washington "medium-paced" is really just an average of two very different playing conditions.

The ball bounces high, especially in hot weather.

Washington's weather is demanding, with high temperatures and humidity throughout the week. The heat can take a real physical toll, making fitness and endurance key factors in this tournament.

All in all, I would favour lean towards big servers, especially during the day.

Draws

Here’s the link to the tournament draw, which you can check for updates at any time:

• Main draw: https://www.protennislive.com/posting/2026/418/mds.pdf
• Qualifying Draw: https://www.protennislive.com/posting/2026/418/qs.pdf