The tennis world is seething once again. The accusation has been the same for years. The season is too long, the stars have to play too much. But it is also true that they themselves are partly to blame.
07.10.2025, 04:00
07.10.2025, 13:48
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- More and more tennis stars such as Alcaraz, Sinner and Zverev are complaining about the overloaded tournament calendar and physical complaints that force them to take breaks or give up.
- The season lasts almost the whole year, and although the organizations point to increased fan interest and prize money, there is hardly any time for regeneration.
- At the same time, many top players take part in lucrative show tournaments despite being overworked, which raises doubts about the credibility of their criticism.
Carlos Alcaraz, the world number 1, cancels his participation in the Masters 1000 tournament in Shanghai after winning tournaments at the US Open and in Tokyo. Reason: physical problems. "The calendar is simply too tight. I call on those responsible to do something," says Alcaraz.
Jannik Sinner, the No. 2, retires from the 3rd round of the current tournament in Shanghai with cramps in his thigh and needs help getting off the court.
Alexander Zverev, the number 3, complains that he has never played a tournament without pain since the Australian Open in January. "Our schedule, our diary is simply too full. That's a problem," says the 2021 Olympic champion.
Novak Djokovic, 24-time Grand Slam winner and world number 5, states: "I said fifteen years ago that we had to get together and reorganize the calendar."
Ben Shelton, No. 6 and the Americans' great hope, has to take a month off after retiring in the 3rd round of the US Open with a shoulder injury and returns to Shanghai with a clear defeat.
Season from December to November
The ATP Tour is a lazaretto, and things don't look any better for the women. At the category 1000 tournament in Beijing, no fewer than five players have to pull out of their matches, while others, such as world number 1 Aryna Sabalenka, do not even take part.
The demands on the well-paid stars are high. Take Coco Gauff, for example: the French Open winner and world number three won the final of the WTA Finals on November 9 last year and was already back on court at the United Cup in Australia at the end of December. The federations and tournament organizers naturally want their best players to play as often and as long as possible - hardly any other sport has such a long season.
But Gauff counters: "More is simply no longer possible." She also understands the commercial side, emphasizes the 21-year-old American, who is usually very reflective. "But I wish with all my heart that a solution could be found to shorten the season."
More prize money, more fans
The WTA requires its female players to play the four Grand Slam events, all ten 1000 and six 500 tournaments. The requirements are similar for the men. To make matters worse, seven of the ten events in the 1000 category have now been extended to ten to twelve days, which is not very popular with the pros. This means that around 31 weeks of the year are already planned, leaving hardly any room for training and recovery.
Iga Swiatek, Wimbledon winner and world No. 2, has also threateningly announced that she will no longer be playing all of the obligatory tournaments. "There are too many injuries," says the Polish player. "I think it's because the season has been too long and too intense."
She falls on deaf ears at the WTA. "We adjusted the structure last year," say the union's officials. "This allowed us to increase the prize money and the interest of the fans without the players having to compete more." ATP President Andrea Gaudenzi told the French news agency AFP that the players have "a rare freedom to shape their calendar". With this freedom comes responsibility.
Millions of dollars at exhibitions
The former professional has hit a sore spot, especially among the men. Of all people, those who complain the most about the very busy calendar, which also brings them a lot of money, also play lucrative show tournaments that don't bring in any world ranking points. Alcaraz and Zverev took part in the Laver Cup in San Francisco the week after the US Open, while Alcaraz, Zverev, Sinner and Djokovic are entered for the so-called "6 Kings Slam" in Saudi Arabia the week after the tournament in Shanghai, an invitational event in which six players share the fabulous prize money of 13.5 million dollars.
It's hard to take the complaints of the stars seriously. The injuries will therefore not diminish. On the contrary.
