Tennis players, including Alex de Minaur, Casper Ruud, and Iga Swiatek, have voiced significant concerns about the sport’s grueling schedule, warning it leads to physical and mental burnout, risking career longevity. De Minaur, after a surprising 2025 French Open second-round loss to Alexander Bublik, attributed his defeat to mental fatigue, stating, “Players’ careers are going to get shorter because they’re going to burn out mentally… There’s just too much tennis.” Ruud, a two-time Roland Garros finalist, called the ATP’s ranking system a “rat race,” criticizing mandatory event participation that pressures players to compete despite injuries, citing his own knee pain during a loss to Nuno Borges. Swiatek, a five-time Grand Slam champion, described the schedule as “pretty exhausting,” noting players feel unheard by tours, with new WTA rules requiring women to play 16 events in 2024, up from 10.
The ATP and WTA tours, which run nearly 11 months with only a 33-day off-season, include mandatory Masters 1000 events and team competitions like the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup, leaving little recovery time. Players like Jordan Thompson and Nick Kyrgios have called the schedule “a joke,” with Thompson battling three injuries exacerbated by the relentless tour. Naomi Osaka noted playing through injuries is common, having won two of her four Grand Slams while not at her physical best.[]
The ATP claims its Baseline programme protects injured players, and the WTA insists the current structure, averaging 20 events per year, hasn’t increased workloads. However, players like Stefanos Tsitsipas criticize the expansion of Masters 1000 events to two weeks, reducing preparation time, while Holger Rune called the schedule “the tightest” in sports. Proposed solutions include shortening the season or extending the off-season, with De Minaur suggesting, “The solution is simple: you shorten the schedule.” Despite these calls, the tours prioritize financial incentives and fan demand, leaving players feeling trapped in a cycle of fatigue and injury.
