'We Need to Protect Players' - How Can Tennis Steer Clear of Hitting a Breaking Point?

After Daria Kasatkina ended her 2025 season early in October, the one-time elite competitor detailed how she had "reached her limit."

"The calendar is overwhelming. Psychologically and emotionally, I am drained, and, regrettably, I'm not alone," she stated.

Ukraine's Elina Svitolina, a two-time Wimbledon semi-finalist, had previously revealed she was not in "the right headspace" to continue, while current Grand Slam champions Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz also believe the calendar is too long.

This issue is still being argued as the world's leading tennis players assemble once more in Australia for the commencement of the 2026 season.

A marginally increased off-season than 2025 has been welcomed. Nevertheless, a few weeks is not regarded as sufficient time for proper recuperation before work commences for an 11-month campaign seen as among the most demanding in professional sport.

"The physical requirements of tennis are more intense than in the past," stated Dr. Robby Sikka, medical director at the Professional Tennis Players' Association (PTPA).

"The duration of play has increased, players are faster, they're hitting the ball harder.

"It is our obligation to shield the competitors and give them a more viable sport."

So what measures are in place and what next actions could be implemented?

Reducing the Calendar Length

The 2025 season covered 47 weeks for many men on tour, starting with the United Cup team event in late December 2024 and finishing with the Davis Cup final in late November.

The WTA Tour season finished two weeks earlier when the tour finals finished in early November. The International Tennis Federation moved the Billie Jean King Cup Finals forward to September to address scheduling concerns.

The ATP Tour says it does not take the concerns of the players "casually," while WTA leadership notes player welfare will "consistently be the foremost concern."

That did not placate the PTPA, which began legal action against the men's and women's tours in March, referencing "anti-competitive practices and a blatant disregard for player welfare."

Overhauling the calendar is an obvious solution but cannot be implemented readily given the complicated structure of tennis governance, where the four Grand Slams, ATP, WTA, and ITF each have significant influence.

"We must consider whether we can reclaim time at the end of the year for an more substantial rest period, or can we buy time during the season so there is a short hiatus," noted Dr. Sikka.

Former world number one Andy Roddick, a long-time advocate for change, says the season should not go past 1 November.

The ATP Tour has cut the number of events which factor into the rankings for 2026, which it is confident will lessen "overall demands" on the players.

"An aspect commonly missed: players choose their own schedules," commented ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi.

"This level of choice is unusual in pro sports. But with that comes responsibility - knowing when to push and when to recover."

Stretching several required events across a fortnight - creating so-called 'super weeks' - has also been faulted.

"In my view, athletes are more psychologically drained and exhausted because they're being on the road longer," opined Britain's former men's world number one, Andy Murray.

Alongside mental burnout, there are apprehensions about the growing physical demands.

Players suffer more severe upper-body injuries in certain months, according to player association statistics.

The organization says these "foreseeable patterns" are down to the seasonal itinerary and the transitions between court surfaces.

Reducing Late Finishes & Standardizing Equipment

When a high-profile game at the Australian Open concluded in the early hours in 2023, it seemed set to trigger adjustments.

In 2024, the tours introduced a new rule prohibiting matches beginning past 11pm.

But there have still been instances of matches concluding long after midnight - which medical experts argue must not be glorified.

"When you are done playing you just don't go home," explained Dr. Sikka.

"You have to do media, recover, work with the physiotherapist. Your day doesn't finish until much later.

"Your body, brain and nerves don't have chance to recover. This is a unique demand in the sporting world."

A lack of standardization in tournament equipment - leading to changes in bounce and speed - has been cited as a source of more frequent upper body injuries.

"My career has been plagued by injuries to the arm and wrist," said one top British player, "and I'm seeing more and more of these injuries across the tours."

A former US Open champion, who retired last year with an chronic wrist problem, believes tournaments in the same seasonal segment should use one standard ball.

"It shouldn't be too difficult - the same ball for clay, the same for hard and the same for grass. That would be really helpful to the players," he said.

The tours began using a more centralized ball-selection system during 2025 and project "complete uniformity" in the coming years.

Learn from NFL & Protect Young Players

Sports scientists believe tennis must learn from how American team sports use data to guide the welfare of its stars.

Using data-led analysis, the NFL mandated consistent playing surfaces and improved helmet technology to minimize the risk of injury.

"American football has implemented numerous reforms driven by data," said an analytics expert whose firm provides data to monitor player welfare.

"The financial returns have increased dramatically because their games are so competitive and they're maintaining a healthy roster.

"They are investing heavily in their stated goals by protecting athletes and investing hugely – that model is the exemplar."

Other leagues have implemented policies aimed at protecting throwers, limiting their workload at the professional level and putting age restrictions.

Some retired players believe the load put on the upper body of tennis players from a very early stage is a significant factor in their injuries later on.

"We pick up a racket as kids and have so many repetitions of our groundstrokes," said the former champion.

"Over time, the wrist suffers the consequences. Way more players have problems with the wrist. I think the problem is the many, many repetitions."

Athletes Are Pushing for Reform - What Are Their Demands?

An increasing number of players are speaking out about the demands placed on them.

Current world number ones are among a collection of elite athletes ramping up pressure on the Grand Slams with calls for a bigger piece of the financial pie, as well as substantive discussions about the calendar extent, elongated tournaments and match timing.

Last year, a top-ten American player said it was "unreasonable" he was only able to take one week off before the new season.

Public understanding may be limited, though, given top players occasionally sign up for lucrative showcase matches.

One Grand Slam champion from Britain says the grind is a "difficulty" but thinks top players "complaining about the calendar" is not a good look.

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