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After Daria Kasatkina cut short her 2025 season early in October, the one-time elite competitor described how she had "encountered a barrier."

"The schedule is too much. My mental and emotional state is frayed, and, sadly, I'm not alone," she wrote.

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

This subject remains under discussion as the world's leading tennis players gather again in Australia for the beginning of the 2026 season.

A slightly longer off-season than 2025 has been received well. However, several weeks is not seen as sufficient time for proper rest before training starts for an eleven-month schedule regarded as among the most grueling in professional sport.

"Tennis places greater strain on athletes now than it ever has," said Dr. Robby Sikka, medical director at the Professional Tennis Players' Association (PTPA).

"Points and games are more extended, players are faster, they're hitting the ball harder.

"We owe it to our players to protect them and give them a more manageable sport."

So what is being done and what next actions could be implemented?

Shortening the Season

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

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

The men's tour states it does not take the concerns of the players "lightly," while the women's tour asserts player welfare will "consistently be the foremost concern."

That did not placate the PTPA, which commenced proceedings against the men's and women's tours in March, pointing to "anti-competitive practices and a blatant disregard for player welfare."

Restructuring the calendar is an clear answer but cannot be achieved easily given the intricate web of tennis governance, where the four Grand Slams, ATP, WTA, and ITF each have controlling interests.

"We must consider whether we can buy back time at the end of the year for an more substantial rest period, or can we create space during the season so there is a mini-break," added 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 believes will reduce "overall demands" on the players.

"One point that often gets overlooked: players choose their own schedules," remarked ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi.

"That freedom is rare in professional sport. But with that comes accountability - recognizing the right time to play and the right time to heal."

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

"In my view, athletes are more psychologically drained and exhausted because they're spending more days away," stated Britain's former men's world number one, Andy Murray.

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

Players suffer more severe upper-body injuries in specific periods, according to PTPA research.

The organization says these "foreseeable patterns" are down to the tour schedule layout and the switches in court surfaces.

Minimizing Midnight Matches & Uniform Balls

When a notable match at the Australian Open ended in the wee hours in 2023, it seemed set to trigger adjustments.

In 2024, the tours introduced a new rule preventing matches starting after 11pm.

But there have still been instances of matches ending deep into the night - which medical experts cannot be allowed to be "romanticised".

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

"You have to do media, recover, work with the physiotherapist. Your day doesn't end at midnight.

"The physical and neurological systems lack adequate time to recuperate. No other major sport imposes such conditions."

Different tournaments playing with different balls - leading to changes in feel and performance - has been pointed to as a source of more frequent upper body injuries.

"I've had a lot of injuries in my arm, my shoulder, my wrist," stated one top British player, "and such ailments are increasingly prevalent among peers."

A former US Open champion, who stepped away last year with an persistent wrist issue, believes tournaments in the same seasonal segment should use one uniform 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 standardized equipment policy during 2025 and expect "total consistency" in the coming years.

Emulate American Sports & Safeguard Juniors

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

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

"The NFL has made many rule changes based on empirical evidence," 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 keeping players out on the field.

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

Other leagues have introduced rules aimed at protecting pitchers, limiting their throws at the professional level and putting guidelines for juniors.

Some retired players believe the strain put on the upper body of tennis players from a very early stage is a key element in their injuries later on.

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

"Eventually, the wrist bears the brunt. Way more players have problems with the wrist. I think the problem is the many, many repetitions."

Players 'Motivated' for Change - What Do They Want?

An increasing number of players are finding their voice about the demands placed on them.

Current world number ones are among a collection of elite athletes applying force on the Grand Slams with calls for a larger share of revenue, as well as genuine dialogue about the calendar extent, elongated tournaments and match timing.

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

Sympathy can be in short supply, though, given top players occasionally sign up for lucrative exhibition events.

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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