Playing through the pain & burnout fears – is there too much tennis?

French Open 2025

Location: Roland Garros, May 25 – June

Top tennis players have been complaining for a while that their physical demands are becoming more and more unbearable.

The latest to express concerns about the calendar is Australian world no. 9, Alex de Minaur, who claimed that he “feels burned out” after exiting the French Open earlier than expected.

In his second-round encounter with Alexander Bublik from Kazakhstan, the 26-year-old held a two-set lead before physically fading.

The “mental” schedule of the top players was raised by Britain’s Jack Draper at the end of last year, while Iga Swiatek, a five-time major champion, claims that the current demands are “pretty exhausting.”

After his Roland Garros exit, Casper Ruud criticized the rankings as “rat race,” while De Minaur argued that players’ careers would become shorter because they would “burn out mentally.”

“There is just too much tennis,” the statement read.

The WTA Tour has previously stated that players’ health and well-being is always our top priority, and the ATP Tour claims it does not take these concerns lightly.

The top players’ entire season spans 11 months.

Top-ranked women’s player Aryna Sabalenka contested 70 matches across 17 tournaments last year while top-ranked men’s world number one Jannik Sinner contested 79 matches.

Ruud and De Minaur finished third in the ATP year-end top 10 last year, ranking him second behind Ruud in that field.

What’s unusual about me is that for the past three or four years, I’ve had two days off, followed immediately by the pre-season, and then immediately following the start of the new year, De Minaur said on Thursday.

The ATP and WTA Tours resume at the end of December, with the ATP and WTA Tours beginning in December.

The Australian Open kicks off in mid-January, followed by Wimbledon in early July and the French Open in late May.

The US Open kicks off the Grand Slams in early September.

The ATP and WTA Tour finals, followed by the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Finals, where players compete against other teams in now-described “World Cup of Tennis,” are the final two games of the season.

The ATP Tour stated that it “knows” why its leading players are concerned about the season’s length and demands.

In a statement to BBC Sport, it was stated that “we’re focused on strengthening the sport by creating a more premium product, one that results in more prize money and opportunities for players.”

Calendar reform is a crucial component of that vision.

Players who play tennis for a long period of time get used to experiencing pain and discomfort.

Naomi Osaka, a Japanese tennis player, claims she won two of her four Grand Slams while being injured.

However, I am aware that I can play almost as well if I’m injured as a result.

I’ll feel pressured to put all of my energy into each situation from time to time because I’m mentally better than ever.

Of course, accidents can be too painful and painful to manage.

Ruud and De Minaur believe that the current structure unfairly punishes players in this regard.

If you don’t show up and play, whether it be economically, points-wise, rankings-wise, or opportunity-wise, Ruud said, you feel like you lose a lot.

“I am aware that the remainder of the year and my career depend greatly on these weeks and months.

I won’t play, of course, if my leg breaks. But it’s challenging. “

According to the ATP, there are “protects in place” for injured players, citing its Baseline program, which aims to spread wealth further down the tour.

Because fans want to see that, “players ultimately have the freedom to choose where they compete,” it continued. For many years, we’ve had financial incentives in place to encourage participation at the top events.

The eight top players of the season receive points at the season-ending ATP Finals, while 19 events are included in the ATP rankings each year.

That includes:

De Minaur, who injured himself in 2013, missed three Masters competitions in Cincinnati, Montreal, and Shanghai last year, thinks this unfairly punishes players.

“That was something I had to handle.” He continued, “I’m still dealing with that right now.”

“My ranking now has three zeros because I was injured and unable to play,” I hear you say.

The top 20 players are expected to compete in at least 20 of the 18 tournaments that the WTA rankings are based on:

The WTA claimed that the structure’s introduction last year did not cause an increase in workload.

Data from the past ten years indicated that players competed in an average of 20 events annually, including the Grand Slams, according to the statement.