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When 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. Psychologically and emotionally, I am drained, and, unfortunately, I'm not alone," she wrote.

Ukraine's Elina Svitolina, a former Wimbledon final four contender, had already revealed she was not in "the mental space" to continue, while reigning Grand Slam champions Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz also think the calendar is overly extended.

This subject continues to be debated as the world's leading tennis players gather again in Australia for the start of the 2026 season.

A slightly longer off-season than 2025 has been greeted positively. However, a few weeks is not seen as sufficient time for adequate recovery before training starts for an season lasting nearly a year regarded as among the most grueling in professional sport.

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

"Matches and rallies are longer, players are faster, they're hitting the ball harder.

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

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

Shortening the Season

The 2025 season lasted 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 women's season concluded two weeks earlier when the season-ending championships concluded in early November. The governing body moved the Billie Jean King Cup Finals forward to September to address scheduling concerns.

The men's tour states it does not take the concerns of the players "casually," while the WTA Tour says player welfare will "perpetually be the highest focus."

That failed to satisfy 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 obvious solution but cannot be accomplished simply given the intricate web of tennis governance, where the four Grand Slams, ATP, WTA, and ITF each have significant influence.

"We need to think about whether we can buy back time at the end of the year for an longer break, or can we buy time during the season so there is a short hiatus," noted Dr. Sikka.

Former world number one Andy Roddick, a vocal proponent of reform, says the season should not go past 1 November.

The ATP Tour has cut the number of events which count towards the rankings for 2026, which it is confident will lessen "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 obligation - recognizing the right time to play and the right time to heal."

Stretching several compulsory competitions across a fortnight - creating so-called 'mini Slams' - has also been faulted.

"I think players are more mentally tired and more fatigued because they're spending more days away," opined Britain's former men's world number one, Andy Murray.

In addition to mental burnout, there are worries about the growing physical demands.

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

The organization says these "anticipated spikes" are down to the seasonal itinerary and the switches in court surfaces.

Reducing Late Finishes & Standardizing Equipment

When a high-profile game at the Australian Open ended in the early hours in 2023, it promised to spark change.

In 2024, the tours implemented a new rule stopping matches commencing later than 11pm.

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

"After a match concludes, an athlete's day isn't over," said Dr. Sikka.

"Media interviews, rehabilitation, and treatment are required. Your day doesn't end at midnight.

"The physical and neurological systems lack adequate time to recuperate. This is a unique demand in the sporting world."

The use of varying balls at different events - leading to changes in weight and pace - has been pointed to as a source of a rise in upper body injuries.

"I've had a lot of injuries in my arm, my shoulder, my wrist," commented one top British player, "and I'm seeing more and more of these injuries across the tours."

A former US Open champion, who stepped away last year with an ongoing wrist injury, believes tournaments in the same swing should use one uniform ball.

"Implementing this would not be overly complex - 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 unified ball-approval process during 2025 and expect "total consistency" in the coming years.

Take Lessons from the NFL & Shield Developing Athletes

Athletic performance experts believe tennis must take cues from how American team sports use data to inform the wellbeing of its stars.

Following data-led analysis, the NFL required consistent playing surfaces and enhanced helmet technology to reduce 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.

"We've seen the economic model is skyrocketing 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 gold standard."

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

Some retired players believe the stress put on the upper body of tennis players from a young age is a significant factor in their injuries later on.

"We start playing from such an early age 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."

Athletes Are Pushing for Reform - What Are Their Demands?

An rising contingent of players are speaking out about the demands placed on them.

Current world number ones are among a group of stars applying force on the Grand Slams with calls for a larger share of revenue, as well as substantive discussions about the tour schedule duration, 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.

Support is not always forthcoming, though, given top players sometimes commit to lucrative non-tour contests.

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

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