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After Daria Kasatkina concluded her 2025 season early in October, the ex-top ten player explained how she had "hit a wall."

"The calendar is overwhelming. My mental and emotional state is frayed, and, sadly, I'm not alone," she expressed.

The Ukrainian athlete Elina Svitolina, a former Wimbledon final four contender, had earlier declared she was not in "the right headspace" to persist, while current Grand Slam champions Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz also think the calendar is excessively lengthy.

The topic remains under discussion as the world's foremost tennis players reconvene in Australia for the commencement of the 2026 season.

A slightly longer off-season than 2025 has been greeted positively. However, several weeks is not seen as adequate time for proper recuperation before training starts for an season lasting nearly a year considered among the most demanding in professional sport.

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

"Matches and rallies are longer, 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 measures are in place and what next actions could be enacted?

Shortening the Season

The 2025 season covered 47 weeks for many male competitors, beginning with the United Cup team event in late December 2024 and concluding with the Davis Cup final in late November.

The women's 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 WTA Tour says player welfare will "always remain a top priority."

That did not appease the PTPA, which initiated a lawsuit against the men's and women's tours in March, pointing to "restrictive policies and an obvious indifference to player health."

Restructuring the calendar is an clear answer but cannot be accomplished simply given the complex nature of tennis governance, where the four Grand Slams, ATP, WTA, and ITF each have significant influence.

"We must consider whether we can create more time at the end of the year for an longer break, or can we allow for a pause during the season so there is a short hiatus," said 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 factor into the rankings for 2026, which it thinks will reduce "the total burden" on the players.

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

"Such autonomy is uncommon in elite athletics. But with that comes accountability - understanding when to compete and when to rest."

Extending several compulsory competitions across a fortnight - creating so-called 'extended events' - has also been criticized.

"In my view, athletes are more psychologically drained and exhausted because they're away from home for extended periods," said Britain's former men's world number one, Andy Murray.

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

Players suffer more severe upper-body injuries in specific periods, according to available data.

The organization says these "predictable clusters" are down to the tour schedule layout and the turnarounds between court surfaces.

Minimizing Midnight Matches & Uniform Balls

When a memorable contest at the Australian Open concluded in the early hours in 2023, it promised to spark change.

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

But there have still been instances of matches concluding long after midnight - which medical experts insist.

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

"Media interviews, rehabilitation, and treatment are required. Your day doesn't finish until much later.

"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 identified as a source of a rise in 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 ongoing wrist injury, 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 moved towards a more standardized equipment policy during 2025 and project "full alignment" in the coming years.

Learn from NFL & Protect Young Players

Medical researchers believe tennis must emulate how American team sports use data to guide the health of its stars.

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

"The league has altered its regulations using concrete research," said an analytics expert whose firm provides data to monitor player welfare.

"Their commercial success has soared because their games are so competitive and they're ensuring star athletes are available.

"Their financial commitment matches their rhetoric by protecting athletes and allocating major funds – that model is the gold standard."

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

Some retired players believe the stress put on the upper body of tennis players from a tender age is a major contributor in their injuries later on.

"We start playing from such an early age 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."

Competitors Seek Adjustments - What Are the Key Issues?

An increasing number of players are becoming vocal about the demands placed on them.

Current world number ones are among a group of stars increasing demands on the Grand Slams with calls for a bigger piece of the financial pie, as well as genuine dialogue about the length of the season, longer competitions 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 daily routine is a "difficulty" but thinks top players "complaining about the calendar" is not a good look.

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