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

"The schedule is too much. Mentally and emotionally I'm at breaking point, and, sadly, I'm not alone," she expressed.

Elina Svitolina of Ukraine, a former Wimbledon final four contender, had previously declared she was not in "the right headspace" to carry on, while sitting Grand Slam champions Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz furthermore are convinced the calendar is excessively lengthy.

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

A somewhat extended off-season than 2025 has been welcomed. However, a handful of weeks is not regarded as enough time for proper recuperation before training starts for an season lasting nearly a year seen as among the most onerous in professional sport.

"Tennis places greater strain on athletes now than it ever has," stated Dr. Robby Sikka, chief medical officer 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 sustainable sport."

So what actions are being taken and what next actions could be implemented?

Condensing the Tour Schedule

The 2025 season lasted 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 women's season ended two weeks earlier when the season-ending championships finished in early November. The ITF moved the Billie Jean King Cup Finals forward to September to help combat scheduling concerns.

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

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

Restructuring the calendar is an obvious solution but cannot be achieved easily given the complicated structure of tennis governance, where the four Grand Slams, ATP, WTA, and ITF each have major stakes.

"It is crucial to evaluate whether we can buy back 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 reduced the number of events which count towards the rankings for 2026, which it thinks will lessen "the total burden" on the players.

"An aspect commonly missed: players determine their own playing calendar," remarked ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi.

"This level of choice is unusual in pro sports. But with that comes responsibility - recognizing the right time to play and the right time to heal."

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 away from home for extended periods," opined Britain's former men's world number one, Andy Murray.

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

Players experience a higher rate of upper-body injuries in particular times of the year, according to available data.

The organization says these "foreseeable patterns" are down to the structure of the calendar and the switches in court surfaces.

Minimizing Midnight Matches & Uniform Balls

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 implemented a new rule preventing matches commencing later than 11pm.

But there have still been instances of matches finishing well past midnight - which medical experts argue must not be glorified.

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

"There are press obligations, recovery sessions, and physio appointments. Your day doesn't end at midnight.

"There is insufficient opportunity for the body and mind to heal. This is a unique demand in the sporting world."

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

"My career has been plagued by injuries to the arm and wrist," stated one top British player, "and such ailments are increasingly prevalent among peers."

A former US Open champion, who ended his career last year with an persistent wrist issue, believes tournaments in the same circuit should use one standard 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 project "total consistency" 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 wellbeing of its stars.

Based on data-led analysis, the NFL required consistent playing surfaces and enhanced helmet technology to lessen 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.

"Their commercial success has soared 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 investing hugely – that model is the exemplar."

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

Some retired players believe the stress put on the upper body of tennis players from a very early stage 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."

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

An growing group of players are becoming vocal about the demands placed on them.

Current world number ones are among a coalition of top players applying force on the Grand Slams with calls for a bigger piece of the financial pie, as well as substantive discussions about the calendar extent, longer competitions and fixture planning.

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

Sympathy can be in short supply, though, given top players sometimes commit to lucrative exhibition events.

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

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