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When Daria Kasatkina cut short her 2025 season early in October, the former world number eight detailed how she had "encountered a barrier."

"The itinerary is excessive. Mentally and emotionally I'm at breaking point, and, regrettably, I'm not alone," she wrote.

The Ukrainian athlete Elina Svitolina, a former Wimbledon final four contender, had previously revealed she was not in "the mental space" to continue, while sitting Grand Slam champions Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz additionally are convinced the calendar is too long.

The topic is still being argued as the world's foremost tennis players assemble once more in Australia for the beginning of the 2026 season.

A marginally increased off-season than 2025 has been greeted positively. Nevertheless, a few weeks is not seen as sufficient time for adequate recuperation before preparations begin for an 11-month campaign seen as among the most demanding 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).

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

"We have a duty to safeguard our athletes and give them a more viable sport."

So what is being done and what additional measures could be implemented?

Reducing the Calendar Length

The 2025 season covered 47 weeks for many players on the ATP circuit, commencing with the United Cup team event in late December 2024 and finishing with the Davis Cup final in late November.

The WTA Tour season ended two weeks earlier when the WTA Finals wrapped up in early November. The governing body moved the Billie Jean King Cup Finals forward to September to help combat scheduling concerns.

ATP officials claim it does not take the concerns of the players "lightly," while WTA leadership notes 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 "restrictive policies and an obvious indifference to player health."

Overhauling the calendar is an apparent fix but cannot be implemented readily 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 create more time at the end of the year for an longer break, or can we buy time during the season so there is a brief respite," added 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 is confident will lessen "the total burden" on the players.

"An aspect commonly missed: players choose their own schedules," stated ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi.

"That freedom is rare in professional sport. But with that comes obligation - knowing when to push and when to recover."

Prolonging several mandatory tournaments across a fortnight - creating so-called 'super weeks' - has also been faulted.

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

In addition to mental burnout, there are apprehensions about the increased physical demands.

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

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

Reducing Late Finishes & Standardizing Equipment

When a high-profile game at the Australian Open ended in the wee hours in 2023, it was expected to drive reform.

In 2024, the tours introduced 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.

"Once the final point is played, a player's duties continue," added Dr. Sikka.

"There are press obligations, recovery sessions, and physio appointments. Your day extends well beyond the match.

"The physical and neurological systems lack adequate time to recuperate. There is no other sport which mandates that."

The use of varying balls at different events - leading to changes in bounce and speed - has been identified as a source of more frequent upper body injuries.

"I've had a lot of injuries in my arm, my shoulder, my wrist," said 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 chronic wrist problem, argues tournaments in the same swing should use one standard 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 "complete uniformity" in the coming years.

Learn from NFL & Protect Young Players

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

Based on 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 keeping players out on the field.

"They're putting their money where their mouth is by protecting athletes and investing hugely – that model is the benchmark."

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

Some retired players believe the stress put on the upper body of tennis players from a tender age is a significant factor 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.

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

Current world number ones are among a coalition of top players increasing demands on the Grand Slams with calls for a larger share of revenue, as well as genuine dialogue about the tour schedule duration, longer competitions and scheduling.

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

Sympathy can be in short supply, though, given top players sometimes commit to lucrative non-tour contests.

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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