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After Daria Kasatkina ended her 2025 season early in October, the one-time elite competitor described how she had "hit a wall."

"The schedule is too much. 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 announced she was not in "the mental space" to persist, while reigning Grand Slam champions Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz also believe the calendar is too long.

This issue is still being argued as the world's top tennis players reconvene in Australia for the commencement of the 2026 season.

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

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

So what actions are being taken and what additional measures could be taken?

Reducing the Calendar Length

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

The WTA Tour season concluded 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 alleviate scheduling concerns.

The men's tour states it does not take the concerns of the players "without seriousness," while WTA leadership notes player welfare will "perpetually be the highest focus."

That did not appease the PTPA, which initiated a lawsuit against the men's and women's tours in March, citing "unfair practices and a clear neglect of athlete well-being."

Restructuring the calendar is an clear answer but cannot be achieved easily given the intricate web of tennis governance, where the four Grand Slams, ATP, WTA, and ITF each have controlling interests.

"It is crucial to evaluate whether we can create more time at the end of the year for an extended off season, or can we buy time during the season so there is a short hiatus," added Dr. Sikka.

Former world number one Andy Roddick, a consistent campaigner for adjustments, says the season should not go past 1 November.

The ATP Tour has decreased the number of events which count towards the rankings for 2026, which it is confident will diminish "the total burden" on the players.

"An aspect commonly missed: players select their own tournament plans," remarked ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi.

"Such autonomy is uncommon in elite athletics. But with that comes responsibility - recognizing the right time to play and the right time to heal."

Extending several mandatory tournaments across a fortnight - creating so-called 'extended events' - has also been faulted.

"I believe competitors are more worn out mentally and physically because they're away from home for extended periods," said Britain's former men's world number one, Andy Murray.

As well as mental burnout, there are worries about the increased physical demands.

Players are more prone to upper-body injuries in specific periods, according to PTPA research.

The organization says these "predictable clusters" are down to the structure of the calendar and the turnarounds between court surfaces.

Minimizing Midnight Matches & Uniform Balls

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

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

But there have persisted instances of matches finishing well past midnight - which medical experts cannot be allowed to be "romanticised".

"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 finish until much later.

"Your body, brain and nerves don't have chance to recover. There is no other sport which mandates that."

Different tournaments playing with different balls - leading to changes in feel and performance - has been cited 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 retired last year with an ongoing wrist injury, thinks tournaments in the same swing 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 moved towards a more centralized ball-selection system during 2025 and expect "full alignment" in the coming years.

Emulate American Sports & Safeguard Juniors

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

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

"We've seen the economic model is skyrocketing because their games are so competitive and they're keeping players out on the field.

"Their financial commitment matches their rhetoric by protecting athletes and investing hugely – that model is the benchmark."

Other leagues have enacted regulations aimed at protecting specific positions, limiting their workload at the professional level and putting limits for young players.

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

"Training begins in childhood and have so many iterations of our groundstrokes," said the former champion.

"At some point it goes on the wrist. 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 growing group of players are becoming vocal about the demands placed on them.

Current world number ones are among a group of stars ramping up pressure on the Grand Slams with calls for a larger share of revenue, as well as meaningful consultation about the calendar extent, 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 new season.

Sympathy can be in short supply, though, given top players occasionally sign up for lucrative showcase matches.

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

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