The length of the modern-day ATP tennis season is leading to a drop in product level.
Professional players are on tour for up to 11 months in a calendar year, with tournaments played almost 24/7.
Tours also have events where players are forced to show up.
Some top players like two-time Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz feel a lack of motivation to compete and are being burned out.
"Sometimes I don’t feel motivated at all," he said.
"The calendar is so tight—a lot of tournaments, no days off, or not as many days off as I want."
The two-week Olympics tournament dropped in between Wimbledon and the US Open this year has also had an impact.
Out of the four men’s Olympics semifinalists, Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Lorenzo Musetti, and Felix Auger-Alliasime lost before the fourth round.
Alcaraz also recently claimed that the calendar will “kill us (the players) in some way.”
The increase in longer-term injuries is also visible.
Jannik Sinner (hip), Carlos Alcaraz (wrist), Novak Djokovic (knee), and Alex de Minaur (hip) have also suffered serious injuries at some point this season, with all missing important tournaments as a result.
Djokovic’s case in particular is startling, as even throughout his thirties, he’s always remained the standard for supreme physical fitness.
So, is there a direct correlation?
Injuries to top players occur in every sport, but there is no doubt that in recent years, younger players have been getting hurt more frequently.
2021 Olympic Gold Medalist Alexander Zverev said the ATP season is “the longest in the sport” and that there is “an unnecessary number of tournaments.”
The stats say he is correct, with the number of events increasing astronomically over the last few decades.
In 1984, there were 50 tournaments on the professional calendar, compared with 68 this season.
A 36 per cent increase in around 40 years is no joke, but now, players are campaigning for a change in the schedule.
2021 French Open runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas hints at change being on the horizon.
“We’re on the edge of a tennis revolution, one driven by the players,” Tsitsipas said.
“It’s not just about avoiding injuries; it’s about keeping players in the game longer. Less wear and tear means more years of top-level tennis, stronger rivalries, and better matches.”
Players have a stronger focus on the quality of match play, rather than the quantity at this time.
The discourse amongst the playing group is that the season must be shortened, so players can have longer off-seasons to rest and recuperate.
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