The Professional Tennis Season: A Grueling Schedule and the Quest for Balance
The 2024 professional tennis season officially concluded on December 22nd with Joao Fonseca’s victory over Learner Tien at the ATP Next Gen Finals in Saudi Arabia. The 2025 season began on December 27th with the United Cup in Australia. Fonseca and Tien returned to the court on December 30th for tournaments in Australia and Hong Kong, respectively.
“I don’t know how the ’25 season starts in ’24. It’s a joke,” commented Jordan Thompson, 2024 US Open doubles champion.
Jordan Thompson
This tight schedule has generated debate about the workload of professional tennis players. The short break between important events, such as the Billie Jean King Cup and the Davis Cup, and the United Cup, as well as the end of the season in November with the WTA Finals and the ATP Finals, leaves little time for rest and preparation.
The length of the season and the itinerant nature of the circuit are common complaints among players, but they have intensified in recent years. Alex de Minaur attributed his early exit from the French Open to “exhaustion.” Iga Swiatek criticized the demands of the “super intense” calendar.
Several players, such as Frances Tiafoe, Danielle Collins, Jack Draper, and Daria Kasatkina, ended their seasons early this year due to injuries and mental fatigue.
The conversation about the duration and intensity of the tennis season will continue as players prepare for the 2026 season. The key question is: Will there be changes in the near future?Taylor Fritz had an outstanding season in 2024. He reached the quarterfinals at the Australian Open and Wimbledon, and reached his first Grand Slam final at the US Open. At the end of the season, he won two ATP titles, reached four finals and won an Olympic bronze medal in doubles with Tommy Paul, achieving a new personal ranking at number 4. However, the celebration was short-lived due to participation in the ATP Finals and the Davis Cup, which extended his season.
“There is no off-season, and if you’re a top player, you actually have even less of an off-season,” Fritz said.
Taylor Fritz
For Fritz, this meant only three weeks between the end of his 2024 season and the start of the 2025 season. He returned home at the end of November and had to travel to Australia on December 21st. Fritz highlighted the importance of preseason training and the difficulty of having only one week of rest.Novak Djokovic, played only the main events this summer, skipping all ATP tournaments in June, July, and August, prioritizing winning his 25th Grand Slam title and spending time with his family. However, Djokovic is in an unusual position, as he does not care about his ranking and financial aspects. Tours require players to participate in a certain number of tournaments each year. ATP players must participate in the four Grand Slam tournaments, eight Masters 1000 level events, and five 500 level tournaments. WTA players must also participate in the Grand Slams, in addition to 10 level 1000 tournaments and six 500 level events.
Many high-level players have expressed concern about the impact of the duration and requirements of the schedule, especially since they often reach the final stages of the tournaments in which they participate.Swiatek, after a match shortened by injury at the China Open, blamed the calendar. Gauff also expressed her disagreement with the requirements of the 500 tournaments, arguing that it is “impossible” to meet them.
The WTA and others in the sport have repeatedly pointed to extended 1000-level tournaments as part of how it can ensure equal prize money at tournaments with their male counterparts.
The Shanghai Masters in October highlighted the state of the elite players, with complaints about the heat and humidity, and the weight of a long season. Carlos Alcaraz withdrew before the tournament due to an ankle injury. Sinner retired from his third-round match due to cramps. Djokovic vomited during his second-round match and needed treatment for a back injury during his semi-final defeat.The ATP announced that it would add another Masters 1000 level tournament to its calendar, possibly in 2028, in Saudi Arabia. This would raise the total number of tournaments in this category to 10. Grand Slam tournaments have added additional days to their main draws, and many players have opposed this.
“I’m not really a fan,” said Jessica Pegula.
Jessica Pegula
Brad Stine, coach of Tommy Paul, believes that the ATP and WTA should eliminate the “mandatory” distinction for tournaments and guarantee one or two weeks of rest after each Grand Slam. At the same time, he believes that players should be less “paranoid” regarding the loss of ranking points and skip tournaments when they feel they need a break.
Alcaraz, one of those who has most advocated for the need for a shorter season, played in the lucrative Six Kings Slam in October and is scheduled to participate in several other exhibition events in December.
“It’s a different format, a different situation playing exhibitions than official tournaments, 15, 16 days in a row, having so much concentration and demanding physically,” said Alcaraz.
Carlos Alcaraz
Fritz thinks that changes won’t be made soon. However, there have been some adjustments.
The Billie Jean King Cup final was moved to September to give WTA players more rest time. More significant changes have been discussed. In 2024, the four Grand Slams participated in initial conversations for a “Premier Tour”. The WTA and ATP proposed an idea similar to the Slams, but failed to convince them, partly due to the proposed structure for overseeing the new venture.
Andy Roddick suggested rearranging the events on the autumn calendar. The WTA and ATP are in constant communication with the players, and the WTA has emphasized that the well-being of the athletes is a “top priority”.
Gaudenzi, from the ATP, called the calendar “complex”, but said that an ATP goal was to “extend the off-season”. Djokovic has been a strong critic of the current calendar. Ultimately, he said that if the players wanted to see a change, they would have to get more involved and learn about the different levels of the tennis ecosystem.
