The 2024 professional tennis season officially ended on December 22nd, when Joao Fonseca defeated Learner Tien in the final of 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 courts 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.
Jordan Thompson, US Open 2024 doubles champion
The short break between tournaments has generated criticism about the workload of professional tennis players. The brevity of the rest, with only one month between the Billie Jean King Cup, the Davis Cup, and the United Cup, highlights the lack of time for rest and preparation.
The length of the season and the itinerant nature of the circuit have been a source of complaints among players, but these have intensified in recent years. Alex de Minaur attributed his early elimination at Roland Garros to feeling “exhausted.” 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, citing injuries and mental fatigue. Kasatkina expressed on social media her need for a break from “the monotonous routine of life on the circuit”.Taylor Fritz had an outstanding season in 2024, reaching the semi-finals at the Australian Open and Wimbledon, and reaching his first Grand Slam final at the US Open. He won two ATP titles, reached four finals and won an Olympic bronze medal in doubles, as well as reaching number 4 in the world ranking.
However, the lack of time to celebrate, due to his success, extended his season, including the ATP Finals and the Davis Cup final. Fritz pointed out that, for elite players, the season is even longer, with only three weeks of rest between the end of one season and the start of the next. This includes time for training and preparation, limiting the rest time to one week a year.
The need to implement technical changes or technical personnel during the preseason also competes with the need for rest and recovery after a demanding season.Novak Djokovic, for his part, prioritized the most important tournaments and time with his family, which allowed him to play less. However, the circuit rules require players to participate in a minimum number of tournaments each year. Failure to meet these requirements can result in the loss of ranking points and affect bonus earnings at the end of the season.
Many top players have expressed concern about the impact of the length and demands of the schedule, especially as they often reach the final stages of tournaments. Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, and others have criticized the difficulty of meeting the requirements of mandatory tournaments.The WTA and others in the sport have pointed to the extension of the 1000-level tournaments as part of the strategy to ensure equal prize money with their male counterparts. Gauff acknowledged this argument, but emphasized the difficulty of meeting all the requirements in a year.
In the Shanghai Masters, the fatigue of the long season became evident, with Alcaraz, Sinner, and Djokovic suffering injuries and withdrawals. The ATP announced that it will add another Masters 1000 level tournament to its calendar starting in 2028 in Saudi Arabia, which will raise the total to 10 tournaments in this category. The implementation of an additional day of play in several Grand Slams has generated criticism.
Brad Stine, coach of Tommy Paul, suggests that players should be less “paranoid” about losing ranking points and take breaks when needed. Furthermore, he criticizes players who participate in lucrative exhibitions during the off-season, undermining their own concerns about the length of the season.
While it seems that most players believe that something must change, concrete solutions are a challenge. Fritz emphasized the need to shorten the season, but expressed his skepticism about the possibility of significant changes.
The Billie Jean King Cup was moved to September to give WTA players more rest time. Broader changes have been discussed, such as a “Premier Tour” proposal that would include the Grand Slams and other major events, but the idea did not succeed due to disagreements over the structure of the board of directors.
Andy Roddick suggested rearranging the autumn calendar, placing the 250-level tournaments after the World Tour finals. The WTA and ATP claim that the well-being of the athletes is a “top priority” and that they are in constant communication with the players. The ATP seeks to “extend the off-season”, but acknowledges the complexity of the calendar.
Djokovic, a constant critic of the current calendar, emphasized the need for players to get more involved and understand how the system works to drive significant changes. According to Djokovic, the players are not united enough to generate real change.
