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When Daria Kasatkina ended her 2025 season early in October, the former world number eight detailed how she had "hit a wall."

"The calendar is overwhelming. My mental and emotional state is frayed, and, unfortunately, I'm not alone," she wrote.

Ukraine's Elina Svitolina, a former Wimbledon final four contender, had previously declared she was not in "the psychological condition" to persist, while sitting Grand Slam champions Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz also believe the calendar is too long.

This subject continues to be debated as the world's foremost tennis players gather again in Australia for the commencement of the 2026 season.

A marginally increased off-season than 2025 has been welcomed. Nevertheless, a handful of weeks is not regarded as adequate time for proper recuperation before work commences for an 11-month campaign regarded as among the most demanding in professional sport.

"The physical requirements of tennis are more intense than in the past," 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 sustainable sport."

So what measures are in place and what additional measures could be enacted?

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 finished two weeks earlier when the WTA Finals wrapped up in early November. The International Tennis Federation 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 "lightly," while WTA leadership notes player welfare will "consistently be the foremost concern."

That did not placate the PTPA, which began legal action against the men's and women's tours in March, referencing "unfair practices and a clear neglect of athlete well-being."

Revamping the calendar is an apparent fix but cannot be accomplished simply given the complex nature of tennis governance, where the four Grand Slams, ATP, WTA, and ITF each have significant influence.

"It is crucial to evaluate whether we can create more time at the end of the year for an longer break, or can we allow for a pause during the season so there is a short hiatus," noted Dr. Sikka.

Former world number one Andy Roddick, a long-time advocate for change, says the season should not go past 1 November.

The ATP Tour has reduced the number of events which factor into the rankings for 2026, which it is confident will diminish "the cumulative strain" on the players.

"A factor frequently ignored: players select their own tournament plans," remarked ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi.

"This level of choice is unusual in pro sports. But with that comes obligation - knowing when to push and when to recover."

Stretching several compulsory competitions across a fortnight - creating so-called 'super weeks' - has also been questioned.

"In my view, athletes are more psychologically drained and exhausted because they're away from home for extended periods," stated Britain's former men's world number one, Andy Murray.

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

Players suffer more severe upper-body injuries in particular times of the year, according to PTPA research.

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

Reducing Late Finishes & Standardizing Equipment

When a memorable contest at the Australian Open concluded in the middle of the night in 2023, it promised to spark change.

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

But there have continued to be instances of matches ending deep into the night - which medical experts argue must not be glorified.

"When you are done playing you just don't go home," explained Dr. Sikka.

"You have to do media, recover, work with the physiotherapist. Your day doesn't end at midnight.

"Your body, brain and nerves don't have chance to recover. No other major sport imposes such conditions."

A lack of standardization in tournament equipment - leading to changes in bounce and speed - has been cited as a source of a rise in upper body injuries.

"My career has been plagued by injuries to the arm and wrist," stated 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 chronic wrist problem, believes tournaments in the same circuit 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 incredibly useful to the players," he said.

The tours moved towards a more unified ball-approval process during 2025 and anticipate "total consistency" in the coming years.

Emulate American Sports & Safeguard Juniors

Medical researchers believe tennis must learn from how American team sports use data to direct the welfare of its stars.

Using 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 maintaining a healthy roster.

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

Other leagues have introduced rules aimed at protecting specific positions, limiting their workload at the professional level and putting age restrictions.

Some retired players believe the stress put on the upper body of tennis players from a young age is a major contributor 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."

Athletes Are Pushing for Reform - What Are Their Demands?

An increasing number of players are speaking out about the demands placed on them.

Current world number ones are among a collection of elite athletes applying force on the Grand Slams with calls for a larger share of revenue, as well as meaningful consultation about the length of the season, elongated tournaments and scheduling.

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

Support is not always forthcoming, though, given top players occasionally sign up for lucrative showcase matches.

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

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