Tennis schedule under renewed scrutiny as injuries, criticism mount

HONG KONG – Carlos Alcaraz added his voice to the criticism and pulled out of the Shanghai Masters with “physical issues”, as the packed schedule for elite tennis players came under renewed scrutiny this week.

With another season approaching its climax, six-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz and fellow Major winners Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff all took aim at the amount of tennis they play.

The busy calendar in women’s and men’s tennis has been a constant talking point in recent years.

Top players have repeatedly railed against their workload and this week saw a raft of matches end prematurely at the China Open.

Five players retired from their matches in Beijing with injury on Sept 29 alone.

On Sept 30, there was the sight of Daniil Medvedev hobbling about on court, barely able to move, before the Russian called it quits when 0-4 down in the deciding set of his semi-final with US teenager Learner Tien.

Tien’s quarter-final opponent, Lorenzo Musetti, also retired with injury.

World No. 1 Alcaraz suffered an ankle injury in his opening match of the Japan Open that required heavy strapping and put his participation in doubt.

He shrugged off the problem to beat Taylor Fritz in the final for his eighth title of a spectacular season.

Asked about comments from Swiatek and Gauff on the packed calendar, Alcaraz said: “The schedule is really tight. They have to do something with the schedule.”

Soon after, the 22-year-old Spaniard pulled out of the prestigious event in Shanghai, which got under way this week, “to rest and recover”.

He did not say when he will return to action.

One of the complaints among elite players has been that some tournaments, like Shanghai, have been extended to become more akin to a Grand Slam fortnight.

Women’s world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka is not playing at the China Open, citing a “small injury” suffered on the way to winning her fourth Grand Slam title in New York in September.

Poland’s Swiatek had warned this week that

she might skip mandatory tournaments to protect her health

. “There are a lot of injuries,” she said of the pullouts at the Beijing event, where she lost in the last 16.

“I think it is because the season is too long and too intense.”

Starting in 2024, the Women’s Tennis Association made it mandatory for top players to participate in each Grand Slam, 10 WTA 1000 events – which includes Beijing – and six 500-level tournaments.

There are similar rules in men’s tennis.

The WTA insisted that “athlete welfare is always a top priority” in a statement to AFP.

“The new structure provides more predictability as to which events our top 30 players compete in and more playing opportunities for aspiring players, while underpinning the commitment to a US$400 million (S$514.9 million) increase in player compensation over the next 10 years,” the statement said.

The 21-year-old Gauff, meanwhile, said it was “impossible” to play more than she already does.

“I would like to see in my lifetime on tour that a solution be made to make the season shorter,” the world No. 3 added.

The American was in action on Oct 2, when she put down a spirited challenge from 66th-ranked Eva Lys of Germany to earn a 6-3, 6-4 victory and reach the China Open semi-finals for a second successive year.

Gauff, who is bidding to become the first woman to win back-to-back titles at the WTA 1000 event, had battled through three-setters in the previous two rounds and had to overcome stiff resistance from Lys.

“I’m happy with how I played today. She’s a tough opponent, she hit a couple of great shots on the run,” Gauff said.

“I think I need to stay confident in my game and not be too passive when I have the lead.

“I played one passive point in this match, but otherwise I played well.”

Gauff will face fellow American Amanda Anisimova, runner-up in the last two Grand Slams, in the semi-finals after the world No. 4 clinched a 6-7 (4-7), 6-3, 6-4 win over eighth-ranked Jasmine Paolini of Italy, herself a two-time Major finalist in 2024. AFP