'Evidence is clear': PTPA 'saddened' by player withdrawals, points blame towards schedule

Carlos Alcaraz in the stands to watch his brother, Jaime. (Getty/Europa Press)

The Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) have launched a scathing reality check following the concerning number of player withdrawals, linking injuries to a demanding schedule.

The men's field has been more open in recent months since Carlos Alcaraz's absence dating back to April (wrist injury), and just recently, world No.1 Jannik Sinner withdrew from the Cincinnati Masters due to a knee injury.

Novak Djokovic also pulled out of Canada, while local hope and world No.4 Felix Auger-Aliassime withdrew at the last minute.

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Karolína Muchová, Jasmine Paolini, Emma Raducanu and last year's champion Victoria Mboko withdrew from the women's draw in Toronto for the WTA 1000 edition.

"We are saddened to see so many withdrawals from the [Canada Open]. Unfortunately, we are not surprised," the PTPA's social media caption read.

"Three years ago, the PTPA, in collaboration with its Medical Director Dr. Robby Sikka, launched a comprehensive project to collect and analyse injury data across professional tennis. Today, that work includes the collection and analysis of injury data from more than 30,000 professional matches spanning the past eight years across all levels of the sport. The evidence is clear: the season is too long, recovery time is shrinking, and injuries are occurring earlier and becoming more severe.

"Players have been raising these concerns for years. Yet instead of creating more opportunities for recovery, the ATP has expanded more mandatory tournaments to a 12-day format.

"Short-term commercial interests cannot come at the expense of player health. Protecting players isn’t just about today's competitors; it is about protecting the future of tennis."

The PTPA, which was co-founded by Djokovic before he departed in January, has urged the ATP to consider scrapping the revamped 12-day Masters format to allow extra weeks for players to rest throughout the calendar year.

On one of the social media slides, the PTPA added: "Expanding the duration of tournaments directly undermines recovery time."

Last year was the first season with seven of the nine ATP Masters 1000 tournaments expanded to a 12-day format under the governing body's one vision strategic plan.

According to a PTPA injury analysis report, arm injuries increased by 112 per cent in Q1 2026 compared with the average for Q1 over the past seven years, while using the 12-month rolling average over the past seven years, match-ending injuries saw an up-tick of 53 per cent, and re-injuries increased by 55 per cent.

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