Is tennis' gruelling calendar a problem for every player?
Aussie Chris O'Connell is currently managing an injury, giving him a personal reminder of the physical demands of professional tennis. Yet the 32-year-old is reluctant to join the growing chorus of players criticising the tour's schedule.
"I'm someone that doesn't really get too involved or, I guess, speak my mind on some of these sorts of topics because at the end of the day, I love playing tennis," O'Connell told The First Serve.
That perspective offers a counterpoint to concerns that the tennis calendar has become too demanding, particularly since the expansion of seven ATP Masters 1000 tournaments to a 12-day format.
The Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) added fuel to the debate in August, reporting that its analysis of more than 30,000 professional matches found upper-body injuries had increased by 42 per cent in the first quarter of 2026 compared with the same period in 2025. Arm injuries, meanwhile, were up 112 per cent against the 2025 average.
The figures are concerning, although they do not establish that the calendar alone is responsible. The PTPA has argued that shrinking recovery windows are contributing to the problem, while the physical evolution of the sport may also be playing a role.
Listen to The First Serve Live every Monday at 8pm AEST in its 18th year on the SEN Network/App, Australia's only dedicated weekly tennis program on commercial radio running through till the end of November.
For O'Connell, the issue is more nuanced.
"I don't see the biggest problem in the extended schedule," he said, adding that he can still play more than 30 tournaments in a healthy year. After the Australian summer, players often head overseas and compete until November, with little opportunity to return home.
"But, I mean, that's just tennis. And when there's a lot of playing opportunity for me, then I'm happy."
The difference between competing and recovering
O'Connell can understand why players who regularly reach the latter stages of major tournaments might feel differently.
At the Cincinnati Open, where he reached the fourth round, he found the extended tournament format presented an unexpected challenge: working out what to do on days between matches.
Speaking with his trainer, he struggled to find the right balance between maintaining fitness and preserving energy.
"You don't want to work too hard in the gym. You don't want to spend too much time on court," he explained.
Those quieter days might look like recovery time from the outside. But O'Connell suggests that extended periods of match play can leave players with fewer opportunities to build strength and work on their games in the way they would during a training block.
"Over the course of the week, you're slowly losing a little bit of that strength that you've built up in your training blocks and your own court time, purely because it's just matches," he said.
The Sydneysider believes this is where the demands can become more pronounced for players who make deep runs. The longer they remain at a tournament, the more important it becomes to manage their physical workload without sacrificing preparation.
Is the modern game more physical?
The calendar is only one possible piece of the puzzle.
O'Connell believes tennis is becoming more physical and points to the interaction between court conditions and the balls used at tournaments. Slower courts and balls that become fluffy can produce longer, more gruelling rallies, placing additional demands on players' arms.
"It's harder on the arm when the balls fluff up," he said.
He prefers balls that stay relatively smooth, or "bald", rather than those that become fluffy during play. To highlight the difference, the former world No.53 said he enjoyed the quicker conditions during the recent US hard-court swing, while describing Indian Wells and Miami as tougher environments because of their slower, heavier conditions.
O'Connell says the combination of these factors, alongside the 12-day Masters format and the demands of international travel, could contribute to the injury concerns being raised across the sport.
As an Australian, he also faces the additional burden of travelling between continents, adjusting to time zones and dealing with disrupted sleep.
"Changing time zones all the time, rough sleeps, are part of the challenge," he said.
The extended absences of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have added prominence to the debate, but the experiences of elite players cannot automatically be applied to everyone on tour. Players who routinely contest the final rounds face different workloads from those who exit tournaments earlier.
More money, more opportunities — and a new voice for players
There are also potential benefits to the sport's changing structure.
O'Connell notes that prize money in Grand Slam qualifying has increased in recent years, giving players a better opportunity to earn from tournaments even when they are not directly accepted into the main draw.
He also welcomed the larger qualifying draws at expanded Masters events, which allow players ranked lower to access tournaments they might previously have struggled to enter.
For players outside the elite, these changes can provide valuable opportunities to compete and improve their financial position. O'Connell believes a player who regularly reaches Grand Slam qualifying and gains entry to Masters qualifying events could potentially make a profit.
Tickets to the 2027 Kooyong Classic are officially on sale! 🎾 12–14 January 2027. Buy your tickets here 👉 bit.ly/4xEDn7p
Meanwhile, player representation is evolving. In August, the four Grand Slam tournaments announced a new Grand Slam Player Advisory Council intended to give players a formal forum to discuss sporting matters and player support.
ATP Player Advisory Council member Pedro Martínez has spoken publicly about the benefits of the expanded Masters format, saying it gives players "more opportunities to play and so there are more jobs".
Fellow council member Jaume Munar has also emphasised the importance of remembering the people behind the competition: "Fans see us competing our hardest in front of millions of fans around the world. But we are humans, too. We have a future after tennis."
Those perspectives underline the challenge facing tennis: balancing commercial growth and earning opportunities with the physical and personal wellbeing of its players.
O'Connell does not claim to have a definitive solution. He simply enjoys competing and wants to keep playing while his body allows him.
Perhaps that is the point. There may be no single answer to whether the tennis season is too long. For some players, the opportunity to compete more often is a positive; for others, the cumulative demands of travel, matches and limited recovery time may be taking a toll.
The question for tennis' governing bodies is whether the sport can preserve those opportunities while ensuring players have enough time to recover — before the cost of competing becomes too high.
Game4padel is where Melbourne plays Padel. Check them out at game4padel.com.au for club locations, corporate event opportunities and special offers.
Comments