Former British No. 1 Tim Henman has publicly urged the ATP to rethink its schedule, arguing that the current 12‑day format for Masters 1000 events forces players into an unsustainable amount of tennis. Henman, who captured the Paris Masters title in 2003, believes the elongated tournaments contribute to the spate of injuries that have plagued the tour in recent years. The issue of an overloaded calendar has become increasingly visible as top‑ranked players grapple with extended periods away from competition due to physical setbacks.
World No. 1 Jannik Sinner, for instance, announced that he will miss his planned return at the China Open because a knee injury has kept him out since Wimbledon.
Similarly, Spain’s rising star Carlos Alcaraz missed both the French Open and Wimbledon because of a lingering wrist problem, while Britain’s Emma Raducanu and Jack Draper have also endured lengthy absences during the 2026 season. Eight of the nine Masters 1000 stops are mandatory for the elite, and they sit alongside four ATP 500 events that most top players feel compelled to enter. Over the past few years, many of these Masters tournaments have expanded to a 12‑day stretch, a change that has drawn criticism from players who feel the additional days translate into more travel, less recovery time, and a higher risk of injury.
Henman summed up the sentiment succinctly: “It’s been well documented that the 12‑day Masters 1000s are just too much tennis. That’s too much time on the road, and unfortunately we’re seeing it reflected in the number of players who get injured.” Henman suggested a practical solution: trim the Masters events down to eight or nine days. He believes such a reduction would free up the calendar, allowing athletes more time to rest and train between tournaments. In addition to schedule changes, Henman floated a more radical rule tweak—abolishing the let serve.
“Every other shot can hit the top of the net, go over and in, so I would get rid of it and play it as it comes,” he said, indicating that a simpler rule set could also ease the physical demands on players. Alcaraz’s own experience underscores the need for a more balanced schedule. After a wrist injury forced him out after the Barcelona Open in April, the Spaniard made his return at the US Open, reaching the quarter‑finals.
Speaking in New York, he admitted his break had been longer than he expected and pledged to take longer rests in the future. “Given the packed schedule, I obviously didn’t want to stop because of an injury. However, in the future I will take breaks—maybe not four months, but one or two months, skipping certain tournaments—because it’s impossible to play them all,” he explained.
During the Laver Cup, which saw Team Europe emerge victorious, Alcaraz reflected on how the sport has evolved. He noted changes in ball composition, court speed, and the increasingly aggressive style of play, all of which demand more intensive physical preparation. “We need weeks to practice and to do the physical training.
There are more important tournaments making us play more and more, so I really want to take breaks,” he said, urging the ATP and its chairman Andrea Gaudenzi to consider reforms that would protect player welfare. Other players have echoed these concerns. Italian youngster Flavio Cobolli questioned the sheer volume of matches and days spent away from home.
“If you look at the number of tournaments and the number of matches we play during the year, it’s not that high. We’re used to playing that much. The only thing we’re not used to is staying at a tournament for so many days,” he observed, noting that despite being on tour for almost six weeks, he would have contested fewer than ten matches.
Veteran doubles specialist Jamie Murray also voiced support for calendar adjustments. Speaking to Sky Sports Tennis, Murray said, “I can totally understand it from the players’ perspective. The tour is longer than it’s ever been in terms of commitment and days away from home. These younger guys have seen how Roger and Rafael have elongated their careers—how they finished their careers as well.
If they want to play until they’re 34, 35, 36, they will probably have to skip tournaments and that’s something the tour needs to consider.” He added that the tour must accommodate the needs of over a hundred players who all wish to compete at the highest level. The cumulative effect of these testimonies paints a clear picture: the modern tennis calendar, with its extended Masters 1000 events and packed schedule, is straining player health and longevity. Henman’s call for a reduction to eight or nine days per Masters tournament, coupled with potential rule tweaks like eliminating the let serve, represents a concrete proposal aimed at easing the physical burden. Meanwhile, voices from the current generation—Alcaraz, Cobolli, Murray—reinforce the argument that more rest periods and a more flexible schedule are essential for sustaining elite performance and extending careers.
If the ATP were to act on these suggestions, the sport could see a healthier, more competitive field, with fewer injury‑related withdrawals and longer, more consistent participation from its stars. Until such reforms are implemented, players will continue to navigate a demanding itinerary that tests the limits of endurance, recovery, and personal sacrifice.