Former British No. 1 Tim Henman has publicly urged a restructuring of the professional tennis calendar, arguing that the current 12‑day format of the Masters 1000 tournaments imposes an excessive workload on players. In his view, the extended duration of these events contributes to a surge in injuries and forces athletes to spend too much time traveling, ultimately compromising their health and longevity in the sport. The conversation about calendar strain has intensified after several high‑profile players have been forced to withdraw from major competitions due to lingering injuries.
World No. 1 Jannik Sinner, for example, announced that he will be unable to make a comeback at the upcoming China Open as originally planned, having missed the entire stretch since Wimbledon.
Similarly, Spanish prodigy Carlos Alcaraz missed both the French Open and Wimbledon because of a wrist problem, while British talents Emma Raducanu and Jack Draper have also endured lengthy absences throughout the 2026 season. Henman, who reached a career‑high ranking of world No.
4 and captured the Paris Masters title in 2003, highlighted that eight of the nine Masters 1000 tournaments are mandatory for top‑ranked players, alongside a minimum of four ATP 500 events. The recent trend of expanding most Masters 1000 stops to a full 12 days has become a point of contention among the tour’s elite. "The evidence is clear: a 12‑day Masters 1000 is simply too much tennis," Henman said.
"It means more days on the road, more strain on the body, and we’re seeing a corresponding rise in injuries. I would cut the duration down to eight or nine days, which would give the calendar some breathing room." Beyond the scheduling issue, Henman also floated a rule change: the elimination of the let serve. "Every other shot that hits the top of the net and lands in the court is already allowed, so why keep the let rule?
We could just play the point as it unfolds," he suggested, indicating that such a tweak could speed up play and reduce unnecessary interruptions. Alcaraz’s recent experience underscores the pressures players face.
After a wrist injury sidelined him for months, the Spaniard returned to the US Open and reached the quarter‑finals – his first tournament since the Barcelona Open in April. Speaking in New York, he admitted, "My break ended up being longer than I expected. With such a packed schedule, I didn’t want to quit because of an injury, but moving forward I’ll need longer breaks – maybe a month or two, skipping certain events – because it’s impossible to contest every tournament." At the Laver Cup, which saw Team Europe emerge victorious, Alcaraz expanded on the evolving nature of the sport.
He noted that changes in ball composition, court speed, and the overall aggressiveness of play demand more preparation time. "We need weeks to train physically and to adapt to the new conditions. The calendar is crammed with important events, pushing us to play more and more.
I really want to take breaks. If the ATP and Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi want us to stay healthy, they must act," he urged. Other players have echoed similar concerns. Italian youngster Flavio Cobolli reflected on the toll of the modern schedule, saying, "If you look at the number of tournaments and matches we play in a year, it’s not astronomically high, but we’re not used to staying at a single event for so many days.
The format has changed, and we’re still adapting. I’ve been away from home for nearly six weeks, and even if I’d stayed the whole time, I would have played fewer than ten matches." Veteran doubles specialist Jamie Murray, speaking to Sky Sports Tennis, expressed empathy for his peers: "I completely understand the players’ perspective. The tour now demands a longer commitment and more days away from home than ever before. Younger players see how Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal extended their careers, but they also see the toll it took.
If they aim to compete into their mid‑30s, they’ll need to skip events, and the tour must accommodate that reality. The tour serves over a hundred players, all wanting to compete, so it has to find a balance." The consensus among these voices is clear: the current structure, with its mandatory long‑duration Masters 1000 events and a densely packed schedule, is unsustainable for many athletes.
Reducing the length of Masters tournaments to eight or nine days could free up the calendar, allowing players more recovery time and reducing travel fatigue. Additionally, revisiting rules such as the let serve might streamline matches and lessen unnecessary delays. The broader implication of these discussions is a potential shift in how the ATP and tournament organizers design the season. By prioritizing player welfare—through shorter event windows, strategic rest periods, and perhaps rule adjustments—the sport could see fewer injuries, longer careers, and a higher overall level of competition.
Fans, too, stand to benefit from a healthier field of competitors who can consistently deliver high‑quality tennis without the constant specter of withdrawal due to over‑exertion. In conclusion, Tim Henman’s call for calendar reform, supported by the experiences of Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Flavio Cobolli, Jamie Murray, and others, highlights a growing need for the tennis world to rethink its scheduling philosophy. Whether the ATP will act on these suggestions remains to be seen, but the pressure from current and former players suggests that change may soon become inevitable.