If Carlos Alcaraz makes it all the way to the end of the ATP Finals, he will have two days before the next event kicks off. Suiting up for Spain, the world No.1 will be right back on court for the Davis Cup Final 8 on November 18th. Then, even before he knows it, the Australian Open will be knocking on the door.

To no surprise, the Spaniard has been vocal about tennis’s unforgiving grind. “They have to do something,” he has expressed, as have others– Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, and Novak Djokovic. But what these stars have come to consider intense, doesn’t reflect the same for Félix Auger-Aliassime. 

“I don’t know how guys don’t enjoy it, to be honest. I think they lost perspective completely,” he stated during the press conference in Turin. “I get that you can get tired. I’m tired, too. I do trips around and I go see different circumstances around the world. I mean, we’re just lucky and blessed. In my humble opinion, every day I wake up and I enjoy. I enjoy that I’m here.

“Even if I lose matches, it’s okay, I’m pissed for a day. I don’t know. If you want to play less tournaments, stay home. Nobody’s forcing you to be here.” 

Auger-Aliassime has won 40 hard-court ATP-level matches in 2025, the second-most of any player on the ATP Tour. Since August, he has reached or made past the quarter finals six times. Turin semi-finals would be his seventh, and the stretch hasn’t been easy.

Through the Shanghai Masters, ATP 250 in Brussels, Vienna Open quarter-finals, Paris Masters in October, he has had 4 days or less to move to the next. But clearly, the 25-year-old doesn’t mind the grind. The same, however, cannot be said for the rest.

After missing the WTA 1000 Canadian Open in Montreal to arrive at the Cincinnati Open, Sabalenka hadn’t held back on the scrutiny. “It’s crazy what they are trying to make us do,” she had said. “It’s impossible to handle this intensity.” Her frustration also stemmed from the fact that the WTA mandates its top players to attend ten 1000s events — three of those being a week-long — and six 500-level tournaments. 

Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner were also forced to skip the event in Toronto to prepare for Wimbledon, which was scheduled just two weeks later. The Italian will also be missing the Final 8 this month — a cup he has won twice — to prepare for the Australian Open.

These decisions or comments, however, don’t come in slight. During the China Open, five players had to retire early due to injury. Alcaraz himself pulled out, stating ‘physical issues’ while Daniil Medvedev hobbled out during the semi-final. Thankfully, these calls haven’t gone unheard.

As of next year, there will be a three-week gap between the end of Wimbledon and the start of the Canadian Open, before more reforms are brought in. So maybe there’s joy, but one can’t deny the physical strain.

Mark Petchey dismisses players’ complaints about tour scheduling

During a recent appearance on Tennis Channel, former British ATP pro Mark Petchey, well known for working with Andy Murray and Emma Raducanu, did not hold back. He stated, “What I disagree with massively is that they have a seat at the table in terms of these discussions, and they publicly go out and firebomb their own tour, which I think is completely unacceptable, I think from a commercial point of view.”

Petchey then sharpened his point, highlighting a contradiction he sees in the complaints. Despite the constant grumbling about the schedule, he noted silence around the introduction of a new Masters 1000 event in Saudi Arabia, set for 2028. “And we haven’t heard anything about putting on a new Masters 1000. No one’s grumbled about that because there’s a huge amount of dollars going into that tournament,” he added.

On a contrasting front, Toni Nadal, uncle and longtime coach of Rafael Nadal, recently pushed back against Carlos Alcaraz’s criticism of the tour structure. He insisted, “It’s not a question of calendar. Now, many will disagree, but the real problem is that the ball always goes too fast.”

He reinforced his stance with a broader reflection on the modern game: “It is not a question of quantity, but of intensity and violence of the gesture.”

As these scheduling debates intensify, the ATP season edges toward its finale, with the ATP Finals wrapping up on Sunday. And when the new season dawns, the voices, on both sides, are certain to rise even stronger.