Earlier this year, in June, Iga Świątek made headlines when she openly criticized the demanding tennis calendar. Her concerns echoed those of several top players across both the WTA and ATP tours, leading Novak Djokovic’s PTPA to call out major tournaments and governing bodies for failing to prioritize player welfare. Now, with the 2025 season officially wrapped and a new year approaching, the conversation is far from over.

Novak Djokovic’s Professional Tennis Players Association is once again rallying behind Świątek, reinforcing her stance as they push tennis authorities to reconsider tournament scheduling and protect athletes’ longevity.

In a recent post on X, the official account of PTPA reshared one of Iga Świątek’s earlier statements from a September interview with ESPN. At the time, Świątek criticized the WTA’s mandatory tournament structure, saying, “WTA, with all these mandatory rules, they made this pretty crazy for us. I don’t think any top player will actually be able to achieve this, playing the six 500 tournaments. It’s just impossible to squeeze it in the schedule. I think we have to be smart about it, not really, unfortunately, care about the rules and just think what’s healthy for us.”

Alongside her quote, the PTPA added a strong message of support: “This is about more than money — it’s about dignity, safety, and respect. Iga Świątek is calling out the impossible demands placed on players — from mandatory rules to overloaded schedules that ignore what’s actually healthy.”

The frustration has been real, and it began even before the 2025 season officially started. For example, in 2024, the professional tennis calendar technically ended on December 22, when Joao Fonseca defeated Learner Tien to win the ATP Next Gen Finals in Saudi Arabia. Yet only five days later, on December 27, the 2025 season began with the United Cup in Australia.

Both Fonseca and Tien were back in action on December 30, competing in events in Australia and Hong Kong. The quick turnaround sparked backlash among players. “I don’t know how the ’25 season starts in ’24,” said Jordan Thompson, the 2024 US Open doubles champion. “I mean, it’s a joke.”

Player fatigue is not a new topic, but the conversation has intensified. The length of the season, paired with constant international travel, has taken both a physical and mental toll. Earlier this year, Alex de Minaur attributed an early French Open exit to “feeling burned out.”

In addition, both the tours mandate that players compete in a minimum number of events each season. For ATP competitors, this includes all four Grand Slams, eight Master 1000 tournaments, and five ATP 500 events, one of which must take place after the US Open. Similarly, top WTA players are required to enter all four majors, along with ten WTA 1000 tournaments and six WTA 500 events.

Adding to the workload, seven of the WTA 1000 events have now expanded to 12-day formats, following recent extensions from their original one-week schedules.

Signs of strain were visible during the late-season Asian swing as well. At the China Open in late September, five of the 12 scheduled matches ended in mid-match retirements, an alarming statistic. Meanwhile, other WTA stars, including Daria Kasatkina, cut their seasons short due to injury and exhaustion.

Kasatkina was candid in her explanation, revealing the emotional and psychological pressure of the constant grind. “Truth is, I’ve hit a wall and can’t continue,” she wrote. “The schedule is too much — mentally and emotionally, I am at a breaking point, and sadly, I am not alone.”

And for reference, not just Iga Swiatek but several ATP players have also voiced their frustration over the grueling schedule as well.

Taylor Fritz openly expressed his frustration with the sport’s grueling schedule

Taylor Fritz enjoyed a breakthrough year in 2024. He reached the QFs at both the Australian Open and Wimbledon, and later advanced to his first GS final at the US Open. By the end of the season, he had claimed two ATP titles, appeared in four finals, including the ATP Finals, and earned an Olympic bronze medal in doubles alongside Tommy Paul. His success ultimately lifted him to a career-high world ranking of No. 4.

However, the achievements came with a cost. Instead of a well-deserved break, Fritz found his calendar extended even further due to his strong results. Qualifying for the year-end ATP Finals and competing in the Davis Cup meant additional weeks of competition when many other players had already stopped for the year.

“There’s no offseason — and if you’re a top player, you actually get even less of one,” Fritz told ESPN in the spring.

He explained that if a player finishes their season at the Paris Masters in early November, they can enjoy around six weeks before the next season begins. But for those who qualify for elite team events, that window shrinks dramatically.

“If you play the ATP Finals and Davis Cup, you’re adding three more weeks,” he said. “And if you play United Cup, like I do, because you’re a top player, the season starts even earlier.”

Fritz also clarified that time off is not truly time off. “People think that period is for rest, but it’s for training,” he added. “If I get three weeks, I take one week to reset — and that’s my only break of the year. One week. It’s absurd.”

Now, as players from both sides wrap up the 2025 season and are almost immediately expected to shift focus to 2026, one question dominates the sport: Will anything finally change in the new season?