The grueling schedule for both men’s and women’s tennis that has drawn significant criticism over the past year has forced yet another player to take an extended break from the sport. WTA pro Kaja Juvan is taking time off to preserve her ailing body, which she revealed “just collapsed” before Wimbledon in June.

The 25-year-old Slovenian recently spoke in an interview about how stomach issues since March have hampered her training and Tour results and restricted her to a limited schedule.

“I’ve tried to rest and then come back to competition a few times this year, but the pain, nausea, and fatigue made it difficult for me to perform or even function normally,” said Juvan in an interview with the womentennisblogs.com.

In May, the current World No. 172 made a post on social media after the French Open, sharing her struggles and determination to grit it out for the grass-court season. However, Juvan could manage only one match on the grass, losing 6-3, 6-4 to Antonia Ruzic in the qualifying for the Lexus Nottingham Open. She’s been out of action since then, which is already over two months. She has played only 14 matches this year, including at the Challenger and ITF levels, with her physical condition hampering her ambitions.

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It is important to note that Juvan had sat out almost the entirety of 2024 after being diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder. When she returned to the court in 2025, she played on the ITF, Challenger, and the WTA Tour, a campaign which saw her play 72 matches in a season. She had reasonable success as well, winning two WTA 125 titles and one ITF title, earning her best Tour-level result at Hamburg, where she reached the semifinal.

Juvan’s best surface is clay, with her only Tour-level final on that surface in Strasbourg back in 2022. However, playing on clay demands significant physicality. The ball goes slower on clay, requiring harder shots, and longer rallies ensue, lengthening the overall game. The Slovenian played 32 clay-court matches across all levels last year, something which undoubtedly took a toll on her body.

As far as players taking breaks from the sport goes, Juvan is by no means alone, as she is the fourth player in recent times to announce an unexpected break.

How the Tennis Schedule Forced Players like Kaja Juvan to a “Breaking Point”

It’s not only Kaja Juvan, but players like Laura Siegemund and Lulu Sun who have decided to prioritize their health over ranking points by taking extended breaks from the sport. While Siegemund is taking a short break and is slated to return to the Tour after the US Open, Sun has not specified a definite date for her comeback, having last played at Wimbledon.

Beatriz Haddad Maia was another player who had a similar decision to make. Earlier this month, the former Top-10 player cited the physical and mental toll such a busy schedule can have on a player. The 30-year-old will miss the rest of the 2026 season. She was far from her best in 2026, winning only four of the twenty-three matches she played across the WTA and the Challenger Tours.

However, even top WTA players like Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka have cited concerns about the schedule, skipping WTA 1000 events this year. Even if we go back to October 2025, Daria Kasatkina shared a vulnerable message about the schedule in her announcement about taking a break.

“The schedule is too much. Mentally and emotionally, I’m at breaking point and, sadly, I’m not alone,” she wrote, per BBC.

Like the women, the men have been suffering equally from the hectic schedule, as top players like Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are out of action due to injuries they do not want to risk by playing every week. Alex de Minaur has also complained about burnout in the recent past.

On August 10, the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) issued a formal statement on social media, asking for a reduction in the schedule after many withdrawals from the Canadian Open due to injuries stemming from excessive workload. This stance could act as a catalyst for senior management to acknowledge players’ concerns and avoid cases like that of Kaja Juvan and her peers, who have taken indefinite breaks against their hopes and dreams.