Injuries have become a dominant feature on both the women’s and men’s tennis tours in recent years and two factors are often cited as the primary reason.
World No 2 Carlos Alcaraz has been forced to pull out of this week’s tournament in Barcelona with a wrist problem after he opted to play back-to-back tournaments in Monte Carlo and Barcelona, while British No 1’s Jack Draper and Emma Raducanu have struggled to spend lengthy spells on court in the last year without suffering from physical issues.
Former top 10 player Holger Rune is on the comeback trail after he sustained a serious injury at the back end of 2025, with the growing list of players who are sidelined creating a big debate over the sustainability of tennis.
The chase for ranking points and prize money compels players who are not at the very top of the game to play when they are not fully fit, with the ongoing debate over the hectic tournament schedule a gripe most players struggle to contend with.
No player is compelled to play in any event, but there is a drive to chase the next ranking goal or fund your career and that means tournaments are happening all over the world and former British No 1 Tim Henmansuggests that mindset needs to change.
Emma Raducanu’s reluctance to embrace change may not be replicated by Iga Swiatek
Andy Roddick explains why Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are doing what Pete Sampras could not
“You know, there’s so much tennis going on in different parts of the world and too much of it is irrelevant,” Henman told Tennis365 at a Sky Sports event in London.
It gives the players an opportunity to rest and it gives fans the chance to build the excitement about the next event on the calendar.
“I think we have great assets in tennis, led by the four Grand Slams. The Masters 1000 events are good concepts to get the best players but I think they should be eight or nine days, not 12. Then you can build that product.”
Many players agree with Henman on this point, but the counter-argument comes when star names like Alcaraz use their weeks off to play lucrative exhibition events that boost their bank balances.