Tennis and injuries – a package deal?

If there’s one topic in the world of tennis making headlines right now — besides Jannik Sinner winning titles left and right and Valentin Vacherot storming his way up the rankings — it’s injuries. With Leandro undergoing his third surgery in just twelve months, a record number of retirements at the Swiss Indoors, and Holger Rune’s horrific Achilles injury, I feel it’s the perfect time to take a closer look, to go behind the scenes, and to question some of the established ways of doing things.

A quick look back at what I perceived as a dark month of tennis: Leandro had to undergo yet another surgery and end his season early. The same goes for Dominic Stricker and Jérôme Kym — though without surgeries, the Swiss young guns still missed out on the Swiss Indoors tournament due to their individual injuries. At this event alone, there were 5 retirements. In the same week, Vienna saw 1, and the week before there were 6 more (two in Brussels and four in Stockholm), including Rune’s horrific torn Achilles injury. 12 retirements in just two weeks — not even counting the 3 Swiss players — this is not normal.

I know that every injury is different and often comes down to individual circumstances — at least to some extent. But only to some extent. Why? Because I believe there’s a broader, underlying issue: the tour is becoming an overload. And just to be clear, I’m not trying to point fingers at anyone — not at the players, their staff, the tournament organizers or those responsible for the tour itself.

I see the 11- to 12-month tournament calendar, combined with the increasing physical demands and evolution of the game, as deeply concerning for both the body and mind of every tennis player. I see the main issue in playing one tournament after another. What comes with the already heavy tournament load, is the traveling. The combination of both makes it even tougher. Why? Because travel days and adjustment days are supposed to serve as both rest and preparation days. Proper recovery and quality training while moving from one place to another? Difficult.

Now, you might say that players choose this schedule. Well… yes and no. Let me give you an example from the women’s tour, so I’m not only talking about the men’s side. On the WTA Tour, players are obligated to play all four Grand Slams and all 10 WTA 1000 events. In addition, whenever they are entered in a WTA 500 event, they must compete in at least six of those per year. That adds up to roughly twenty mandatory tournaments around the world. If they refuse to participate, they get sanctioned. Some of these events last up to ten to fourteen days, so let’s say about twenty-five weeks of mandatory competition, excluding the preparation days before each event. Not many weeks left to choose your own tournaments (locations), take breaks, or plan proper training blocks, right? Also, don’t underestimate how difficult it is choosing not to play a tournament when your competitors are playing. Especially when you’re feeling healthy.

What leaves me wondering: Why are there players on the men’s tour who complain about the packed tournament schedule but still choose to play exhibition events between mandatory tournaments. However, I’m open to understanding the motivation behind those decisions.

Beyond the extremely heavy competition load of a season that strechtes from January to late November, I keep asking myself whether the athletic side of tennis is lagging behind the demands of today’s modern game. Again, this isn’t to criticize coaches, athletes, or physios. But as the game has become more physical in recent years — with faster pace, slower courts, and even sliding on hard courts becoming almost normal — I wonder whether physical training has truly adapted to this evolution. I don’t think athletes can train in the gym the same way they used to. 

If the calendar and conditions don’t change soon, athletic preparation should focus mainly on injury prevention rather than pushing performance parameters. From what I see when I look around, I’m not sure that’s always happening yet. Of course, finding the right training volume and method for each individual — one that matches the fast evolution of the sport — is anything but easy.

Since the latter part of this entry is me reflecting and questioning possible reasons for injuries, I want to emphasize that I see the system as the main obstacle to a healthy and sustainable career. About a year ago, I’ve already written about this topic — specifically exploring how the tour could be adjusted to prevent both mental and physical fatigue. I highlighted current issues and was able to use João Fonseca’s schedule as an example.

For anyone interested in this ongoing challenge within tennis, and curious about my idea of introducing an official «Off Season» — JUST LIKE IN ANY OTHER GLOBAL SPORT — I recommend reading that earlier entry. By clicking on “No Breaktime”, you’ll be taken directly to it. The second part of that piece («In tennis, there is no…») gives a deeper look into my thoughts on the subject.

If you liked what I’ve written here — or even if you disagree — feel free to leave feedback in the comments, get in touch directly, or share this post on your social media. I’d love to interact more with readers and help this blog reach a wider audience (if you support it, obviously — which I assume, since you’re still reading).

This is simply the way I see it — it doesn’t need to be right or wrong. But I hope it encourages players, fans, coaches, and anyone who cares about the sport to think about and engage with this obvious and concerning issue. And let me be clear: injuries in sports are one thing, but the effect they have on mental health is another. Tennis - like any other sport - thrives when players are healthy, happy, and competitive.

I look forward to your feedback and your support in sharing this blog.