Carlos Alcaraz has emerged as one of the biggest critics of the tennis calendar, calling it too hard on the players and warning against expanding it.
The tennis calendar being too much, too long, or any other variation of that similar sentiment has been one of the most frequent complaints in recent years. Even with their concerns, the calendar keeps expanding because any time money is involved, corporations—which tennis functions as—won't go down, but up.
It's something that's been a concern for many players across the sport, as both men and women on the Tours have talked about it. Iga Swiatek is a very frequent and prominent critic of the calendar and has been for many years.
Alcaraz has been open about his concerns with the calendar, and it's just a situation that will have to be addressed. According to some indications, it doesn't seem like it will go well for the players because the calendar is set to expand even further, with all ATP Masters 1000 events set to be two-week events.
That doesn't make Alcaraz happy, but he admitted when asked about it at the 2024 Laver Cup that some players might disagree. Some players like the expanded calendar because it gives them more chances to do well.
"Well, honestly, there are a lot of really good players on tour, and obviously each player has their own feeling. So a lot of players wants to play more or even more. Many players feel like, okay, it is a good calendar. And a lot of players says that it's really tight and a lot of tournaments during the whole year."
However, he's one of those who is focused on playing for as long as possible, so longevity is what he's looking for the most, and a smaller calendar would be beneficial for that.
"I'm the kind of player who think there is a lot of tournaments during the year, mandatory tournaments, and probably during the next few years gonna be even more tournaments, more mandatory tournaments. So, I mean, probably they are going to kill us in some way (smiling)."
"Right now they are showing up a lot of injuries because of the ball, because of the calendar, because a lot of things."
It's a valid debate because too many events and too long of a calendar is a concern, but ultimately, the players are not in control of what will happen. The organizations in tennis, and as some have pointed out in the past, don't always serve the interests of the players well all the time.
That's one of the reasons why Novak Djokovic formed the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) as an alternative. For now, Alcaraz fights his own fight, openly criticizing the calendar.
"So probably at some point a lot of good players are going to miss a lot of tournaments because of that, because they have to think about their bodies, they have to take care about their love."
"I mean, they have family, they have a lot of other stuff in life than tennis. So they have to take care about it, as well. So it's getting too much, I guess."