Jack Draper's longer off-season call meets pushback from former world No. 1
NewsThursday, 13 November 2025 at 17:20
Jack Draper is among a few players who want to see the schedule reformed, but Jim Courier thinks some of the complaints are not factually based.
Top ATP and WTA players have criticized the length of the season. Iga Swiatek's primary complaint is the number of mandatory tournaments: the four Grand Slams, 10 1000s, and six 500-level events are required for top women's players to avoid sanctions.
Unsurprisingly, most WTA players do not reach that number, which leads to punishments. Swiatek, Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, and Madison Keys are among the players who have had ranking points removed for failing to meet the controversial quota.
Calls for change grew louder after Holger Rune's horrific injury at the 2025 Stockholm Open. He sustained a severe Achilles problem that could keep him out for more than 12 months and alter his entire career.
Draper, who ended his season early during the 2025 US Open because of an arm injury, and Taylor Fritz were among those who said alterations are needed after that incident. A more extended off-season is one of the measures Draper wants implemented.
On the Tennis Channel, Courier responded directly to Draper's words about wanting six weeks away from tournament action during the off-season. The four-time Grand Slam champion said players already have that minimum, and most get more.
"I heard Jack Draper say an ideal off-season for him would be six weeks off. Well, guess what? The least amount of time off are the players who will play the Davis Cup finals next week, they’ll get six weeks off before the next tournament. The first tournament of the 2026 season begins."
"So, if you’re a WTA top ten player, you didn’t make the WTA Finals. You can get 10 weeks off since the last mandatory event, which was the WTA event in Tokyo, the 500. For the men, the last mandatory, the 1000 in Paris. That’s nine weeks off."
Courier initially said the current off-season may not be long enough, then corrected himself, stating he thinks players do not get enough time away from the ATP and WTA Tours.
"The WTA finalists, they finished last week. They get two months off. These guys who are playing and are not going to the Davis Cup final, like Jannik Sinner, get seven weeks off. So there is a lot more off-season than maybe some of the public understand. I’m not saying that that’s necessarily enough. I personally think that it is."
Rather than significantly changing how much time off is awarded during the off-season, Courier thinks a better solution is to have more breaks throughout the year so players can refresh and avoid burning out towards the end.
"I think that there’s more of a problem as taking breaks during the season, not just in the off-season to give yourself a chance to refresh, but I think it’s really important that we set the table for what the facts actually are, because facts are very loosely used in this discussion."
Popular News
Just In
Loading