At just 22, Carlos Alcaraz, the world No. 2 and five-time Grand Slam champion, has emerged as a leading voice in men’s tennis, not only for his electrifying play but also for his bold push to reshape the ATP Tour’s demanding schedule. After a whirlwind 2025 season that saw him clinch titles in Rotterdam, Monte-Carlo, Rome, the French Open, and Queen’s Club, Alcaraz has taken a stand against the relentless pace of professional tennis, urging the ATP to reduce the number of tournaments to prioritize player recovery. “It was a really difficult situation, really difficult to decide, not [being] able to play,” he said, reflecting on his recent withdrawal from the Canadian Open due to minor muscle issues and exhaustion. “Tennis is really a demanding sport. Playing week after week, so many matches in a row and you have to heal your body sometimes and take difficult decisions.”
Alcaraz’s 2025 campaign has been a masterclass in dominance, with a 48-6 record and a 22-match win streak that included back-to-back French Open titles and a Queen’s Club crown. Yet, his pursuit of a historic Wimbledon three-peat was halted by rival Jannik Sinner in a gripping four-set final, underscoring the physical and mental toll of the season. “If someone says that he is fresh, he is lying,” Alcaraz admitted after his ATP Finals loss to Casper Ruud in 2024, a sentiment that resonates even more now after a grueling summer that included an Olympic silver medal match against Novak Djokovic. His decision to skip the Canadian Open, alongside top players like Sinner, Djokovic, and Jack Draper, has sparked a broader conversation about the ATP’s packed calendar, which fans and players alike have criticized as unsustainable. One fan on social media vented, “The ATP programming is getting worse. Tennis players travel all year, a sensible rest would be appropriate,” echoing the growing discontent.
The root of the issue lies in the ATP’s expanded schedule, which has compressed recovery periods. The Canadian Open, a Masters 1000 event, now starts just two weeks after Wimbledon, a shift from a decade ago when players had more breathing room. Alcaraz, who reached the quarterfinals in Toronto in 2023, highlighted the challenge of transitioning surfaces: “A different surface, coming from hard court to clay court and playing so many matches in a row and having no time to rest, is not easy.” His withdrawal from Toronto, announced on July 21, 2025, was a strategic move to preserve his body for the Cincinnati Open and the US Open, where he aims to reclaim the title he won in 2022 as the youngest men’s champion since Pete Sampras in 1990. “My plan is to do everything it takes to be 100 per cent for Rome. If not, the next tournament is Roland Garros for me,” he noted earlier this year, showcasing his pragmatic approach to managing his health.
Alcaraz’s advocacy is backed by his team, including coaches Juan Carlos Ferrero and Samuel Lopez, who have guided him to a career-high ranking of No. 1 and 21 ATP titles. Former world No. 2 Alex Corretja has also endorsed Alcaraz’s call for change, suggesting he skip events like Toronto to conserve energy for the season’s final stretch. “He deserves so much credit for what he’s doing tournament after tournament, bringing the level,” Lopez said, emphasizing the need for mental and physical freshness. Alcaraz’s stellar grass-court record—30 wins in 33 matches, faster than any former No. 1 in the Open Era—underscores his ability to adapt, yet even he struggles with the tour’s relentless pace. His 32.56% first-serve return points won on grass, the best among active players, highlights his versatility, but injuries like the oblique tear that forced him out of the 2022 ATP Finals and 2023 Australian Open remind him of his limits.
The ATP’s expansion, including extended Masters 1000 events like the 12-day Canadian Open, has drawn ire from fans and players. “Absolutely nonsense. ATP wake up!!!” one fan posted online, reflecting the sentiment that top stars’ withdrawals diminish the sport’s appeal. Alcaraz, who has spent 36 weeks as world No. 1 and 170 consecutive weeks in the top 10, is pushing for a calendar that balances competition with recovery, a change he acknowledges is “very difficult” to implement. As he prepares for Cincinnati, where he was runner-up in 2023, and the US Open, where he’ll team with Emma Raducanu in mixed doubles, Alcaraz’s fight for reform could redefine tennis’s future, ensuring its brightest stars shine without burning out.
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