In the high-stakes world of professional tennis, where endurance and resilience are as crucial as skill and strategy, a growing chorus of voices is calling for change. The sport’s grueling demands have pushed players to their limits, with extreme weather conditions and an unforgiving schedule taking a visible toll. Recently, this debate has intensified, spotlighting the experiences of top stars like Emma Raducanu, Carlos Alcaraz, and Matteo Berrettini, who has emerged as a vocal advocate for reforms to protect athletes’ well-being.
Emma Raducanu, the young British sensation who burst onto the scene with her stunning US Open victory in 2021, has faced a particularly challenging stretch. Her latest setbacks came during the Asian swing of the tour, where heat and humidity proved relentless adversaries. At the Ningbo Open, Raducanu suffered a surprising defeat to local wildcard Zhu Lin, falling 3-6, 6-4, 6-1. But the scoreline told only part of the story. During the match, she required medical intervention twice—first for a blood pressure check and later for treatment on her back. These episodes echoed a similar ordeal at the Wuhan Open just days earlier, where dizziness forced her to retire mid-match after an on-court medical timeout. The cumulative strain has led Raducanu to make the difficult decision to end her 2025 season prematurely. Originally slated to compete in Tokyo and Hong Kong as her final events, she will now step away from the court until 2026, focusing on recovery and preparation. Amid this, she has confirmed her ongoing partnership with coach Francisco Roig, signaling a commitment to rebuilding her form in the new year.
Raducanu’s struggles highlight a broader issue plaguing the tour: the absence of standardized protections against extreme heat. This gap has prompted Italian star Matteo Berrettini to issue a passionate call for action. Berrettini, known for his powerful serve and baseline prowess, has drawn from his own experiences to underscore the urgency. “During the Asian swing, I experienced conditions I’d never experienced before,” he shared. “Hangzhou was hotter than Shanghai, but the tournament was smaller, so no one noticed. The first few days were so hot we couldn’t believe it. Luckily, they had a roof and it rained a lot.” He emphasized the need for the ATP to follow the lead of Grand Slam events by implementing a heat rule. “When conditions are so extreme, the ATP needs to do what the Grand Slams did: introduce a heat rule or something similar,” Berrettini urged. “We don’t want players to get injured or have those difficulties. In the end, health comes first, but also the spectacle: if players don’t feel well, they withdraw. We don’t want that. Most people don’t even understand how different it can be to play even in the same tournament with only 5 degrees less or more.”
Berrettini’s plea resonates deeply in a sport where players often push through discomfort to maintain rankings and fulfill commitments. The physical toll is compounded by a calendar packed with tournaments, a point echoed by world number one Carlos Alcaraz. The Spanish prodigy, celebrated for his explosive athleticism and mental fortitude, has openly criticized the relentless pace of the season. After dealing with his own injury scares, Alcaraz revealed he would prioritize his health over mandatory events if necessary. “I think it’s a discussion that a lot of players and a lot of people are talking about with the calendar,” he explained. “How tight it is with a lot of tournaments and the tournaments of two weeks and then making some, I’m going to say, excuses with exhibitions, how players are complaining about the calendar and then playing some exhibitions. All I can say is it’s a really different format, different situation playing exhibitions than the official tournaments, having 15, 16 days in row, having such a high focus and demanding physically.”
Alcaraz drew a clear distinction between the casual nature of exhibitions and the intense grind of official competitions. “That’s why, because we’re just having fun for one or two days and playing some tennis and I think that’s great and I think that’s why we choose sometimes the exhibitions,” he continued. “Obviously I understand (the criticism), but sometimes the people don’t understand us, our opinions. When I see a lot of people complaining about how we are defending the exhibitions, I don’t understand them because, as I said, it’s not really demanding mentally (compared to) when we’re having such long events like two weeks or two-and-a-half weeks. It’s really tough.”
His comments come on the heels of a recent ankle injury sustained during the Tokyo tournament, which could have derailed his momentum. Yet, thanks to dedicated support, he bounced back swiftly. “I have said it before and I will say it again, I have the best physio in the world, who I trust 100 per cent,” Alcaraz praised. “The work he has done for the ankle has been great. I could play normally, which is great.” This resilience has allowed him to continue competing at the elite level, including in the lucrative Six Kings Slam in Saudi Arabia. There, participants earn a staggering $1.5 million just for showing up, with the winner taking home $4.5 million. Alcaraz advanced to the final after defeating Taylor Fritz, setting up another thrilling showdown with Jannik Sinner, who ousted Novak Djokovic in dominant fashion. This matchup not only underscores the emerging rivalries shaping the future of men’s tennis but also highlights the financial incentives that sometimes pull players into additional events, further straining their bodies.
These stories from Raducanu, Berrettini, and Alcaraz paint a vivid picture of a sport at a crossroads. Tennis thrives on its global appeal and star power, but without addressing these systemic issues—like implementing heat protocols and easing the schedule—the risk of burnout, injuries, and early retirements looms large. As the off-season approaches for some and high-profile exhibitions continue for others, the calls for reform grow louder, urging governing bodies to prioritize player health to ensure the game’s long-term vibrancy. The passion these athletes bring to the court is unmatched, but sustaining it requires a framework that supports, rather than exhausts, their extraordinary talents. (Word count: 852)
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