Alex de Minaur has joined other tennis stars in calling for a reduction in the demanding men’s tennis schedule. He warned that the relentless tour is causing players to burn out, both mentally and physically, leading to shorter careers.
De Minaur’s comments came after his unexpected loss to Alexander Bublik at Roland Garros on Thursday. He cited mental fatigue as a key factor in his defeat. Meanwhile, his Australian peer Adam Walton was struggling with a shoulder injury during his loss to Andrey Rublev.
The 24-year-old de Minaur took the opportunity to speak out about the ATP’s packed calendar. He echoed remarks made earlier in the week by fellow Australian Jordan Thompson, who has also expressed frustration with the schedule.
“No-one’s got a solution,” de Minaur said after his 2-6, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 defeat. “But the solution is simple: you shorten the schedule.”
De Minaur explained that for the past few years, he’s had little time to rest after the Davis Cup, jumping straight into pre-season training for the new season. “Once you start, you don’t finish until November 24,” he said. “It’s never-ending. The way it’s structured … I’m still dealing with that right now.”
He emphasized that the current schedule could lead to players burning out mentally and physically. “What’s going to happen is players’ careers are going to get shorter and shorter because they’re just going to burn out,” de Minaur said. “There’s just too much tennis.”
De Minaur’s comments follow similar complaints from Thompson, who has been battling multiple injuries that he believes have worsened due to the busy tour calendar. Thompson recently described the ATP schedule as “a joke” and “shit.”
Casper Ruud, a two-time French Open finalist, also voiced concerns about the ATP’s ranking system. Following his injury-related loss to Nuno Borges, Ruud likened the ATP’s mandatory events to a “rat race” that forces players to compete even when injured.
“You feel like you’re obligated to play with certain rules the ATP has set up,” Ruud said. “If you don’t show up, others will play and gain points, while you won’t.”
Ruud added that skipping a mandatory event results in a 25% deduction from a player’s year-end bonus, creating additional pressure to compete regardless of injury or illness. “You’re forcing players to show up injured or sick, and I don’t think that’s fair,” he said.
Walton, ranked No. 91 in the world, admitted he was still dealing with an arm injury after his straight-set loss. “The season’s pretty relentless,” Walton said. “I don’t have the luxury, like some of the top players, of playing less. If you’re good enough, you don’t have to play as much to collect points.”
He added, “In order for me to collect points, I have to play a lot. It’s taxing on the body, and I don’t have a solution.”
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