Germany’s currently best tennis player, Eva Lys, has once again clearly criticized the international tournament calendar, adding additional heat to a discussion that has been simmering for a long time.
More injuries
The 23-year-old sees the professionals reaching their mental and physical limits due to the enormous strain. “We have a lot of injuries – and I don’t want to use the word burnout, but we have a lot of people who just can’t do it anymore, who don’t have the mental capacity because it’s just too much,” she said on “Sport1”.
Dominic Thiem – his life
Numerous top players had already publicly complained that the season hardly allows for any breaks. Lys is also calling for reforms. The WTA tour is “much too long,” she explains – a problem that has long been recognized and solved in other sports: “In all other sports you have a good off-season in which nothing happens. That’s much too short in tennis. We have two weeks in which we can go on vacation.”
For many professionals, this minimalist break from the season is hardly enough to regenerate or recover from injuries. The result: constantly increasing pressure, an exhausted body – and a mentally overwhelming year without any real respite.
Criticism of marketing
In addition to the sporting strain, Lys also criticizes what she sees as the inadequate marketing of women’s tennis. The WTA’s digital presence is significantly weaker, especially compared to the ATP. “I think the way tennis does TV is great – and that’s completely missing in women’s tennis,” said the current number 40 in the world.
The level of play is by no means lower, on the contrary: many rallies in women’s tennis are even more spectacular. “The sport is sometimes even faster because we are very close to the line. So the rallies are at least as exciting as for the men.”
