Increasingly clogged calendar, the ATP seeks a compromise with the most critical players. In 2025 Alcaraz has played 80 matches, Jannik 79
Here they are, the numbers that cannot be seen in the rankings but which weigh like boulders on the legs and heads of tennis players. Around 80 games per season in a calendar that doesn’t allow for breathing space. It’s not a rebellion from spoiled stars, but a cry for help. For this reason, the ATP’s choice to relax – albeit slightly – the list of mandatory events could mark an important step in modern tennis.
The body that governs tennis has announced a compromise, meeting the requests of the most critical players in this respect: from 2026 the mandatory ATP 500 tournaments will be reduced from five to four and the maximum number of events valid for calculating the ranking will be reduced from 19 to 18. The goal is to create more flexibility in programming.
The champions also gave voice to their uneasiness. Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, world number one, have repeatedly underlined the risks of continuous attrition. The data: Alcaraz has played 80 games in 2025, winning 71; Sinner reached 79 matches in both 2023 and 2024, with 73 wins. The top 30 are obliged to play four Slams, nine Masters 1000, the Finals (if qualified) and the ATP 500 tournaments. Jannik will play Doha, Halle, Beijing
and Vienna.
Under the weight of stress, injuries and retirements have increased, another chapter concerns the extreme climatic conditions. The ATP recently introduced Heat Rule to suspend or modify the game in case of excessive heat.
Finally, another important news: anyone who withdraws from a tournament due to the birth or adoption of a child will keep the points earned up to that point, avoiding having to chase the ranking. Among other changes, the ATP has specified that the race to secure one of the eight places at the Masters of
Turin (15-22 November) will end a week earlier, after
Masters 1000 in Paris on November 8.
