Follow usNovak Djokovic believes tennis players remain too divided to bring about long-discussed reforms to the sport’s overloaded calendar.
The issue resurfaced this week after world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz withdrew from the Shanghai Masters to rest, while a string of injuries struck at the China Open. Alcaraz, Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek all voiced frustration at the heavy schedule, calling for fewer tournaments and more recovery time.
Novak Djokovic on Alcaraz and Swiatek complaining about the long tennis calendar:
“But then there are exhibitions as well that players are signing up for, so it’s a little bit contradictory. In the end, I can say that the players are not united enough. Players are not… pic.twitter.com/bAdrM3MQQb
— Danny (@DjokovicFan_) October 2, 2025
Speaking in Shanghai, where he finished runner-up to Jannik Sinner last year, the 24-time Grand Slam champion said concerns about player welfare have been raised for over a decade without significant change.
“More than 15 years ago I was talking about us needing to come together and reorganize the schedule,” said the 38-year-old. “It’s an individual sport… at the end of the day you can still make choices. But there are people who just don’t want to change things in our sport for the better when it comes to the players’ welfare.”
“Players are still not united enough, or investing enough time and energy into trying to make change happen,” he said. “You need the top players, particularly, to sit down and roll up their sleeves and really care.”
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