When it comes to the future of tennis, count Jack Draper among the players who have concerns. The British No.1, who spoke at length on the Tennis Podcast this week, is concerned that the ATP Tour’s current modus operandi is making the tour a lonely place that is not conducive to long-term growth.
He joined a chorus of voices who have called on the ATP to rethink the current calendar and advocated for a reduced schedule that would allow players to have more time off the tour and shorter off-seasons.
Draper, who hasn’t played since the US Open with an arm injury, breaks it all down during this candid dialogue. The Briton will be in action in December at the UTS Grand Final in London.
You can watch the full interview below:
“Young players are looking ahead in their careers and thinking: ‘How long will I be able to play this sport, how long will I be able to cope with the demands of what I’m doing? I hate to see that,” Draper told the Tennis Podcast, before diving into his concerns about the state of the ATP schedule as it currently stands.
Draper, like many in his career, is particularly upset about the new ATP calendar featuring seven two-week Masters 1000 events, up from the previous two. These five extra weeks are wearing the players down and turning the tournament into a solitary endeavor that is hard on the players’ mental health.
The current world number 11 gave a wide-ranging interview with the Tennis Podcast trio – Catherine Whitaker, Davis Law and Matt Roberts – but was more interested in saying what he thought needed to be said. This change needs to happen for the benefit of the players.
“It’s something I feel very passionate about,” Draper said. “The fact that there’s so much conversation in tennis right now, it needs someone to speak up, to talk about it, regardless of any criticism that comes along with it, and hopefully advocate for some positive solutions.”
Draper warned that burnout is real and that players are suffering through the long season, with non-stop travel and little opportunity to jump off the treadmill. He says the underdog atmosphere at the tournament makes it difficult for players to walk away and give up opportunities to score points and gain ranking points.
More about player welfare than money
“It’s more about the players’ well-being, the mental burnout that certain things in the calendar cause,” he said, adding: “A big part of it is that tennis players are on the road so much now and the governing bodies are adding more days, more demands on the players… It’s really hard to be on the road for so long, and I’m someone from South Asia who can come home, from South Asia. And they just don’t have any life balance anymore, I think this is a big problem.
Make no mistake about it, Draper is not happy about having to complain, and he doesn’t want to throw the ATP under the bus. He says the schedule is simply too much, even if it comes with the best of intentions.
“I love the ATP,” Draper said. “However, there are some issues that the players are not happy with. I think the intention was really good by making the Masters 1000 12 days, increasing the revenue for the events and giving back to the players, especially those who are performing very well. But the demands are high. They have added an extra, say, 21 days to an already really packed schedule.”
The ATP added the extra weeks as part of prioritizing major events, but the effect has been met with near-unanimous criticism from players, who would prefer to get the events over and done with in one week, rather than spread over two weeks.
The ATP has added financial compensation along with the requirements, expanding the ATP Masters 1000 and Nitto ATP Finals Bonus Pool payouts in 2025 are up to $21 million, up from $11.5 million in 2022. But, in Draper’s view, the financial gains are outweighed by the mental stress.
The off season should be longer
“It’s a really hard thing to put into words because we’re in such a good position,” Draper said. “But at the same time, when you’re out there, five games in seven days is a lot easier than seven games in 14 days because there’s so much dead time, there’s so much waiting around.”
The offseason is another matter for Draper. He said it would be massive for the sport to give players time to go home and freshen up, be with family and just generally decompress. This is another area that has long been a bone of contention for tournament players.
“In terms of an off-season, I’d say a month and a half would be more than enough. Not just two, three, four weeks. I really don’t think that’s helpful for anybody. I think as a sports fan, as someone who, if I was just watching tennis, I’d like it to be a little less frequent. I wish I could wait longer for the next event to be.” Like waiting to see how the players have improved and what they are doing.
“Every week there’s a different match, there’s a different tournament. You can’t follow it because there’s events in three different places and I think I just have to take a step back and realize that the product doesn’t have to be there all the time, but if we can have a product that’s there for when it’s needed and not necessarily just relevant 24/7.”
