The timing of Jack Draper voicing his concerns about the amount of injuries players suffer was either extremely unfortunate or subtly calculated. Less than 24 hours after saying he felt the volume of injuries was “pretty worrying”, the Briton pulled out of Wimbledon with a long-standing arm problem.
Former world number four Draper believes the demands placed on the top stars – a gruelling season with a short break, longer matches and more physical battles – are responsible for their bodies breaking down. His concerns are not isolated; they reflect a growing unease across the sport.
Seven-time major champion Carlos Alcaraz is missing Wimbledon with a wrist injury, while several ATP players withdrew from grass-court events at Queen’s and Eastbourne to protect themselves. The list of absentees is worrying, and it includes some of the biggest names in the game.
“When I look at the draws, everything is shoulder, arm, wrist [injuries]. They need to really take a close look at what we’re doing on tour,” Draper said. His words were prescient, coming just before his own withdrawal.
After his first-round win, 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic said the structure of the sport needs a “reset”. “I think our tours are not functioning well at all,” added the former world number one.
“There are a lot of things happening backstage, meetings, and relationships are not going in the right direction. There will always be Grand Slams – the most important tournaments we have in our sport. But the tournaments have to look at the format, the rules, the calendar. There’s a lot of complaints.”
A worrying trend
Draper’s withdrawal came after fellow Briton Emma Raducanu was ruled out of playing with a stress fracture in her lower leg. The absence of the star home pair is undoubtedly a major blow to the tournament, but more importantly points to an increasingly worrying trend.
“There are so many great players that everyone is pushing to find that extra 1% – spending more time on the court and in the gym,” former world number one Tracy Austin told BBC Sport. “Some are playing more tournaments than is good for them, either mentally or physically. It is very, very demanding in all aspects.”
The modern game is a physical war of attrition. Players are faster, stronger, and more powerful than ever before. The margins between victory and defeat are razor-thin, and the pressure to find that extra edge is relentless.
Austin’s comments highlight a fundamental tension at the heart of professional tennis: players are caught between the need to compete and the need to protect their bodies. The pursuit of excellence comes at a cost, and that cost is increasingly being paid in the currency of injuries.
How can tennis avoid breaking point?
Injuries are part and parcel of elite sport, while some argue players not well equipped to deal with its rigours are looking for excuses. But the view that tennis is becoming increasingly punishing is supported by medical experts.
Data shows that matches and rallies are longer, players are faster and they are hitting the ball harder across a season that can last almost 11 months. The physical demands of the sport have never been greater.
“I always said that if we can somehow find a way to make this season shorter and have a bigger off-season, this could help avoid injuries,” world number nine Daniil Medvedev told BBC Sport. His suggestion is a simple one, but it would require significant structural changes.
Draper was critical of several ATP and WTA mandatory tournaments adding to the workload by being extended across a fortnight to create so-called ‘mini Slams’. The expansion of these events has increased the burden on players, who are expected to compete more frequently and for longer periods.
Chasing ranking points – and money – to maintain a career at the top level means many players feel they have to compete even when not 100% fit. The financial pressures of the tour leave little room for rest or recovery.
“When you train so much, constantly trying to improve and playing back-to-back weeks on the tour, it’s more than normal that you’re going to get injured or there might be overuse at some point,” said Greek two-time major finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas. His words reflect the inevitable consequence of the modern training regime.
For players coming back from injuries, balancing the need for court time and the risk of aggravation is delicate. “It’s so tough playing an individual sport. You can’t be subbed out, you just have to be dunked back in the deep end immediately,” former British player Naomi Broady said on BBC TV.
“You can’t go out and play 20 or 30 minutes and build up from there. You’re just having to play day in day out for a week. There’s so much load on your body. If it’s not the same injury it’s a new one cropping up.”
The Draper and Raducanu cases
Both Draper and Raducanu seem to have found that out to their cost. Draper, 24, had not played competitively for over two months before playing four matches at Eastbourne last week. He pulled out of Wimbledon – in what would have been his first Grand Slam of the season – when bone bruising in his serving arm flared up again.
Raducanu, 23, believes overplaying at Queen’s a fortnight ago contributed to a stress fracture in her lower right leg. The 2021 US Open champion played five matches in six days, having been out for most of the previous four months, and played a quarter-final, semi-final and final in the space of less than 30 hours because of previous rain delays.
“It’s so tough to allow time for injuries to heal and build that load up slowly when you do return,” said Broady. “I think that’s where most of the damage is re-done when you come back too quickly. That’s why we say how relentless our sport is.”
What players want
As well as a shorter season, players have asked for smarter scheduling at tournaments – including fewer late-night finishes. The current system often sees players finishing matches in the early hours of the morning, only to be expected to play again the next day.
Different tournaments playing with different balls – leading to changes in weight and pace – has been cited as a source of increased upper body injuries, although the tours are moving towards a more centralised system. Tsitsipas also pointed out that improved racquet technology has benefitted players.
Sports scientists suggest tennis must adopt a more coordinated approach to data sharing to guide the wellbeing of its stars. They also believe younger players need more protection to avoid overuse injuries, although the ATP and WTA already place restrictions on how many senior tournaments teenagers are allowed to play.
“A lot of players have played so much tennis before they’re even gone on tour,” said Britain’s Billie Jean King Cup captain Anne Keothavong. “I think that leads to overplaying and injuries. The toll it takes on your body is not from over 12 months – it is about all those hours you put in from so young.”
The road ahead
If a glut of injuries keep occurring, and tennis is unable to find solutions which satisfy players, the debate will continue. The current system is clearly not working for many of the sport’s biggest stars.
The governing bodies must listen to the players and take meaningful action. A shorter season, smarter scheduling, and better protection for young players would all help to reduce the injury crisis.
But change will not come overnight. It requires a willingness to challenge the status quo and to prioritise player welfare over commercial interests. The future of tennis depends on it.
