Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have suffered a wretched time with injuries during the 2026 season.
Alcaraz injured his wrist at the Barcelona Open in April, which subsequently forced him out of Roland Garros and Wimbledon, as well as several Masters events on the North American hardcourt swing.
Sinner, meanwhile, has not played for nearly two months since winning the Wimbledon title for a second year in a row, due to a mysterious knee injury.
Both players have questioned the gruelling ATP Tour schedule, with Alcaraz even suggested he will play a limited schedule heading forward due to his wrist injury.
Speaking at the Laver Cup, Andre Agassi has also questioned the schedule and suggested what can be done to make the players happier.
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“I think there has to be a distinction between winning Slams and other tournaments. You don’t want someone to just be in exceptional form for an hour and a half and then get through a couple of tough matches. Of course, you don’t want to finish that late either,” said Agassi about the late night finished at the US Open this year.
“It’s unfortunate. I’ve been in that situation many times. In our day, there was no rest day between semifinals and finals; on Saturday you played the semifinals and the next day the final. The most difficult thing is the rhythm, not the recovery.
“These guys today are bigger, stronger, they play further back, they’re taller, they have longer levers. They play with more margin and cover a larger portion of the court. So the rallies inevitably become longer. We’ve introduced the shot clock, which reduces the time between one point and the next. We do what we can, but it’s still gladiatorial stuff. And I like that.
However, Agassi believes the ATP Tour should introduce a longer break between the end of the Davis Cup Finals in November and the start of the Australian swing in January.
“What can be done to limit injuries? I think an off-season is useful . That said, some of these guys also get injured, frankly, because it’s so violent. their way of playing. Look at someone like Sinner, who can hit the ball with exceptional power from both sides.
“Look at Alcaraz: he’s explosive, he has incredible speed, both in his legs and his hands. There are very delicate areas of our body that can become inflamed rather quickly.
“You have to manage them, but I’d like tennis to stop every now and then, not just for the athletes but also for the fans. I don’t think we need to watch tennis all year round . I’d like to see a change in that direction.”
Agassi and Alcaraz are appearing at the Laver Cup this weekend, while Sinner’s next tournament is currently set to be the China Open at the end of September.
