The WTA obliges the best players to play at least twenty tournaments a year, and while the 2025 season approaches the end, the bodies suffer and the players, not the least, ask for a relief of the calendar.
Beijing’s WTA 1000 tournament started last Wednesday, and since the start, no less than five abandonments have been deplored. While the 2025 season began its last straight line, some players are at the end of force and the best of them are their spokespersons to demand a reduction in the calendar. Since last year, the WTA has required that the 30 best players in the world have been competing in the four Grand Slam tournaments, the ten WTA 1000 and at least six WTA 500 during the season, except medical reason of course, under penalty of having to lose points or pay fines. Most WTA 1000 now take place over ten days instead of a week, which leaves fewer and less rest beaches.
The world n ° 2 IGA Swiatek, qualified for the quarterfinals in Beijing, said it was ready to zap some tournaments, even if it means suffering the consequences. “I think the players are more tired. Unfortunately, the Asian tour is the most difficult part because it feels like the season will soon end, but you still have to fight. (…) I may have to choose certain tournaments and miss others, even if they are compulsory. The WTA, with these rules, put us in a fairly crazy situation. We must be intelligence, do not really worry about the rules and think about what is good for us. But it’s difficult. »»
GAUFF: “It doesn’t make sense to shoot like that on your body”
Same story on the side of the world n ° 3 Coco Gauff, also qualified for the quarterfinals: “With more and more tournaments spread over two weeks, it does not make sense to shoot like that on your body. I would like to see, during my career on the circuit, a solution found to shorten the season. I suppose that from a commercial point of view, it can be understood, but from the point of view of the health of the players, I do not really agree. I played as much as I could and it is impossible to follow the pace of the six 500 tournaments. I would really like to see how we can find a balance in order to facilitate things a little for players and tournaments. »»
The WTA reacted to these criticisms by indicating that its calendar reform and its requirement for the best players in the world were going to allow “$ 400 million remuneration over the next ten years”. Between money and health, the players will have to choose.
