Carlos Alcaraz criticises packed calendar, plans longer tour breaks

NEW YORK: World number three Carlos Alcaraz has warned that the increasingly packed tennis calendar is contributing to player fatigue and injuries, saying he plans to take longer breaks from the tour in the future.

The Spaniard returned to action at the US Open after a lengthy absence caused by a wrist injury sustained in April.

He said the demands of the schedule made it unrealistic for players to compete in every major event without risking burnout.

Alcaraz made the comments after battling past Jaime Faria 4-6, 6-0, 6-3, 6-2 on Wednesday to advance at Flushing Meadows.

"I took more than I wanted but seeing how tight is the calendar, I don't want to have this break because of an injury," Alcaraz said.

"In the future, I'm going to take some long breaks. Maybe not four months, but one month, two months, missing some tournaments, because it's impossible to play them all."

Since 2025, seven of the nine ATP Masters 1000 tournaments have been expanded to 12-day events, with only Monte Carlo and Paris retaining their traditional one-week formats.

While the ATP says players control their own schedules and is working to encourage an appropriate number of matches, Alcaraz believes the growing number of important tournaments is putting additional pressure on players.

"They are adding more important tournaments. In a way they are making us play," he said.

"You can say no and decide your calendar, but there are some Masters 1000s, some Grand Slams, and we are out playing 40 weeks if we have to play every mandatory tournament that the ATP requires us to play."

Alcaraz also highlighted the growing injury list, with Jannik Sinner, Jack Draper, Holger Rune and Joao Fonseca among those who missed this year's US Open.