The tennis calendar has taken a lot of criticism over the past year, and it does not seem like stopping anytime soon.
Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek have both called out the number of tennis tournaments which players are currently expected to compete in.
However, both players have also received backlash for these comments, with Alcaraz being called hypocritical for playing exhibitions.
Despite this, another player and former Grand Slam finalist has had her say on the current tennis schedule.
Karolina Muchova criticises the current tennis calendar
Someone who has faced many struggles in her career is former French Open finalist Karolina Muchova, who has dealt with many injury issues.
As she looks to recover her body in the off-season, Muchova spoke to Czech Forbes about a number of issues.
One of those topics was the tennis schedule, which Muchova was heavily critical of and called ‘completely extreme’.
“I agree. I think it’s completely extreme,” said Muchova. “When you finish the season in the Top 20, a lot of people say: Take a vacation. But the rules are strict.
“I have six mandatory WTA 500 tournaments and all WTA 1000 tournaments, which are often stretched to two weeks, of course all the Grand Slams. If I had to do it without penalties, I would fly to Australia at the beginning of the year and then see you here in November.”
Muchova was then asked about the fines that tennis players receive, as she then revealed that she had to pay $15,000 earlier this year, despite being injured.
“The higher you are in the rankings, the higher they are,” added Muchova. “When I didn’t play a “five hundred” tournament this year, it was fifteen thousand dollars. And I was in 16th place at the time, which is already very big for players in the top five. Plus, you pay even if you are injured, which was my case.”
Muchova added, “There are more stupid rules. The best girls are now withdrawing from tournaments more often and taking more care of their health, which is right in my opinion, but in the top 10 you make different money than tennis players from lower positions. They sometimes go to the court, even if they barely walk.”
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Karolina Muchova says if she thinks tennis players should receive more prize money at Grand Slams
The US Open announced record prize money in 2025, but a lot of players are still not happy about this.
This is because Grand Slams reportedly offer less than 20% of their total tournament revenue to the players, with a collection of top 10 players sending an open letter to the majors earlier this year.
Muchova is the current world number 19 and also believes that players should be receiving a greater share of this prize money.
“I agree. Tournaments are getting longer, almost all Grand Slams start on Sunday, which is another day of extra income for them,” said Muchova. “Compared to other sports, our share is a very low number.
“People will read that the winner at the US Open had five million dollars, but that’s one person out of two hundred, if you add the qualifiers. And in New York, where Carlos Alcaraz received such prize money this year, he won’t even have half of it left. You pay taxes in America and at home – no one will really see the amount in question.”
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Muchova had a mixed 2025 season, but did still reach the quarterfinals of the US Open and the semifinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships.
However, the 2023 French Open finalist has still only won one WTA title in her career, which Muchova will look to change next year.
Muchova will begin her 2026 season at the Brisbane International, before heading to the Australian Open.
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