Tennis fans have demanded change after seeing some of their favorite players struggle recently.
Jack Draper has been struggling with an arm injury, which has prevented him from playing more than three singles matches since Wimbledon last year.
Another player who has been in a similar position is former Australian Open finalist Qinwen Zheng, who underwent elbow surgery last year and has only been able to play two matches since Wimbledon.
These injuries have exposed a big problem within tennis, and now fans of the sport have called for something to change.
Tennis fans demand change relating to recent player injuries
Draper and Zheng are not the only players who have been hit with injury issues in recent months, with Taylor Fritz, Holger Rune and Arthur Fils also being hampered by physical problems.
With a lot of high-profile names being impacted by injury, we asked The Tennis Gazette readers what they thought needed to be done to solve the current tennis injury crisis.
How would you solve the tennis injury crisis?
There have been a lot of complaints about the current tennis schedule over the past year from players, and these were echoed in the comments of our Talking Point, suggesting that players should skip more tournaments.
One wrote, “Schedule is simply far too packed, but how about a longer offseason? Season literally just finished and we’re already back!!”
Another added, “If more top players adopt Saba’s [Sabalenka] stance and refuse to play (boycott) certain tournaments despite the fines, it will hurt the pockets of the organisers and the WTA/ATP may be forced to rethink the too heavy schedule.”
However, others suggested that the rankings may also need tweaking, to reduce the pressure for players to compete when they have a significant number of points to defend from the previous year.
“Maybe the rankings need a re-think?” questioned another Talking Point’s user. “Someone like Taylor Fritz shouldn’t be playing through injury because he’s worried about points. Might be confusing at first, but changing the way Protected Rankings work could help things…”
A subsequent user said, “Defending rankings points should be a thing of the past as should mandatory tournaments.”
An additional person wrote, “Change the rankings, make the schedule more flexible.”
While a lot of the comments we had called for the ATP and WTA Tours to make changes, someone else suggested that the players also need to take more care of their bodies away from the court.
They wrote, “Less heavy workout all the time especially just before a match…less strain on the body! Just warm up before a match! No need for all the running & and the band work!”
If you could change one rule in tennis what would it be and why?
Who is Qinwen Zheng playing in her comeback match to the WTA Tour?
After missing the Australian Open, Zheng is set to play her first WTA match since September at the Qatar Open.
Now as the world number 26, Zheng faces a tricky return match as she takes on former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin.
However, in their only previous meeting in the final of the Tokyo Open in 2024, Zheng beat Kenin in straight sets.
On the other hand Draper has just played his first match in five months at the Davis Cup, where he beat Viktor Durasovic in straight sets.
The Briton was then scheduled to make his return to the ATP Tour, but after playing just one match at the Davis Cup, he has withdrawn from the Rotterdam Open, causing further concern over his arm.
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