Top 12 player tells the ATP to look at the schedule after suffering injury with his US Open hopes in doubt

Follow us on Google Discover

The packed ATP Tour schedule has been a controversial issue for the past few years, with several big names calling for a change.

This year’s Canadian Open and Cincinnati Open tournaments were extended to 12-day, 96-player draws for the first time.

Making the tournaments longer has only further increased the stress on the bodies of players on the ATP Tour.

Earlier this month, world number two Carlos Alcaraz said he was campaigning for the ATP to remove tournaments to give players more time to rest.

He had previously shared concerns that the busy schedule would see players pick up injuries, concerns Alcaraz was right to voice.

One of the Spaniard’s fellow ATP stars has now picked up an injury, just weeks before the US Open begins, as he calls for the powers that be to make a change.

Karen Khachanov calls for schedule change after suffering injury in Cincinnati

Russia’s Karen Khachanov has been playing some of his best tennis over the past few months, recording several impressive results.

• Halle Open – SF (lost to Alexander Bublik)
• Wimbledon – QF (lost to Taylor Fritz)
• Canadian Open – F (lost to Ben Shelton)

Travelling to Cincinnati off the back of a heartbreaking Canadian Open final defeat, Khachanov quickly bounced back, securing wins over Valentin Royer and Jenson Brooksby to book his place in the fourth round.

Taking on Alexander Zverev for a place in the quarterfinals, Khachanov trailed 5-7, 0-3, when he retired from the match due to injury.

It was the first time in Khachanov’s career that he had retired mid-match, as he updated fans on his fitness afterwards.

“To be honest, for the first time in my career, I didn’t finish a match and withdrew. Of course, it’s not a very good feeling, because there are spectators and they came to watch. It’s a strange feeling,” he said.

“If you are not ready, you don’t go out there, in principle, but it was during the match that I felt discomfort and my back started hurting.

“In general, it’s the same injury that has been bothering me over the past few years. Therefore, I decided that there was probably no point in playing on.

“There is a Grand Slam coming up, and I don’t want to make the situation worse. So yes, I decided not to continue.”

The world number 12 wasn’t 100% sure that he would be fit for the US Open, but didn’t seem too concerned.

“It’s too early to say, I don’t know anything yet,” said Khachanov.

“No need to get down about it, injuries are unfortunately part of our job.”

When asked whether the busy schedule contributed to the re-aggravation of his back injury, Khachanov suggested it may be time for the ATP Tour to consider making a change.

“Maybe? Who knows? If we speak generally, our schedule is quite difficult,” he said.

“I don’t want to complain, but at these big tournaments, on one hand, we have more days to rest, but on the other hand, the schedule is still very busy, jam-packed.

“Even after Wimbledon, I didn’t have much time to rest before I started trying to prepare for hard. I immediately flew to Canada.

“It’s probably time to look at the schedule, it’s not nothing that [Jannik] Sinner and [Carlos] Alcaraz skipped the tournament [Canadian Open].

“It’s probably easier in their case to do this, because they’ve already won a couple of Slams this year, but again, it might make sense to look at it.”

Only time will tell if the ATP Tour makes a change in the future, but it will certainly be something to look out for.

Hoping to recover from his injury before the US Open, Khachanov now faces a race against time, as he continues his push towards the ATP Finals qualification spots.

Can Karen Khachanov qualify for his first-ever ATP Finals in 2025?

Winning the Paris Masters in 2018, Khachanov travelled to London as the first alternate for the ATP Finals, but wasn’t needed.

Seven years on, Khachanov looks to be in contention once more, sitting just four spots outside qualification.

Khachanov may be a few places off eighth at the minute, but could well be handed a boost by Novak Djokovic, who many believe will withdraw from the event should he qualify.

It remains to be seen if Khachanov will qualify for the ATP Finals in 2025, but he will certainly be determined to do so.

If fit to compete, Khachanov will return to action at the US Open, when the tournament begins on Sunday, August 24.