"27 mandatory weeks if you want to make your full bonus money" - Jim Courier recommends which events Carlos Alcaraz should participate in packed schedule

With the 2026 calendar looking very packed, former American tennis player Jim Courier has taken the task of planning world number one Carlos Alcaraz's season out.

It is not as easy as you might think, with there a plethora of top tournaments to be played throughout. Not only that, but a number of them are mandatory. If you do not play in them, you will not receive a large cash bonus at the end of the year. Overall, all of these events add up, so some must unfortunately make way in Courier's opinion.

"Well, here’s what they’re required to play. You’ve got the Masters 1000s — you’re supposed to play eight of those," Courier said on the Tennis Channel. "That’s about 13 weeks because many of them are multi-week events. Then there are the four Grand Slams, which add another eight weeks. You’re also supposed to play at least five of the ATP 500s — that’s another five weeks. And if you qualify, you play the ATP Finals — that’s another week. So that’s 27 mandatory weeks if you want to make your full bonus money."

Courier explained why he would recommend the Spaniard to not compete in these trio of events. "Here’s what I think he should remove — and the reason is simple: he needs three-week breaks a few times during the calendar," he said. "That gives him time to recover from travel, rebuild physically, and freshen up mentally."

He then began going through the calendar: "Let’s start after the Australian Open — Rotterdam, I’m sorry Richard Krajicek, the tournament director — that’s gone. Take three weeks off after Australia. Pick things up in Doha, then go strong through the Sunshine Double — Indian Wells and Miami. But Monte-Carlo? You’re out. And Barcelona — that’ll be a tough one for him to skip since it’s in Spain, but if he wants to be fresh for the grind that starts from Madrid through Wimbledon, he needs that break. That’s a really tough stretch with very little rest, especially since you have to transition from clay to grass so quickly. So I’d say Monte-Carlo goes, and ideally, Barcelona too.

With Monte-Carlo the only non-mandatory Masters 1000 event on the calendar, Courier had no hesitation of pulling the reigning champion out. "After Wimbledon — sorry, Canada, you’ve got to go as well. He skipped Canada this year, and that was his only real three-week break in 2024. If he takes that again next year, that gives him another crucial rest period. It’s going to be chaotic. But anyway — after that break, he can go hard through Cincinnati and the U.S. Open."

After the Grand Slams are out of the way, Alcaraz will have a tricky decision to make. Does he play represent team Europe in the Laver Cup, an event he thoroughly enjoys, or does he represent his country in the Davies Cup qualifiers? Or does he do both? "This year, he was supposed to play both but ended up skipping Davis Cup and playing Laver Cup," Courier said. "Something’s got to give there. Both of those events should probably be the first things to come off the list unless he’s feeling incredibly fresh."

Culminating the year is the Asian swing, European indoor hardcourt swing and the ATP Finals, which Alcaraz is very likely to achieve. "He can play either Tokyo or Beijing — both are ATP 500s — and then Shanghai, which is fine. After that, he can come back and, if he wants, play The Six Kings exhibition — that doesn’t cost much emotional or physical energy. Then finish with the Paris Masters, ATP Finals, and Davis Cup for Spain. After that, he gets five weeks off before the next season."