"If there is some every week, the offer is saturated" - Boris Becker criticises growing calendar amid Saudi Masters addition

Boris Becker is the latest big name to share his opinions on the ever-growing tennis calendar. The German believes that there is 'too much tennis' on the schedule with the Saudi Masters not helping the cause.

Many players have stepped up throughout the year to share their dissatisfaction with how many events there are, especially with certain mandatory tournaments forcing them to show up. It is already a lot of tennis, but more is set to appear in 2028 with the introduction of a new Masters 1000 event in Saudi Arabia. While it has the potential to be very lucrative for the players, it is another two weeks on the road competing at the highest level.

It is not only new tournaments getting added, but also comeptitions getting longer. More Masters 1000 events have gone from one week to 12 days of action. It causes players to be away from their homes longer and more time travelling and participating.

One of the people to share their distaste with the schedule is Becker. The six-time Grand Slam champion portrays the fans as the victims in all of this tennis, leading to confusion. "There are a lot of tournaments, that's for sure. In the end, it's up to the players to decide how many weeks in a row they want to play. But for the fans, it's difficult to follow tennis every week, there can be confusion," Becker told the Gazzetta dello Sport.

He went on to discuss the ATP Finals qualification. "Sometimes, two tournaments take place at the same time, and, especially at the end of the season, when everyone is trying to qualify for the ATP Finals, the situation gets complicated," he said. This is in reference to the events which led to both Lorenzo Musetti and Felix Auger-Aliassime making it to Turin with Novak Djokovic's late withdrawal.

"I think there is too much tennis. The public should be a little hungry for tennis: if there is some every week, the offer is saturated. For the players, it allows them to work non-stop, but for the fans and the media, it's perhaps too much," Becker stated, obviously unhappy with the new Saudi Masters.

He is just one of the numerous voices in tennis piping up about the congestion in the calendar. Despite it being November, the tennis is well and truly still going on for the men. The Davis Cup Finals are set to commence in Bologna, Italy. This comes shortly after the ATP Finals which recently concluded in Turin. Once finished, the players get to put their feet up before the 2026 season gets underway at the start of January. Many players will start ramping preparations up beforehand with training camps and exhibitions taking up a large part of their off-season.

It is a lot of tennis for both players on the ATP and WTA Tour. The consequences have already started to occur from this. The European indoor swing was headlined by a number of injuries cropping up in the field. Many stars failed to finish matches and retirements were all too common. The most relevant case was Holger Rune in the Stockholm Open. The Dane left Sweden with a nasty achilles injury which will keep him out until deep into next year. This could be a re-occurring feature if more tournaments are played and if they are going to get dragged out.

With there being ranking points and bonus pools motivating the players to plough on, it is not enough for them to not be happy with the current situation. While many have already shared their opinion, more are expected to join the fleeting protests if the calendar continues to be as drawn out.