"There's literally no break": Jack Draper criticises ATP's demanding schedule and two-week Masters

Jack Draper spoke about the current ‘tough calendar’ in the ATP and expressed his opposition to the two-week Masters 1000 events. The British No. 1 returned to the courts this week at the Davis Cup after finishing his best Grand Slam performance, reaching the semifinals.

The World No. 20 lost a crucial match to Francisco Cerundolo, and Argentina won a tight series 2-1. Draper faced physical issues in his match against Jannik Sinner at the US Open but did not want to miss the chance to represent Great Britain: "There's no doubt it's a quick turnaround, I think a lot of people in my position would have not come this week.”

The 22-year-old player acknowledged how challenging a calendar packed with tournaments can be, having played his 49th singles match of the season: “It's a mental calendar. It's my opinion that it's going to be very hard for players of my age to achieve longevity any more. If you look at how many tournaments I've played this year, it's hopefully 25, 26 for the first time. That's a big positive in itself - this is my first proper year on tour.”

“It’s definitely tough, but my team want the best for me, they want me to stay injury-free, to look after my body and mind,” Draper said.

“Since Miami I just haven't had any time. We went straight into the clay, then straight on to the grass, straight to the Olympics, straight out to Montreal, Cincinnati, training week, US Open, here, then it's Asia, then it's indoor season,” he added.

“I look at the sort of schedule, and I know players have done it for years, but the way the ATP have changed to two weeks with the Masters and these types of things, it's giving us no time any more,” Draper said. “There's literally no break. It's really mentally and physically challenging.”

Indian Wells and Miami Open have been played for two weeks for years, but as of 2023, Madrid Open and Rome Open have been added by expanding their individual draws from 64 to 96 players during the clay-swing.