“We’re pushing our bodies too far”: Jack Draper slams ATP calendar as Taylor Fritz joins the debate

Sunday, 19 October 2025 at 03:00

Jack Draper has called for the ATP to make adjustments to the calendar while he recovers from his latest injury, which forced him to end his season early. The issue of the hectic 11-month tour schedule, in addition to the changes in surfaces and balls, is once again emerging on social media, and this time it received support from his fellow Top-10 colleague Taylor Fritz.

The British No. 1 was having a great 2025 until mid-year, with the Indian Wells title and the Madrid Open final as his best performances, in addition to reaching the Top-5 for the first time in his career. Installed as one of the favorites in the major tournaments, the 23-year-old again struggled with injuries—just like in the early years of his career—and ended up having a forgettable second half of the season.

Draper was barely fit to play Wimbledon towards the end of June but surprisingly fell in the second round to Marin Cilic. Draper later announced that an injury was affecting him and he took two months off the court before returning.

After missing a good part of the hardcourt tournaments in North America, the Brit reappeared at the US Open—playing mixed doubles with Jessica Pegula and the singles draw. After debuting with a win in singles, he decided to withdraw before his duel against Zizou Bergs in the second round, due to left-arm injury.

Draper's call, Fritz's support

Draper's injury situation is not new, and with the recent Achilles tendon injury to Holger Rune, the issue of players' physical strain is resurfacing. The Dane had to retire in the Stockholm Open semi-finals after a complicated injury while facing Ugo Humbert.

Others like Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev, and Casper Ruud have previously criticized the current demands of the tour with the hectic calendar, which includes two-week Masters 1000 tournaments and a regular season that runs from early January to mid-November.

Shortly after Rune's injury stole the attention of the ATP Tour on Saturday, the British player Draper took to social media to criticize the current injury situation. “Injuries are going to happen… we are pushing our bodies to do things they aren’t supposed to in elite sport. We have so many incredible younger guys on the tour right now and I’m proud to be a part of that, however, the tour and the calendar have to adapt if any of us are gonna achieve some sort of longevity….”

Injuries are going to happen… we are pushing our bodies to do things they aren’t supposed to in elite sport. We have so many incredible younger guys on the tour right now and I’m proud to be apart of that, however, the tour and the calendar have to adapt if any of us are gonna…
— jack draper (@jackdraper0) October 18, 2025

Amid the comments, World No. 5 Taylor Fritz showed support, agreeing with his colleague: “Facts, also seeing more injuries and burnout now than ever before because balls, courts, conditions have slowed down a lot making the weekly grind even more physically demanding and tough on the body.”

Injuries are going to happen… we are pushing our bodies to do things they aren’t supposed to in elite sport. We have so many incredible younger guys on the tour right now and I’m proud to be apart of that, however, the tour and the calendar have to adapt if any of us are gonna…
— jack draper (@jackdraper0) October 18, 2025

Fritz clarifies the 'slow down' debate

Fritz did not stop there, engaging in an exchange of ideas with a fan on social media. The user Cor27En shared a chart showing the Court Pace Index (CPI) of the most important tournaments of the year: including the four Grand Slams, Masters 1000s, and the ATP Finals.

Fan: "Except for IW and Shanghai, all the other HC Masters and Finals are already homogenized and run at CPI 40+ or faster in the past 2 years. Honestly, I don’t understand why you complained and spread the misinformation that the courts have all slowed down.”

Fritz: “Balls make a much bigger difference on how fast the court plays than the actual court speed... Shanghai last year had a very high CPI but the slow balls we used made it play slow. This year the balls were still slow and they also slowed the courts and it was brutal. I can say with certainty every ball we play with consistently, with the exception of the US Open ball that is used for Toronto, Cinci, US Open is much slower and more dead compared to when I started my career.”

Balls make a much bigger difference on how fast the court plays than the actual court speed. Shanghai last year had a very high CPI but the slow balls we used made it play slow. This year the balls were still slow and they also slowed the courts and it was brutal. I can say with…
— Taylor Fritz (@Taylor_Fritz97) October 18, 2025

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Fan: "Thanks for clarifying. Players should really be talking more about ball consistency, but now so many people and the media are just whining about court speed, which for the most part has actually gotten noticeably faster, and it’s totally missing the point.”

Fritz: “A lot of people struggle to differentiate between slow ball / slow court. It’s only something I have picked up in recent years. It’s easy to play with a slow ball and just think the court is slow when maybe it’s not and vice versa.”

“A good example of this is that I heard someone play tested the ball for Shanghai prior to the Shanghai event and said it was a fast ball, and that is one of the reasons Shanghai slowed the court down. I can assure you whoever play tested the ball did so on a lightning fast court and couldn’t differentiate the two so they thought the ball was fast.”

A lot of people struggle to differentiate between slow ball / slow court. It’s only something I have picked up in recent years. It’s easy to play with a slow ball and just think the court is slow when maybe it’s not and vice versa.
— Taylor Fritz (@Taylor_Fritz97) October 18, 2025

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Cristhián AvilaTennis Journalist

Cristhián Ávila is a tennis journalist based in Santiago, Chile, and has been part of the TennisUpToDate team since early 2023. He covers the ATP and WTA Tours as well as all four Grand Slams, producing breaking news, match reports, analysis, and regular liveblogs from major tournaments.

His reporting combines statistical analysis with clear explanation, helping readers understand tactical developments, player form, and broader storylines across the tour. Working fluently in both Spanish and English, Cristhián collaborates with an international editorial team and contributes to comprehensive global coverage. As part of his work, he has conducted interviews and media interactions with leading figures in the sport, including Caroline Wozniacki and John McEnroe.

In his journalism, Cristhián places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. His coverage is grounded in research, context, and direct engagement with professional tennis.

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