"There's too much irrelevant tennis": Tim Henman sees solution to player gripes over ATP and WTA Calendar
Tennis News
Tim Henman sees a simple solution to the malaise that is tennis scheduling as top ATP and WTA stars have voiced their displeasure about burnout and the current state of the calendar.
Henman said on TNT Sports that the solution is there to have around 12 events under the Slams a year and so when the top names are involved it has meaning.
With rumours of Australian Open moving to February perpetuated by Patrick McEnroe and Middle East tournaments though seen as a potential gap bridger, it could see the tour become year round.
Already an issue in the minds of players is traditional one week Masters 1000 tournaments being now two weeks meaning especially pre French Open, one week aside they play four weeks running if they win both.
"50% tournaments, 50% players so right now you've got a situation where 50% of your business are extremely unhappy. In an ideal world, I think the players would say we'd like to go back to eight day Masters 1000 tournaments. Admittedly the draws would be smaller so you'd go back and say well there are less jobs, less prize money. There has to be that structure for the players," said Henman on TNT Sports.
"But also the narrative for the fans. When you look at the calendar, there's too much irrelevant tennis. You want to have the best players playing against each other at the biggest events. Those are led by the Slams, they're the cornerstones of our sport. But then underneath that if you had 10, 11, 12 events but they were eight day events. To have no tennis is a good thing. The week after a slam, to have a break for everyone.
"For the players, for the tournaments and for the fans so when you see the players on TV, it has meaning. In reality, it is very difficult given that structure."
"50% of your business is unhappy and that's the players and they're extremely important."
"There's too much irrelevant tennis" 🗣️
— TNT Sports (@tntsports) May 31, 2025
Tim Henman believes less tennis could be a good thing for players, tournaments and fans.#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/qtcRL4jmcE
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
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