Watching Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz in every event has become a regular expectation at this point. However, while they could’ve been favorites, neither is in Shanghai. The Spaniard picked up an ankle injury in Tokyo on his way to the Japan Open title, while world No. 2 retired from the championship with a painful cramp against Tallon Griekspoor. Although injuries are part of sports and the weather conditions have been a woe for everyone in Shanghai, the demanding ATP schedule has been the bigger culprit. Now, Andy Roddick, for one, is done with it.

In Tuesday’s episode of his Served podcast, the former World No. 1 took direct aim, saying, “This time of the year is so strange. It’s hard to gauge motivation levels. Zverev was like, ‘I haven’t been healthy all year.’ You never know what’s going on. Sinner, obviously paying the bill. Alcaraz paying the bill for the scheduling. It’s impossible to be physically and mentally perfect week in and week out. Those guys can generally win when they’re not. Something’s gotta give.”

Already, the players have not been supportive of the long tennis calendar, asking to cut down the mandatory limit. Some, like Alcaraz, don’t participate in a handful of events, prioritizing their physical and mental health over the grueling schedule. To tackle this, last year, ATP decided to stretch some events to twelve days. However, that only added more problems for the players.

As Stefanos Tsitsipas tweeted back in 2024, “The two-week Masters 1000s have turned into a drag. The quality has definitely dropped. Players aren’t getting the recovery or training time they need with constant matches and no space for the intense work off the court.”

Roddick, too, has criticized the schedule. Now, he added, “This schedule continues to suck. It has sucked. It’s only getting worse. And who pays the bill? The fans a lot of the time. The players do for sure. But you’ve got to have a trade-off.

“Some people are mad that Alcaraz isn’t playing, Sinner withdrew, it’s not on them. You can’t do it all the time. January 1st through the end of November, for years in a row. You just can’t do it. It’s too much of an ask. Something’s got to give. It’s giving this week in Shanghai. No Alcaraz, no Sinner, opportunity knocking.”

Although the players are keeping themselves first before the final event on the schedule, the fans do have to pay to watch. In fact, back at the US Open, Alcaraz had to apologize to the audience after his dominant 6-1, 6-0, 6-3 victory over Luciano Darderi. The reason was straightforward: the US Open ticket prices to watch the Spaniard defeat his opponents are quite high, and he decimated his third-round opponent in just 1 hour and 36 minutes.

Roddick’s critique wasn’t just about player fatigue; it was about a sport losing its balance. His words echoed like an alarm bell, underlining what many inside the locker room have been raising for months. As top seeds, Sinner and Alcaraz received byes into the second round, but the relentless overlap between tournaments proved unforgiving. The new 12-day Masters events, designed to stretch the calendar and attract more fans, have instead stretched players thin.

But that wasn’t the only issue in the Shanghai Masters this time. As the event continues under sweltering, punishing conditions.

Holger Rune urges ATP action amid Shanghai heat

The Shanghai Masters is turning into a trial by fire. Temperatures soared past 30°C, humidity climbed above 80% only adding to the woes, and one by one, players began succumbing to the punishing conditions. Rune, still standing in the quarterfinals, spoke out after his win over Perricard yesterday. “Yes, I think there should be a rule regarding the heat, like there is in the Grand Slam tournaments. I think all the players would agree on that. Today was better, as you say, it was less hot. But again, it was less hot, but if the temperature had been more normal, it would have been very hot today.”

The ATP currently lacks a formal heat policy, leaving extreme weather decisions to on-site supervisors working with medical teams and local officials. By contrast, the WTA Tour has clear rules, pausing matches when temperatures spike or humidity climbs. At the Wuhan Open, all outdoor courts were halted for hours until conditions eased. Rune wants the men’s tour to adopt a similar safety net, recognizing that the physical toll on players is reaching dangerous levels.

With the calendar already stretched and scheduling chaos compounding fatigue, the conversation around player safety is intensifying. Voices like Holger Rune and Andy Roddick are pushing the ATP to rethink its approach. The question lingers: will the tour act before it’s too late?