It’s hard not to notice just how demanding the tennis calendar has become. The grind of an 11-month season has taken a visible toll, with players openly talking about injuries and burnout. With major champions like Jannik Sinner and world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz speaking up about the heavy workload, Daniil Medvedev has now added his voice to that growing conversation. He played 64 matches during the 2025 season, finishing with a 41-23 record.

After cruising past Stan Wawrinka 6-2, 6-3 on Wednesday at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, Medvedev was asked what he would change to make the schedule more manageable. His answer was rather radical. He suggested that ranking points should be limited to Grand Slams and Masters 1000 events, believing that such a move could significantly shorten the tour.

“That’s the only way to make the tour shorter,” Daniil Medvedev said. “It’s never going to happen because there are licenses, and the ATP won’t have enough money to buy all of them. The other tournaments won’t say, ‘OK, we’re out,’ because they would lose money. It’s business. Right now, with how the ATP Tour is, it’s never going to change, at least while I’m playing.”

“Make it four Grand Slams … 11 Masters. The others, maybe make them without points,” he suggested.

In his view, that would naturally shorten the season and take some of the pressure off players who feel compelled to compete week after week just to protect their ranking.

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He also pointed to the intense race to qualify for the ATP Finals in Turin, explaining how that chase pushes players to compete even when their bodies are worn down. As an example, he mentioned Holger Rune, who ruptured his Achilles tendon at an ATP 250 event in October.

“Everybody was like, ‘Yeah, but you don’t have to play it,’ but if he wants to be in Turin, he has to, even if it’s not a mandatory tournament,” Medvedev said.

The underlying message was simple: technically, players have a choice, but realistically, rankings and qualification goals often make that choice feel impossible.

Daniil Medvedev even reflected on his own schedule. “Last year, I played seven tournaments in a row. Did I have to? No. I played bad at the beginning of the year, maybe I can get 100 points here, 200 here. If there were no points, it’s an easier decision.”

But is his proposal truly realistic, and would it actually benefit everyone on tour, from rising juniors to established veterans?

That’s where the debate really begins. While top-ranked players might welcome fewer ranking-point events, younger and rising players likely wouldn’t feel the same.

After all, ATP 500 and 250 tournaments are critical stepping stones. Removing points from those events would make it much harder for emerging players to climb the rankings and would significantly reduce the value of those tournaments. It’s also an interesting stance from Medvedev himself…

The former world No. 1 hasn’t enjoyed his strongest results at recent Grand Slams and currently sits outside the top 10. He reached the fourth round of this year’s Australian Open after a second-round exit in 2025, followed by first-round losses at the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open.

From that perspective, his frustration with the schedule is understandable, even if his proposed solution may not be the perfect fix.

ATP moves to cut tournament load, unlike Daniil Medvedev’s ‘No Points’ plan

The packed tennis calendar has been a talking point for years, but just last month, the ATP Tour finally responded with a meaningful change.

Under the new update, the number of mandatory tournaments has been reduced. Instead of playing five ATP 500 events each season, players will now be required to compete in only four. That adjustment is especially significant for the Top 30 players, who already juggle four Grand Slams, nine Masters 1000 tournaments, and the ATP Finals, if they qualify.

And there’s more. The ATP also confirmed that the maximum number of tournaments counting toward ranking points will drop from 19 to 18.

That may seem like a small tweak, but it gives players a bit more breathing room, an opportunity to rest without feeling like they’re slipping behind in the rankings. The move, the ATP said, was designed “to create more scheduling flexibility.”

Beyond the calendar changes, the tour has introduced policies focused on players’ personal lives and overall well-being. One key update ensures that players who withdraw from a tournament due to the birth or adoption of a child will keep the ranking points they’ve already earned. That way, new parents won’t feel pressured to cram extra events into their schedule just to protect their standing.

So, do you agree with Daniil Medvedev’s idea to remove ranking points from smaller tournaments, or would that hurt rising players more?