The WTA schedule debate intensifies after a wave of high-profile withdrawals exposed the toll of the back-to-back stretch in Qatar and Dubai. Players have openly questioned the relentless pace of the early-season calendar. Yet amid the backlash, discussions are gaining momentum around adding another marquee stop, a potential Monte Carlo Masters, to an already crowded tour.

Speaking to L’Equipe, Monte Carlo Masters tournament director David Massey discussed the possibility of adding a WTA event. He made it clear that talks are still in the early stages.

“A women’s draw? We are open to it. It’s still a project, perhaps in the future. We have not advanced anything,” he added.

He also confirmed that the idea has been explored internally. “It has been discussed, perhaps holding a WTA and ATP tournament simultaneously,” Massey added about the clay court tournament.

However, he explained that several conditions must be met first. The current calendar leaves very little room for expansion.

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“For that, we need more days. We remain open to it, but it is not the plan for now. It depends on the calendar. We need more weeks between Miami (March 17–28) and our tournament, and adding more days. It will be a long-term project.”

During the men’s Monte Carlo Masters, the WTA calendar currently features only one event. The Linz Open in Austria runs at the same time as the first clay-court Masters 1000 event of the season.

The Linz tournament offers 500 ranking points. That is half of what the Monte Carlo champion earns on the ATP side. Previous champions in Linz include Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka. Ekaterina Alexandrova is the most recent winner.

Monte Carlo once had a strong history in women’s tennis. The Principality previously hosted both men’s and women’s events during the same period.

In 1982, Monte Carlo staged a 32-player women’s draw. Former Romanian tennis star Virginia Ruzici won the title that year, and no official women’s event has been held in Monaco since then.

Because of Monte Carlo, ATP players have three Masters tournaments during the clay season. On the WTA side, Madrid and Rome remain the only 1000-level clay events.

Massey also defended the current structure of the tournament. “We are happy with the current format, with a 56-player draw. Paris and we are the only two Masters 1000 tournaments organized this way. It gives an extremely competitive first round, more than a Grand Slam or other tournaments where you can progress slowly,” Massey said.

Monte Carlo remains one of the two one-week Masters events with a 56-player draw. This year’s 129th edition of the tournament in the Principality is scheduled from April 5 to 12.

It is still unclear whether a future women’s draw would carry WTA 1000 status or be a lower-tier event. If it moves forward without careful calendar planning, the ongoing scheduling concerns on the WTA Tour could intensify again in the long term.

WTA players repeatedly criticize the tour’s demanding schedule structure

The WTA’s top players must follow a demanding schedule each season. They are required to play 20 tournaments every year. These include the four Grand Slams, ten WTA 1000 events, and six WTA 500 tournaments. All ten WTA 1000 events are mandatory for top-ranked players.

There are limited ways to withdraw from an event. Players must be on site and submit a WTA Medical Information Form to the tour’s medical staff. If needed, a player can retire during a match. After that, they meet tournament doctors to assess the injury or illness.

The 2026 Dubai Championships have highlighted the scheduling pressure. The tournament has turned into a clear example of the tour’s growing workload problem. By the quarterfinal stage, 23 players had withdrawn or retired. This list included four players from the top 10.

The latest exit came from 2026 Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina. She retired in the third set of her round-of-16 match against Antonia Ružić.

Players have complained about the heavy calendar for years. In January, world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka called the schedule “insane” and said she planned to skip some events this season.

Coco Gauff has also supported concerns raised by Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek. Speaking about penalties for withdrawals, she said, “I don’t think it’s fair for players to get docked points. I think, if anything, we should have an optional 1000 like the men do with Monte-Carlo.”

Her comments came after a debate over docking ranking points for late withdrawals.  To address the issue, the WTA recently announced the Tour Architecture Council. The 13-member group is led by world No. 5 Jessica Pegula.

For now, the future calendar remains uncertain. If another Master ‘s-level event is added, the schedule could become even tougher for players.

The key question remains open. Should the WTA expand with another Masters event, or focus on reducing the load? Share your thoughts below.