The grueling tennis schedule has fans thrilled with nonstop action almost year-round but for the players? It’s an exhausting ride. With 9-10 months of intense tournaments, the toll on athletes is undeniable, and criticism of the relentless WTA calendar has been simmering for a while. Enter Rennae Stubbs, former coach of Serena Williams and a voice unafraid to speak her mind.

The Australian coach and former player engaged in an interaction on the October 30th episode of The Rennae Stubbs Podcast. She deliberated on a wide range of factors including the recently concluded and ongoing tournaments and also spoke about the schedule of the year that has continued to be in the limelight. Answering a question from a fan who asked for Stubbs’ perspective on the mandatory tournaments, the 53-year-old explained that while these are necessary, the frequency and the duration of the tournaments must be looked into. 

Stubbs highlighted that it becomes difficult for players to participate and fare well in back-to-back mandatory tournaments and pointed out scheduling challenges. Speaking on the podcast, Stubbs rhetorically questioned, “How many times have we seen a player win in Canada and they come and win in Cincinnati?”  Answering it, she shared, “It’s a rarity. It’s really hard to do so and you know those tournaments suggest tough and you want to win a lot of money, there’s a lot of money.” 

Continuing further, she shared that money no matter tends to influence the top players and hence, the schedule has to be carved out wisely, signaling that despite the huge money that might be at stake, players can choose to stay from the tournament. “You have to remember, these players, the top players are making millions and millions and millions off the court. They don’t need to go play tennis to make money. Not anymore. So you have to be better strategically weave the calendar.” she shared. For those unaware, the top players are mandated to compete in 21 tournaments which include 4 Grand Slams, 10 WTA 1000 tournaments, 6 WTA 500 events, and the WTA finals. However, the spontaneous organization of these tournaments sometimes takes a toll on the players who are forced to withdraw from such tournaments. 

Point to note, this is not the first time when Stubbs has pointed out the scheduling challenges. In a recent episode of the same podcast, Stubbs said, “Scheduling is killing everybody. You know, I do remember having to go to Europe after the US Open, Asia is like another it’s just, it’s just an added right? It’s more hours.” And it’s not just Stubbs who points out the challenges. Another vocal name who has been criticizing the WTA schedule is the former World No. 1 Iga Swiatek.

“Makes tennis less fun for us,” Iga Swiatek feared burnout due to scheduling

Iga Swiatek has expressed her concerns about scheduling time and again. She has continued to highlight how back-to-back tournaments take a toll on the players physically as well as mentally, thereby making the sport less fun for them.

After winning her quarterfinal match at the Cincinnati Masters said, “I think we have too many tournaments in the season. It’s not going to end well. It makes tennis less fun for us.” She reiterated her stance ahead of the US Open as well during an interview with Eurosports. “I do not expect that I will ever rest 100 percent at this point in the season, or that I will feel fresh. With our calendar, it is simply impossible. There are many tournaments, they are extended and there is not much time for regeneration, “ the Polish star had said. 

As the current season draws to a close soon, it would be interesting to see if the organizers would take a lesson from these remarks and make the schedule more player-friendly the next season.