But is it really true that in contemporary tennis there is too much play and that, as some are claiming, "they are killing tennis"? The recurring ailments of the two strongest players of the moment, our Jannik Sinner and his Spanish rival Carlos Alcaraz, one would think so: between vomiting on the pitch, illnesses, actual injuries or precautionary rests, the two have played less than 80 games in total this season so far (47 Sinner, 30 Alcaraz). The win percentage was very high for both, who despite always having one, still won a Slam each: the Italian won 93,6% of the matches played, Carlitos 86,7%.
Looking at their trajectory, therefore, there would actually be something to be said for to be alarmed by an increasingly exhausting tennis, especially at the highest level, but in all fairness, it should also be added that it's not true to say that the number of games played has exploded. Neither compared to the past, nor even compared to other players in the current Top 30. Perhaps it would be more correct to say that the intensity of the game has increased, and that Athletes need more recovery time during the seasonThe reality, however, is that only a handful of players in the top 30 of the ATP rankings have played more than 50 matches: Germany's Alexander Zverev, who has won two of his four Grand Slam titles and could finish the season as world number 1, has played 63 matches to date, Ben Shelton 52, Flavio Cobolli 50, Frances Tiafoe 59, Rafael Jodar 51, Tommy Paul 55, Luciano Darderi 56, Daniil Medvedev 50 and Brandon Nakashima 50.
The average of all the others remains in fact comparable to the numbers of Sinner and Alcaraz, so a relatively low number of games played Considering that we're almost at the end of the season: Joao Fonseca 32, Andrey Rublev 45, Lorenzo Musetti 31, Casper Ruud 39, Arthur Fils 43, Novak Djokovic is only 21, but in his case it's a choice due to his very advanced age. At the age of Sinner and Alcaraz, that is, in the prime of their careers, however, the Big Three of the previous generation played much more: at the same point in the season, i.e. mid-September, in 2012 Djokovic had played 54 matches, Rafa Nadal 60 matches in 2011 and Roger Federer 72 matches in 2006. Federer in 2004 even finished with 80 total matches, 74 wins and 6 losses; in 2006 he reached 97 matches (92-5).
Taking an average of the last seasons, it emerges that Sinner and Alcaraz play about fifteen tournaments a year, and fewer than 80 total matches. Djokovic and Nadal, as young players, averaged 18-20 tournaments per season, and always played over 80 matches, often around 90. Broadening the comparison to the ATP's top 20, twenty years ago they might play around 25 tournaments a year; today, they range between 18 and 22. A top 50 player today plays on average around 45-65 games per year; a top 50 player from 2005 to 2010 was often in the 55-75 range. At Sinner's current age, 25, how many tournaments had the Big Three played? Jannik 121 tournaments and 454 matches, Federer 159 tournaments and 590 matches, Nadal 153 and 640, Djokovic 141 and 575. And at Alcaraz's current age, 23? Carlos 93 tournaments and 375 matches, Federer 127 and 410, Nadal 119 and 475, Djokovic 109 and 415.
We play harder, obviously, but we play less. The real problem seems to be the intensity of the game and above all the conditions, starting with the ballsThe issue is twofold: they change practically every tournament, and according to the players themselves, they are too light and soft, so to gain power you have to hit harder, placing greater strain on muscles and joints. Furthermore, some experts believe that tournament surfaces have been slowed down and homogenized (although opinions and findings are conflicting on this), which leads to longer and therefore more wearing rallies. Some upper-body injuries, such as those of Alcaraz and Draper, are ultimately due to lighter racquets and stiffer strings, which impart force through the arm. The result is that in the first part of the 2026 season, compared to the average of the previous 7 years, upper-body injuries increased by 42%, and arm injuries by 112%. Match retirements increased by 53% and re-injuries by 55%.
