Carlos Alcaraz has been proven correct as Jack Draper withdraws from two tournaments ahead of the US Open

Jack Draper’s 2025 hard-court swing has misfired before takeoff.

The British number one was due to play in the Toronto Open and Cincinnati Open across July and August; two extremely important Masters 1000 tournaments that serve as excellent preparation for the US Open.

On Monday, Draper confirmed he has suffered an injury to his left arm. On X [Twitter] he said: “After Wimbledon I picked up an injury in my left arm, nothing serious, but I have to make sure it recovers fully for the rest of the season.

“Unfortunately, I won’t be able to compete in Toronto and Cincinnati…. See you in NYC!

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This announcement was posted on the same day Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner confirmed that they will also miss the Toronto Open.

Various players, including Alexander Zverev and Alex de Minaur, have raised concerns regarding the ATP Tour schedule, specifically regarding burnout for players and a potential greater chance of injury.

Carlos Alcaraz, who commented on the discussion in 2024, has been proven correct after Draper’s withdrawals on Sunday afternoon.

Carlos Alcaraz said players would have to skip tournaments to take care of their bodies

Speaking to Punto de Break in September 2024, Alcaraz noted that he had played many matches in 2024 and experienced being injured on tour for the first time.

During the interview, the Spaniard criticised the ATP Tour schedule. He said: “It has been a tough season, I have played fewer tournaments than other players, but many matches.

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“I have experienced new things like being injured and coming back to the circuit afterwards.

“The season’s become long physically and mentally, and these tournaments help me feel like myself on the court again. There are few commitments left until the end of the year, but I am very eager to gradually feel better.

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“Many believe that this is a good calendar, but others think there are too many mandatory tournaments and there will probably be years with even more.

“In a way, they are killing us.

“Right now, there are many players injured due to the calendar and other factors, but at some point, there will be players who will have to skip tournaments because they have to take care of their bodies, families, and other aspects of life besides tennis.”

When considering the withdrawals of Draper, Djokovic and Sinner, Alcaraz has been proven entirely correct. Tennis fans want to see the best players in the world competing at the biggest tournaments, and if players are being forced to prioritise one tournament over another, a scheduling rethink may be necessary.

Do players need to reconsider their schedules first?

Criticising the ATP Tour schedule cannot be done without examining the choices made by players of their own volition.

Andrea Gaudenzi, Executive Chairman of the ATP Tour, spoke to French outlet L’Equipe in December 2024, to discuss the concerns players had raised about scheduling.

He said: “It’s not like football or basketball where they are employed by a club. Our players are self-employed and can decide their schedule.

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“Yes, there is the ranking that makes them have to play, but it depends mainly on the big tournaments, the Grand Slams, the Masters 1000 and the ATP Finals. We decided to strengthen the Masters 1000, but in this new format, if you go to the final, you only play one more game compared to the old one.

“In addition, players choose to play many exhibitions outside the circuit. We don’t see that in other sports. The question is whether you want to invest in the circuit or outside the circuit.

“Reduce the season? Yes, but it will then be necessary to reduce the number of ATP 250 tournaments. Afterwards, players can also decide to do fewer exhibitions and spend more time at home to rest.”

These points are valid. Alcaraz competed in various exhibition tournaments in 2024, including the Six Kings Slam, the Netflix Slam with Rafael Nadal and the Laver Cup. Alcaraz was recently warned not to be ‘stupid’: entering more exhibitions before having a chance to complete the career Grand Slam at the 2026 Australian Open.

Dan Evans’ previous comments regarding scheduling

Former British number one, Dan Evans, has also previously hit out at those complaining about the scheduling.

During an interview with BBC Sport at the 2025 Queen’s Club Championships, Evans said: “I think first and foremost we’re in a fortunate position.

“When I hear about the schedule [complaints], these guys don’t have to play every week. You are allowed to not play. The reason they play is so they pick up their bonus pool.

“We’ve got to be careful moaning about it, we have a lot of work, which is good. There’s lots of people in the world struggling for work, so we have to be careful harping on about the tough schedule.

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“We are allowed to take weeks off, we are independent contractors, so that’s where I stand on it.”

After beating Frances Tiafoe in London, Evans again discussed the situation. He said: “Everybody is entitled to their opinion on the schedule, but the tour has been like that for however many years.

“The top, top guys schedule properly, and that’s, you know, that’s I guess what’s part of the issue, I imagine, is how people schedule how many weeks they want to play, how many weeks they don’t want to play.

“Me personally, I see the weeks before Grand Slams are way stronger than they were maybe ten years ago. There is more top players playing. I don’t know if that’s to try and pick up cheap points, but, you know, there are these massive teams now.

“They are allowed to have some input into it. There are loads of weeks in the year you can take off or train or whatnot. That’s up to them.

“Anybody outside the top 15 don’t have those views, because the bottom line is anybody outside the top 15 need to play every week. People need working opportunities. If you are at 60 in the world with more than two people on your staff each week, you need to make money.

“So you can’t just not have tournaments every week. They need tournaments. That’s it. Can’t just listen to the top guys on scheduling. Just because they are better than us at tennis doesn’t mean their voice is louder to talk.

“That’s what I’ll say. I’m more than happy to have the conversation with whoever wants it.”

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