Following his second-round victory at the U.S. Open, Carlos Alcaraz announced plans to take extended breaks from the professional tennis circuit. The Spaniard, who recently returned after a four-and-a-half-month layoff due to injury, revealed his intention to build one- to two-month breaks into his future schedule to manage the demanding ATP calendar.
"I don’t want to have this break because (of) an injury," Alcaraz told reporters Wednesday, "but in the future, I’m going to take some breaks, some long breaks. Maybe not four months, but one month, two months, missing some tournaments, because it’s impossible to play them all."
Alcaraz expressed concern over the increasing number of mandatory tournaments and the toll it takes on players, leading to frequent injuries and fatigue. He noted that the professional tennis season is one of the most rigorous in sports, with short turnarounds between the end of one season and the beginning of the next.
The 2024 season concluded on December 22 with the ATP Next Gen Finals, and the 2025 season began just five days later on December 27 with the United Cup in Australia. This rapid succession leaves little recovery time for players.
Alcaraz, who secured his second-round win against Jaime Faria with a 4-6, 6-0, 6-3, 6-2 scoreline, felt healthy enough to compete at the U.S. Open, his first competitive matches since his injury layoff. The 23-year-old, a seven-time Grand Slam champion, will face Y.B. Wu in the third round.
His statements suggest a growing sentiment among players regarding the need for schedule reform. Several other players, including Jannik Sinner, Arthur Fils, Casper Ruud, Taylor Fritz, and Joao Fonseca, have also faced injuries throughout the year, which Alcaraz suggested could be linked to the strenuous schedule.