Novak Djokovic is completely wrong - players are put at risk and need emergency action

Novak Djokovic thinks his fellow players should do more to fix the unrelenting schedule. Tennis, unlike most major sports, does not have a break that lasts several months, and the schedule is putting players in danger. But surely tennis' governing bodies should be the ones to protect their most prized assets, not the top stars themselves, who are fighting for valuable ranking points seemingly every week of the year.

This is not a new problem in the sport, but only exacerbated by Jack Draper and Taylor Fritz's online pleas for more support. Last week, Emma Raducanu ended her season early due to health issues and images of Holger Rune crying on the court after suffering an Achilles rupture at the Nordic Open. His mother lashed out at the ATP Tour over what she deemed to be "unreasonable" tournament requirements.

Unfortunately, they are not the first or last players to suffer the consequences of an ever-growing calendar.

But Djokovic, who has significantly trimmed his schedule in recent years, thinks that the onus should be on top stars to force much-needed change.

"In the end, as a player and someone that has been playing on the highest level for more than 20 years, I can say that the players are not united enough," he claimed last month. "Players are not participating enough when they should be. So they make the comments and they complain, and then they go away. And then if something is wrong, after a certain amount of time they come back again.

"But you have to invest the time, you have to invest energy yourself, not your agent, not your team, not your parents, not anybody, yourself, to dedicate yourself to understand how the system works, to understand what are the things that can be done to be reversed, to be improved in terms of the players' interest.

"For that to happen, you need the top players, particularly, you know, to sit down, roll up their sleeves, and really care a bit more about participating in understanding all of the hot topics, I would say.

"Because going out in the media and talking about this and that, okay, it might stir up some energy or some attention. But in the end of the day it's not going to change, nothing is going to change, you know? I know it from my personal experience, trust me. So, yeah, it's quite a complex topic."

He is referring to the expansive list of players who have called for change, including Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek, through press conferences and social media, but they continue to play the same events.

These players want to compete, though. It's in their DNA. How often have we seen a visibly injured player refuse to retire just to play out a match they are likely to lose?

They need help from those who can make a significant change from above.

Players have been leading voices advocating for an overhaul in the calendar for years, but their pleas have fallen on deaf ears. What more can they do but ask for help?

Many think that they could skip tournaments and prioritise rest. That might be palpable for Djokovic, Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, who do not have to fret about ranking points and seeding at Grand Slams.

But they are the 0.01 per cent of players, everyone else has to put themselves in the best possible position to succeed. Pulling out of events could have detrimental effects on who they play at these Majors and the difference between being a seed or not.

They need emergency intervention from above. Tournaments won't voluntarily take themselves off the calendar to help players rest, they pay a lot of money on licenses and have no motivation to opt out early.

Those at the very top of tennis don't want fewer matches, but the quality on court is at risk of being hindered and long-term injuries to those pushing their limits are becoming increasingly frequent.

In fact, a new ATP Masters 1000 was just announced today in Saudi Arabia and will begin as early as 2028. Another tournament that players will be heavily incentivised to compete in.

There is a breaking point and tennis is dangerously close to reaching it. Your favourite star should not have to decide between playing tournaments and their own health. There is no other option but for the sport's authorities to step in and design a more player-friendly calendar.