Emma Raducanu’s former mentor and tennis commentator, Mark Petchey, recently spoke out against players publicly criticizing the tennis calendar. The former pro also referenced Jannik Sinner, challenging the top players’ concerns over the tour schedule.
Several top players have increasingly raised concerns over the tour schedule, a worry further heightened by the surge in injuries. Prominent stars raising alarms include six-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz, Iga Świątek, two-time Major winner Coco Gauff, and World No.3 Alexander Zverev, among others.
Mark Petchey Cites Jannik Sinner’s Case While Questioning Top Players’ Scheduling Concerns
Even amid the sweltering conditions at the China Open and following Camila Osorio’s third-round withdrawal due to an abdominal injury, Świątek highlighted concerns over the calendar and its toll on players during her press conference. Several other top players, including Zverev and Alcaraz, have also used press conferences to speak publicly on the grueling calendar.
However, this trend hasn’t sat well with Petchey, who recently voiced his opinion on X. The 55-year-old criticized top players for publicly attacking the tour, calling it a poor commercial move. He argued that true tennis fans will watch regardless, while complaints from wealthy players risk alienating viewers and undermining appreciation for the demanding schedule.
“Players/team members firebombing their own tour publicly is a bad, if not suicidal, commercial strategy. People that love tennis will watch tennis. People who don’t love tennis, won’t watch a sport where multi-millionaires moan. It’s a turn off. Most would happily embrace the grind that is currently being torched,” he wrote.
Players/team members firebombing their own tour publicly is a bad, if not suicidal, commercial strategy.
People that love tennis will watch tennis. People who don’t love tennis, won’t watch a sport where multi-millionaires moan. It’s a turn off. Most would happily embrace the…
— Mark Petchey (@_markpetchey) October 21, 2025
Petchey also referenced four-time Major champion Sinner’s situation. The Italian served a three-month suspension starting in February, nearly a year after testing positive for the banned substance clostebol. Despite the hiatus, Sinner maintained his ATP ranking and currently sits at No. 2 in the race to the ATP Finals in Turin.
Petchey pointed out that players can certainly manage their schedules, with the only consequence being a reduced share of the bonus pools.
“You can’t grow the sport by dropping grenades in the press. Sinner missed 3 months of the tour. 4 Masters events and is 2 in the race. You have a choice how much you want to play in reality. You just lose a share in the bonus pools. You aren’t forced to do anything when you look at it like that,” he added.
Overall, the 55-year-old strongly opposed players’ public criticism of the tour schedule, cautioning that such outcries could harm the sport. With player grievances mounting, the question now is what adjustments, if any, the tour will implement.
