Craig Tiley will step into his new role as the CEO of the United States Tennis Association later this year.
After a 13-year stint in charge of Tennis Australia, Tiley is set to become the top decision-maker in American tennis.
During a special live edition of ‘Served with Andy Roddick‘, Tiley outlined his plans for the future, including an attempt to overhaul the tennis calendar.
Craig Tiley calls for tennis to introduce a ‘legitimate off-season’
“I’m not going to shy away from the fact that at the top level of the game, I’ve always believed that, from a player, and a player’s health perspective, there needs to be a legitimate off-season and a season of preparation,” said Tiley.
“It’s on the decision-makers in the sport to make that happen.
“To get the decision-makers together to make that happen is a very difficult task, so that has to happen.”
Players have complained about the lack of an off-season for years, and rightly so.
Between the end of the 2025 season and the beginning of the 2026 season, no player ranked inside the top-10 enjoyed more than 70 days off.
ATP top 10 and their ‘off-season’ length
| Rank | Name | Last match of 2025 season | First match of 2026 season | ‘Off-season’ |
| 1 | Carlos Alcaraz | November 16 (LOSS – ATP Finals F vs Jannik Sinner) | January 18 (WIN – Australian Open 1R vs Adam Walton) | 61 days |
| 2 | Jannik Sinner | November 16 (WIN – ATP Finals F vs Carlos Alcaraz) | January 20 (WIN – Australian Open 1R vs Hugo Gaston) | 63 days |
| 3 | Alexander Zverev | November 22 (WIN – Davis Cup SF vs Jaume Munar) | January 4 (WIN – United Cup RR vs Tallon Griekspoor) | 41 days |
| 4 | Novak Djokovic | November 8 (WIN – Hellenic Championship F vs Lorenzo Musetti) | January 19 (WIN – Australian Open 1R vs Pedro Martinez) | 70 days |
| 5 | Lorenzo Musetti | November 13 (LOSS – ATP Finals RR vs Carlos Alcaraz) | January 7 (WIN – Hong Kong Open 2R | 53 days |
| 6 | Alex de Minaur | November 15 (LOSS – ATP Finals SF vs Jannik Sinner) | January 3 (LOSS – United Cup RR vs Casper Ruud) | 47 days |
| 7 | Felix Auger-Aliassime | November 15 (LOSS – ATP Finals SF vs Carlos Alcaraz) | January 4 (WIN – United Cup RR vs Zhang Zhizhen) | 48 days |
| 8 | Ben Shelton | November 14 (LOSS – ATP Finals RR vs Jannik Sinner) | January 13 (WIN – ASB Classic 2R vs Francisco Comesana) | 58 days |
| 9 | Taylor Fritz | November 13 (LOSS – ATP Finals RR vs Alex de Minaur) | January 3 (LOSS – United Cup RR vs Sebastian Baez) | 49 days |
| 10 | Daniil Medvedev | October 31 (LOSS – Paris Masters QF vs Alexander Zverev) | January 5 (WIN – Brisbane International 1R vs Marton Fucsovics) | 64 days |
Germany’s Alexander Zverev had one of the shortest off-seasons, with 41 days, but theoretically, a player could have had even less time off.
If someone played the final of the 2025 Davis Cup and the opening match of the 2026 United Cup, they would have had just 38 non-playing days to rest.
The lack of an off-season is clearly a major issue, but Tiley isn’t stopping there.
“At the same time, for us to be a truly global sport, we need to build a narrative both commercially and from a player’s perspective, that everyone knows where the players are going,” he said.
“You know where the four Grand Slams are, but do you know, does the general audience around the world know what happens in between them and where the players are?
Tiers of ATP tournaments
- Grand Slams (4)
- ATP Finals (1)
- Masters 1000 (9)
- ATP 500 (16)
- ATP 250 (30)
“You can’t really understand it.
“So I know there are good people working towards it, but we’ve got to move quicker to make that happen.
“At the top level, if a young kid can see aspirationally what they need to do, what the story is, what it means year-round, do they get an off-season, it becomes more interesting and more enticing to pick tennis as a sport that you want to play.
“I’m not going to shy away from that narrative, and I’ll keep beating the drum on shifting it, and I’ll probably be right in the thick of it trying to make it happen, and I have no problem taking big swings.”
Tiley has big ambitions, but only time will tell if he can change the tennis calendar…
Which events are being held this month?
The busy tennis calendar is only getting busier, and there is plenty to look out for this month.
WTA calendar (April 2026)
| Week beginning | Tournament | Location | Tier | 2025 Champion |
| March 30 | Charleston Open | Charleston, USA | WTA 500 | Jessica Pegula |
| March 30 | Copa Colsanitas | Bogota, Colombia | WTA 250 | Marie Bouzkova |
| April 6 | Linz Open | Linz, Austria | WTA 500 | – |
| April 13 | Stuttgart Open | Stuttgart, Germany | WTA 500 | – |
| April 13 | Open de Rouen | Rouen, France | WTA 250 | – |
| April 20 | Madrid Open | Madrid, Spain | WTA 1000 | – |
ATP calendar (April 2026)
| Week beginning | Tournament | Location | Tier | Champion |
| March 30 | U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championships | Houston, USA | ATP 250 | Tommy Paul |
| March 30 | Grand Prix Hassan II | Marrakesh, Morocco | ATP 250 | Rafael Jodar |
| March 30 | Romanian Open | Bucharest, Romania | ATP 250 | Mariano Navone |
| April 6 | Monte Carlo Masters | Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France | Masters 1000 | – |
| April 13 | Barcelona Open | Barcelona, Spain | ATP 500 | – |
| April 13 | Bavarian International Tennis Championships | Munich, Germany | ATP 500 | – |
| April 20 | Madrid Open | Madrid, Spain | Masters 1000 | – |
Action continues at the Linz Open and the Monte Carlo Masters this week.
