There is a further scheduling matter that requires our collective focus after a year of complaints from players.
This year, Carlos Alcaraz, Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff are just some of the players who have vocalised concerns regarding the relentless nature of their respective schedules.
Swiatek, who has frequently voiced her concerns, has hinted at skipping some WTA events in 2026.
However, there is another matter that requires addressing – a matter that has not been discussed widely in recent memory.
Both the ATP Tour and WTA Tour’s schedules for 2026 favour hard-court play to a worrying extent.
The grass-court season on the ATP and WTA Tours should be extended
The structures of the professional tennis tours are incredibly imbalanced.
Going into 2026, both the ATP Tour and WTA Tour have schedules that heavily favour players more comfortable on hard courts.
Excluding tournaments that do not contribute to ATP points totals, there will be 35 ATP Tour hard-court events in 2026.
Comparatively, there will be 19 clay-court tournaments and only seven events taking place on grass.
The WTA Tour’s schedule paints an even bleaker picture. In 2026, the schedule includes 36 hard-court events, 12 clay-court tournaments, and seven on grass.
| Surface | Number of tournaments in 2026 |
| Hard | 36 |
| Clay | 12 |
| Grass | 7 |
Simply put, the two Tours are both dominated by hard-court play. The grass season, which only lasts for around a month across June and July, should be extended through to the US Open, which begins at the end of August.
Hard-court play dominates most of the tennis schedule. Sacrificing some hard-court play for the grass would provide a better balance and give those who favour the grass surface a better chance of performing well across the year.
As it stands, there are no Masters 1000 or WTA 1000 events on grass.
A new Masters 1000 tournament is set to be held in Saudi Arabia in 2028. Yet again, the tournament will be a hard-court event.
In April, Andy Roddick vocalised his support for having a Masters 1000 event on grass, but also noted why this may not be possible.
On ‘Served’, Roddick said: “The other thing about having a Masters on grass, yes I wanted that forever. It should be the case.”
“The courts at the end of Wimbledon are trashed, the wear and tear of them, you can’t practice on them as a seeded player.”
“Roger Federer, the time he was going for his sixth win, could practice exactly 45 minutes a day on the outer courts of Wimbledon.
“You don’t get on stadium like you do at the other [Slams], it’s untenable on grass.”
Alex de Minaur called for more grass court tournaments in 2024
Speaking at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships, top 10 star Alex de Minaur expressed his love for grass courts.
He told the Tennis Channel: “I love the grass. In Australia from a young age, there’s such a rich history and culture of playing on the grass.
“There’s plenty of grass courts. I remember from the very first time I stepped on a grass court, I convinced myself that it was going to be my favourite surface. I had watched Wimbledon growing up, many, many years and I just knew that there was something special about the grass and it’s treated me well so far.
He added: “It’s still my favourite [surface]. It’s a shame there are not more tournaments. Therefore, I don’t know if I can say it’s where I’ve had my best results as there are less tournaments. But it’s something I always enjoy.
