US star Jessica Pegula to lead fight for changes to ‘insane’ women’s tennis schedule

Jessica Pegula, the 2024 US Open runner-up, is set to lead a new 13-person panel tasked with proposing significant changes to the women's tennis calendar, ranking points regulations, and mandatory event participation.

The initiative was announced in a letter sent on Tuesday by WTA Tour chair Valerie Camillo to players and tournament officials.

The move comes after years of persistent complaints from both male and female tennis players regarding the sport's demanding schedule, which often features an excessively long season, a truncated off-season, and other factors contributing to injuries and player burnout.

Ms Camillo stated that the newly formed Tour Architecture Council would submit its recommendations to the WTA Board, with the hope of implementing a revised structure by 2027.

"There has been a clear sentiment across the Tour that the current calendar does not feel sustainable for players given the physical, professional, and personal pressures of competing at the highest level," wrote Ms Camillo, who assumed her role in November, in the letter, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press.

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Ms Camillo’s letter outlined that the council would initially "focus first on areas where the WTA has direct authority to drive change, while also identifying longer-term opportunities that will require broader coordination across the sport."

This broader coordination would eventually involve collaboration with the ATP men's tour and the four Grand Slam tournaments, she clarified in a telephone interview.

"We are very open to looking broadly at a host of potential solutions to this. The idea is: We go in there with a very open mind and open dialogue," Ms Camillo told the AP.

"We’re not going to solve the entire world (immediately)... The reason we don’t want to wait for, ‘Hey, let’s do this as a collective system’, (is) we want to be timely, we want to be focused on making an immediate impact."

World No 5 Pegula, a 31-year-old American, will chair the council and possesses "a unique perspective as a top player (and is) widely respected for her thoughtful, collaborative approach," Ms Camillo noted.

Last year, Pegula herself highlighted the sport's rigours, stating: "It’s one of the toughest sports, just when you combine, not just the physicality of it, but the schedule, the loneliness, the mental side, how tough it is to go out there and compete, week-in and week-out, by yourself."

The strain on players was recently underscored by the withdrawals of world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka and No 2 Iga Swiatek from this week’s WTA event in Dubai.

In January, during a pre-Australian Open tournament, Sabalenka had indicated plans to skip some tour stops "to protect my body”, adding that "the season is definitely insane."

Alongside Pegula, the council includes active players Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, a two-time Australian Open champion; Maria Sakkari of Greece, a two-time Grand Slam semi-finalist; and Katie Volynets of the US.

The panel also features Ms Camillo, WTA CEO Portia Archer, three other tour officials, agent Anja Vreg, tournament organiser Bob Moran, Asia-Pacific representative Laura Ceccarelli, and Alastair Garland from Octagon Tennis.