Emma Raducanu has come under some scrutiny from the tennis community after sharing her controversial views on the calendar.
After all, this is a touchy subject within the sport, given how vocal so many players have been for many years now about wanting change.
They argue that the physical toll put on their bodies, combined with the painfully short off-season, makes for a horrendous combination that is provoking more injuries.
And yet, despite this being a view widely held by many top players across both the ATP and WTA tours, Emma Raducanu has recently emerged to disagree.
Emma Raducanu tells other players to stop complaining about the schedule
Speaking to Serve earlier this week, the British number one delivered her controversial comments on the tennis schedule in emphatic fashion.
She began by admitting: “I don’t necessarily think the WTA calendar is something to complain about.”
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Raducanu continued: “We are making a great living as well. It’s not all glamorous; there are times when it’s very difficult, and we are flagging mentally and physically. If we put up a front that isn’t complaining, I think that is a better example to the people watching, trying to get into tennis, the younger people.
“If they see all the top players moaning about the calendar, I don’t think that’s necessarily inspiring to look up to.”
Recently, Raducanu also shared what she’d been working on with Francisco Roig, as they seek to add key elements to her game to turn her into a genuine threat in 2026.
Why Martina Navratilova completely disagreed with Emma Raducanu in 2002
Unsurprisingly, this is a stance that many would not agree with.
After all, Iga Swiatek has complained about the tennis schedule at length, whilst Carlos Alcaraz has echoed her sentiment too.
However, this is not a new issue. It is a plight that has impacted generation after generation of tennis players, and in 2001, Martina Navratilova sought to emphasise that.
Speaking to The Independent, she admitted: “We don’t have an offseason. That has been the biggest problem. You have to create your offseason.
“We don’t have an off–season where you can take three months off and not worry about anyone else getting ahead and you have to catch up. It’s very tricky.
“There are a bunch of reasons why this is happening. One is that the system, the way it is set up right now, the players are playing more than they want to.
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“It’s one thing for a player ranked 20th to play 20 tournaments a year, it’s another thing for a player ranked No. 2 or No. 3 to do it because you’re playing 80, 85 matches and that’s just too much.”
Whilst Raducanu is likely trying to be a better, more reliable role model for the next generation, she has likely frustrated many of her peers who are more aligned with Navratilova’s way of thinking.
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