Milos Raonic: major scheduling reform needed on ATP World Tour?

Milos Raonic retires after just eight minutes against Yuichi Sugita. The Canadian tennis star then spoke out about the current state of scheduling on tour.

Milos Raonic raises some points that the ATP World Tour may need to consider.

2017 has seen handfuls of top players in men’s singles tennis withdraw from tournaments due to injury. Several players such as Andy Murray, Stan Wawrinka, Novak Djokovic, and Kei Nishikori have all stepped away in order to recover before the 2018 tour.

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Raonic cruised past Viktor Troicki in his opening round match at the Japan Open. He then lasted just a single game against Yuichi Sugita before he was forced to retire due to injury.

Milos Raonic has missed the previous seven weeks due to wrist surgery.

Men’s singles tennis has seen a significant number of players miss time due to injury. The demanding travel, scheduling, and need to play more tournaments in order to remain atop the rankings has taken its toll.

As the current world No. 12 on the ATP World Tour, Raonic returned from his wrist injury in an effort to regain ground he lost over the last two months. He began his 2017 tour in the world No. 3 position before slipping after missing several tournaments.

"“Scheduling, the length of the year and how spread out – geographically and throughout the year – the tournaments are, especially the top tournaments for the top players, is something that deserves a second look. It’s hard to peak four times of the year for grand slams, let alone for other tournaments.” – Milos Raonic, Japan Open"

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The Canadian tennis star raises points that many are looking at this year. Amidst the slew of injuries to top players, former world No. 1’s Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have made their way to the top of the sport yet again. Some players are even considering a reduced schedule by choice, reflecting the way that both Nadal and Federer have treated their tours.

Federer and Nadal combine for all four Grand Slam titles in 2017.

Federer, for example, took time off during the clay court season in order to recover and gear up for the grass season. He would then return to win his eighth Wimbledon title.

Whether its tour-implemented change or personal scheduling choices, there is no doubt that all are considering varied approaches moving forward. If the ATP World Tour can provide a way for players to remain competitive in the rankings, and in front of the fans, everybody wins.

Meanwhile, several players continue to vie for the final spots at the end of year ATP Finals. Stay tuned to see how the action unfolds down the stretch.

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