Professional tennis players only have a short time to relax each year. This is also a concern for Germany’s ace Eva Lys.
Eva Lys feels that the international tennis calendar is far too full. The top German player is not only talking about physical strain, but also mental strain.
“We have a lot of injuries—and I don’t want to use the word burnout, but we have a lot of players who just can’t do it anymore, who don’t have the mental capacity because it’s just too much,” the 23-year-old said in an interview with the Sport1 platform.
“The tour is much too long”
Lys is not alone in her criticism. Other professionals had also previously called for the calendar to be streamlined. For Lys, one thing is clear: “The tour is far too long.” In other sports, there is an off-season “when nothing happens.” In tennis, however, this is “far too short.” According to the current world number 40, vacations are only possible for “two weeks.”
Lys also criticized the public image of women’s tennis. Compared to the men’s tour, she sees significant deficits, especially on social media. “I think what Tennis TV does is great, and that’s completely missing in women’s tennis,” Lys explained. Yet there are also “incredible rallies” among the women. In some cases, the sport is even “faster because we stand very close to the line.” That’s why the rallies are “at least as exciting as in men’s tennis.”