Jessica Pegula is leading the charge to fix tennis’s punishing calendar.
The WTA has formed a 13-person Tour Architecture Council, announced by chair Valerie Camillo, to rethink scheduling, rankings points and mandatory-event rules with a clear focus on player health and sustainable seasons.
Why the Calendar Needs Fixing
Players have long complained the season runs too long and the off-season is too short, a combination blamed for higher injury rates and mental fatigue among competitors who travel constantly across time zones and surfaces throughout the year.
Camillo’s letter makes clear the council will take practical steps first, concentrating on issues the WTA can change without waiting for consensus across the entire sport, so that the Tour can pilot measures and then scale what works.
She told The Associated Press that the intent is to be timely and focused, not to delay action while seeking a perfect global agreement, and that the WTA hopes a revised calendar and supporting rules could be approved 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,”
Valerie Camillo
Who Is On The Council
At the center of the player contingent is American Jessica Pegula, the 2024 U.S. Open runner-up and No. 5 in the world, tapped because she combines top-level playing experience with a reputation for practical collaboration and solutions-oriented thinking.
The active-player roster also includes Victoria Azarenka, a two-time Australian Open champion, and Maria Sakkari, a two-time Grand Slam semifinalist, with rising American Katie Volynets representing younger players and currently appearing as No. 96 on the Tour.
The panel mixes player voices with executives and commercial partners: Camillo and WTA CEO Portia Archer join agent and player-board chair Anja Vreg, promoter Bob Moran, Laura Ceccarelli for Asia-Pacific tournaments and Alastair Garland of Octagon Tennis.
What Changes Might Come
Initial recommendations are expected to target levers the WTA controls directly, such as adjustments to ranking point distributions and clearer rules around mandatory events that influence travel, tournament selection and the length of player seasons.
Camillo told the AP, “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.” That language signals a willingness to pilot targeted fixes rather than wait for a universal agreement.
The urgency is practical and personal: recent withdrawals from Dubai by world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and No. 2 Iga Swiatek underline how top players are managing loads and prioritizing recovery amid a packed schedule that challenges even the best preparation plans.
Sabalenka has said she planned to skip some tour stops “to protect my body,” and called the grind “definitely insane,” blunt comments that have helped shape a mandate for the council to propose calendar and rule changes that put recovery on par with competition.
Calendar reform is hardly new: players across generations have argued for fewer conflicts, smarter travel and more meaningful rest periods, and this council represents one of the most formal, player-led attempts to balance welfare priorities with commercial realities.
If the council succeeds it could change how women’s tennis balances competition and care, potentially giving players more predictable rest windows, smarter points allocations and fewer calendar clashes, which in turn could extend careers and maintain fan interest.
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Christoph Friedrich is a German tennis player and coach currently residing in Oakland, California. He began his tennis journey at the age of eight and has since dedicated his life to the sport. After working as a tennis coach and hitting partner in New York City for eight years, Christoph decided to share his knowledge and experience with tennis players around the world by creating the My Tennis Expert blog. His goal is to make tennis education accessible to everyone and help players select the best equipment for their game, from racquets and strings to shoes and overgrips. Christoph's extensive research and expertise in tennis technology make him a valuable resource for players of all levels.
