Ons Jabeur: Tennis Schedule is Killing Everyone
By Richard Pagliaro | Wednesday, November 5, 2025
Photo credit: Rob Newell/CameraSport
Tennis’ savage calendar is cannibalizing the careers of players, Ons Jabeur said.
In an exclusive interview with Sky Sports, Jabeur points to several stars pulling the plug on their seasons, including Elina Svitolina, Daria Kasatkina, Naomi Osaka and herself as a clear sign the schedule is damaging to players’ physical and mental health.
“The schedule is killing everyone,” Jabeur told Sky Sports. I’m not the first one to stop playing. I feel like I saw [Beatriz] Haddad Maia stopping, [Elina] Svitolina as well. It’s tough. I hope the tennis community will listen to us and lower some of the tournaments.
“I think it’s more like tournaments piling up, for example, Doha, Dubai. It’s my favorite and I want to play there, but two 1000 tournaments in a row? It’s too much. And I feel like they want to add more. Also the two weeks, 1000 tournaments. I don’t know whose idea it was. It’s such a bad idea. None of the players like it.
“I think the media also, they don’t like it. So, you stay too long there. You feel like instead of stressing for one week, you have two weeks very intense. People think that we have more time, but actually, no, it’s too long.”
In a candid social media post in July, Jabeur, nicknamed “Minister of Happiness” for her perpetually positive disposition on court, announced she was taking a break from tennis due to the mental and emotional duress she was feeling.
The two-time Wimbledon finalist said she was suffering from depression and her “body was screaming for help” without her fully understanding it at that time.
“Honestly, I’m done letting the schedule dictate what I should do and what I should not do,” said Jabeur.
“I really suffered a lot, mentally more than physically. But my body was screaming for help for a long time. I haven’t listened.
“I think I had a depression without even knowing that and people call me The Minister of Happiness. I wasn’t Minister of Happiness anymore. I was very sad for a long time. I’m putting myself first. For me, that’s a huge step.”
The world No. 78 told Sky Sports she won’t return to the WTA Tour until she feels fully healthy and happy again. Jabeur said she feels the schedule is a never-ending marathon and the Tour treats “us as robots, but not as human beings anymore.”
“I’m coming back when I feel like it, when I feel happy again,” Jabeur said.
“I think it is time to speak up and to change this. I feel like they see us as robots, but not as human beings anymore on the court. Just play, play, play.
“You don’t want to disappoint your team and then your sponsor. And then you look at the ranking, I’m losing points. What should I do? Should I play more? So for me, it’s like all that I’m going to put away. Thankfully, everyone was really supportive from my side and even if they were not, I’m putting myself first, no matter what.”
The three-time Grand Slam finalist is the latest star to speak out against the demanding and sometimes debilitating schedule.
In recent weeks, both Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have said the arduous tennis calendar must be changed for the health of the players. Yet, the ATP recently announced it was adding a 10th Masters 1000 tournament to the schedule in Saudi Arabia, a move some players characterized as tone deaf.
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