By Kim Douglass
(October 15, 2010) In the last year, the game of tennis has seen some of its top competitors sit on the sidelines due to injury rather than dominate on the courts. This has been a hit to the game itself as far as viewership but the sport still remains. To cut down on this, the ATP is considering the idea of shortening its season from 11-months by two or three weeks in 2012 to allow players the chance to rest and help avoid injuries and possible burnout.

 

The ATP board of directors will meet during the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London next month to vote on the official schedule for the 2012 and 2013 seasons. Spokeswoman for the tour Kate Gordon said to the Associated Press on Friday. “We are taking a good, hard look at our calendar to see if there is a meaningful way to lengthen the offseason that would allow players more time for rest, fitness and working on their game."

This decision comes after top-ranked Rafael Nadal admitted to being tired this week after playing three tournaments in a row and 16 total this year. Another top player that could factor into this is Roger Federer who admitted to playing with a leg injury following his Wimbledon loss.

Ideally, this schedule change would allow top players the chance to stop playing after final top-tier events in the fall and give them the opportunity to forgo playing in smaller late-season tournaments without risking their ranking points.

Nadal admitted "The perfect schedule is if you have the chance to play and you have the chance not to play," he said at the Shanghai Masters this week.”