Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have both missed Grand Slams due to injury this year.
The Spaniard missed the French Open and Wimbledon with a wrist injury, while Sinner skipped the US Open after injuring his knee.
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Former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli has now called for a change to tennis as a result of their injuries.
Marion Bartoli calls for tennis to make the surface or the ball faster to reduce injury risk
Working as a pundit for Sky Sports, Bartoli said the following.
“The problem is the surface is getting slower and slower, but the balls are extremely heavy. One thing I noticed the first time I hit with Harriet [Dart], she came back with balls from the Australian Open, and they were so heavy that generally after 30 minutes I felt my arm was about to come off my body,” she said.
“Of course, I am 41 and retired, but I can still remember how the balls felt back in the day, and I think to me that went to the extreme side of it.
“I understand the ATP and the WTA want to make it more attractive, and they want to have longer rallies; they don’t want to have a serving contest.
“But you have to take into consideration the health of the players, because without players you have no tour.
“As a healthier option, one has to give.
“Whether they make the surface faster or make the ball faster.
“One has to come back to what it was before, because at some point if you keep losing [Jannik] Sinner and [Carlos] Alcaraz, we won’t have much to talk about.”
Many believe the slower surfaces and heavier balls have contributed to the increased risk of injuries on both tours.
And as Bartoli rightly noted, when the top players are injured, there isn’t much to talk about.
You can understand why the ATP and WTA Tour have made the changes to the surface and ball speeds.
In theory, it promotes long, tactical, entertaining rallies, in place of big-servers acing their way through matches.
But when the result is that your two best players have missed Grand Slams in a calendar year, something’s clearly gone wrong.
Those in charge must find a middle ground that maintains entertainment value whilst minimising the risk of injury.
Only time will tell if they will make the necessary changes.
What’s next for Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner after injury woes?
Alcaraz returned to tennis recently at the US Open.
Playing alongside Serena Williams, he reached the mixed doubles quarter-finals before turning his attention to singles.
There, he played Russia’s Roman Safiullin in the first round.
Alcaraz looked rusty to start, but soon grew into the match.
After 2 hours and 22 minutes, Alcaraz defeated Safiullin, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4, to book his place in round two.
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He will return to take on Portugal’s Jaime Faria in the second round on Wednesday, September 2.
Sinner, on the other hand, is recovering back home in Italy.
The world number one has been receiving treatment at J Medical in Turin and has been seen speaking to players and staff at Juventus FC.
He is expected to return in time for the China Open later this month.
Sinner is on the entry list and as a two-time champion, will fancy his chances of taking the title, even if he isn’t 100% match sharp.
The 2026 China Open begins on Monday, September 28.
