Muchova criticizes the WTA schedule: "Finding the right balance is almost impossible"

Between injuries, fines, and mental pressure, Karolina Muchova sounds the alarm. The world No. 19 calls for an urgent change in a tennis she deems "impossible to manage" without sacrificing one's health.

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Adrien Guyot

le 23/12/2025 à 13h51

2 min to read

Muchova Karolina

19th in the world, Karolina Muchova steps up. The 29-year-old Czech player believes, like many other players on the tour, that the schedule is too packed.

She hopes that tennis authorities will relax the rules as well as the number of mandatory tournaments. The US Open quarter-finalist also mentioned mental health, which has become less and less of a taboo subject over the past few years.

"As a player, you can't break out of this tournament routine if you want to stay competitive. You have to keep traveling, playing, defending your points.

"A packed schedule is impossible to manage without affecting your mental health"

And when we talk about it among ourselves, we all agree: such a packed schedule is impossible to manage in the long term without it affecting your health, and especially your mental health.

Every year, there's always something more to add to the season, it's a very strict rhythm. The higher you are in the rankings, the bigger the fines.

When I didn't play a WTA 500 tournament this year, it was $15,000. I was in 16th place at the time, it's even worse for the top five. You have to pay, even if you're injured, which was my case.

The schedule is extremely packed, tennis is an individual sport, we face pressure, we're almost always alone. It's already a heavy burden for a person, whether it's a boy or a girl.

"Many players have ended the season prematurely because of mental pressure"

I try to take advantage of every free moment to completely disconnect from tennis. With my team, we discussed what I will miss next year so that I can be well prepared for the biggest tournaments without destroying myself. But finding the right balance is almost impossible.

I know that many players have ended the season prematurely because of mental pressure. It's a battle that has been going on for many years, but I think it's finally being discussed publicly.

We're trying to push for change, for more sensible planning, and for health to be prioritized, not treated as a side effect of performance," Muchova assured Forbes.