"Tennis deserves a break"... but exhibitions are exploding in December

Rest or business? Behind the smiles of exhibitions, a tension is growing: that of a sport that never stops, even when it claims to be taking a breather.

© AFP

Jules Hypolite

le 05/12/2025 à 20h34

2 min to read

Alcaraz Extraits de Dossiers Griekspoor Zverev

December, once considered a precious month of respite where tennis took a back seat, is now transforming into an overloaded month of exhibitions, experimental formats, and events calibrated for show.

The question now is this: should the global tennis authorities protect the off-season, or make way for these events that slip in after eleven months of intense competition?

"Tennis deserves a real off-season"

For some players, the answer is obvious. Alexander Zverev, a three-time Grand Slam finalist, has hammered it home: "We feel like we're playing more and more, and the schedule is denser than ever. Tennis deserves a real off-season."

Tallon Griekspoor, a top 30 player, prefers to play it safe: "In general, I try not to play too many exhibition matches because we don't have much time to rest."

So, what is being called for is a real break, away from the four to six weeks constantly eaten into by additional commitments. But the paradox is immense: those who denounce an unsustainable schedule are often the same ones featured on exhibition posters.

"It's very different; we just have fun playing tennis"

The most glaring example is Carlos Alcaraz, who often finds himself having to defend himself to the press regarding his complaints about the schedule and his participation in various exhibitions:

"Exhibitions are different from official tournaments. In those tournaments, you have to stay very focused and put in physical effort for 15 or 16 days straight. Here, we just have fun playing tennis for a day or two."

Full investigation available this weekend

Find the full investigation "Saturated schedule, multiplied exhibitions: the paradox dividing tennis during the off-season" on TennisTemple the weekend of December 6-7.