"Without 15 Days Off, I Break Down": Why the Off-Season Has Become Vital for Tennis Players
A Vital Need: When the Body Says Stop
The ATP and WTA tour calendars are among the most grueling in professional sports.
Tournaments follow one after another, travel accumulates, matches drag on, sometimes under extreme temperatures. The body takes the hits, landmarks disappear from one week to the next, and fatigue, both physical and mental, sets in for the long haul.
For many players, the off-season is the only break in this relentless race. But it is often reduced to a bare minimum, nibbled away by late events like the Davis Cup or Billie Jean King Cup finals, or end-of-year exhibitions.
Disconnection, the Only Remedy
Research in physical preparation reminds us: a poorly digested season drastically increases the risks of injury, chronic fatigue, and a drop in performance level.
Without a real break, performance erodes faster than one might imagine. The stakes of a well-managed break are threefold: recover physically, regenerate mentally, and rebuild the foundations for the new season.
Some players explain it plainly: a total disconnection of 10 to 15 days is sometimes the only way to rediscover the taste for tennis and daily life.
Find the full investigation on Tennis Temple this weekend
"Tennis: The Little-Known Truths About the Off-Season, Between Rest, Stress, and Physical Survival," available on 12/13/2025.
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