“Tons of Injuries,” Eva Lys Criticizes the WTA Calendar and Highlights the Lack of Marketing Compared to Men’s Tennis

The criticism from Eva Lys was firstly directed by Iga Swiatek on the WTA circuit.

“Tons of Injuries,” Eva Lys Criticizes the WTA Calendar and Highlights the Lack of Marketing Compared to Men’s Tennis

Eva Lys (via Sportskeeda)

🔍 Explore this post with:

ChatGPTPerplexityGrok AIGoogle AI

German star Eva Lys has become the latest player to roast the current state of affairs in the WTA. In a sport that demands absolute physical perfection and mental fortitude, Lys is calling out the powers that be for pushing players to the limit.

According to Polish journalist Dominik Senkowski, Lys didn’t pull any punches when discussing the physical toll the tour takes. The German pointed out that the “vacation” time for a pro tennis player is roughly two weeks. Moreover, she drew a pretty sharp comparison between how the men’s tour (ATP) is handled versus the women’s tour (WTA). Lys said as reported by Dominik Senkowski on X:

We have a ton of injuries, players who just can’t cope, who don’t have the right mental fitness. The tournaments are too long. In tennis, the off-season period is definitely way too short – two weeks for vacation. I think the way men’s tennis is presented is fantastic, and we’re completely lacking that. We have equally amazing rallies.

Despite the injuries, the burnout, and the trolls, Lys isn’t quitting. She’s slated to represent Germany alongside Alexander Zverev at the United Cup in Australia to kick off the 2026 season.

Speaking of Zverev, the current World No.3 hasn’t kept quiet about these matters either. In the 2025 season, the German discussed the mental and physical fatigue that he had to endure due to the schedule.

Eva Lys wants WTA to take care of online abuse

To make matters worse, when these players finally do step off the court, often exhausted and possibly injured, they have to deal with the absolute cesspool that is social media. Eva Lys opened up about the “reality” of losing a match, sharing screenshots of the vile abuse she received after a loss to Coco Gauff in Beijing. Lys said on Die Zeit:

I’m trying to raise awareness of the problem. When I first published hate messages, many athletes from other sports were surprised at how badly it affects us tennis players. But I imagine footballers are also quite familiar with this phenomenon. I hope that we can sit down with the WTA and think about further measures together. After all, the mental well-being of us players is not unimportant.

Eva Lys

The schedule drains their mental fitness, leaving them vulnerable, and then the internet trolls kick them while they are down. Lys is calling for the WTA to step up and protect player mental health, not just physically but emotionally.

Lys is not the first player talking about mental health and online abuse. Caroline Garcia was the first one to share screenshots about her situation and also held podcasts regarding it.

Eva Lys joins Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff in a growing revolt

If Eva Lys was the only one complaining, the tennis fans might have dismissed it. However, the World No.40 is in excellent company here. She’s echoing sentiments that have been shouted from the rooftops by the very best in the game.

Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff
Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff (Image via X/MMopen, Coco Gauff Fans)

Iga Swiatek, the World No. 2, has been vocal about the “super intense” schedule. Swiatek has flat-out stated that there is no point in playing over 20 tournaments a year and that the quality of the sport would actually improve if they played fewer.

Coco Gauff has also jumped in, noting that extending tournaments to two weeks adds stress to the body without making much sense from a health perspective. Lys joining this chorus proves that this isn’t an isolated complaint, but it’s a locker room revolt. The players are burnt out, and they are tired of pretending everything is fine.

The complaints have also been coming from the men’s circuit. Alongside Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz has also raised his voice, believing that the tour would ‘almost kill him’ with the intoxicating schedule they have put on the table.

Also Read: Coco Gauff Opens Up About Her Experience as a Black Woman in Sports and Shares Advice for the Next Generation