John McEnroe believes players should be able to set their own schedules to help reduce injury absences at the top level of tennis.
World number one Jannik Sinner announced on Friday that he will not be able to return from a knee injury as planned at the China Open next week, having not played since Wimbledon. Carlos Alcaraz missed the French Open and Wimbledon with a wrist problem, while Britain's Emma Raducanu and Jack Draper are among a number of other players who have been out for lengthy spells in 2026.
McEnroe told the Press Association: "Obviously that is of huge concern when the two best players have missed significant time in the year when they've completely dominated for the past two or three years. Carlos didn't play the French or Wimbledon, that to me says all that needs to be said. We don't want that."
Eight of the nine Masters 1000 tournaments across the season are mandatory for most top players along with four ATP 500 events, and the growth of most Masters events to 12 days has been a bone of contention among players.
McEnroe would like to see radical change, saying: "This is one of the issues that has to be addressed. Should there be requirements or should players be able to do what they think is best for them? That would be, to me, best for the sport. They would all want to play Wimbledon and the majors, because that's what people ask about, and then they could decide their schedule based on the way they feel represents what they can bring to the table."
Alcaraz and former captain McEnroe are both in London this weekend for the Laver Cup at The O2. McEnroe will return to the Greenwich venue next summer in conversation with Billie Jean King as part of The O2's 20th anniversary celebrations, with the event taking place on the eve of Wimbledon on Sunday, June 27.
Tennis scheduling may well be on the agenda, with the debate continuing over the sport's late-night habit. Alcaraz and Ben Shelton set a new record for the latest finish in US Open history when their quarter-final went beyond 3.30am earlier this month, while Venus Williams did not begin her first-round match until after midnight.
McEnroe said of the early hours drama: "It's probably both. I was calling the match that ended at 3.30am. That was a pain trying to get to sleep and I can only imagine for the players how much worse it was. Sometimes things are uncontrollable, like every match going the distance. The shame is not as many people were watching a great match between Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton when this would be potentially a really good opportunity for tennis to show its stuff. There is no easy solution, that's the bottom line."