Carlos Alcaraz has sparked discussion after saying he may trim back his tournament schedule after the US Open. The Spaniard has already been absent from four and a half months of ATP Tour action after suffering a wrist injury at the Barcelona Open, and his current run in New York marks his first singles appearance since that setback.

So far, the US Open has asked few questions of him. He has moved through the draw with wins over Roman Safiullin, Jaime Faria, and Wu Yibing, dropping only one set along the way.

Following his second-round victory over Faria, Alcaraz explained that he plans to be more selective with the events he enters, with the aim of avoiding injury and limiting fatigue.

“In the future, I’m going to take some breaks,” said Alcaraz in his post-match press conference. “Maybe not four months, but one month, two months, missing some tournaments, because it’s impossible to play them all.”

That remark has led John Isner and Sam Querrey to speculate about which events could disappear from Alcaraz’s calendar in the years ahead. Speaking on Nothing Major, Isner suggested one tournament in particular may no longer be a regular stop for the Spaniard.

“I think he might have a point. A tournament like Canada might not ever see Alcaraz again. He has proven that time off does not really hurt him, and when he’s healthy, he is going to be able to train fully.

Querrey then expanded on the idea, pointing to a reduced schedule that would still prioritise the biggest events.

“Totally,” the American agreed. “If you’re him, you are going to play the majors, but Indian Wells and Miami. Just play Indian Wells. Toronto and Cincy, just play Cincy [the Cincinnati Open].

“If you’re playing Rome and Madrid, just pick one. Maybe go to Asia every other year. I wonder if Jannik Sinner feels like that as well. Yeah, put your money where your mouth is. Just don’t play.”

Alcaraz has collected every Masters title except the Canadian Open, the Paris Masters, and the Shanghai Masters. Even so, he has not played the Canadian Open in the past two years, and the Miami Open could also be among the first Masters tournaments left off his schedule after recent results there. He exited Miami in the second round in 2025 and was beaten by Sebastian Korda in the third round this year.

For now, the one certainty is that he will continue to feature at the four Grand Slams: the Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and the US Open.

Nick Kyrgios’ one-month suspension after a positive cocaine test has reopened questions about consistency in anti-doping cases, particularly after the Australian previously criticized Jannik Sinner’s handling of his own failed test.

Kyrgios revealed on social media last month that he had been suspended after a sample taken at the Mallorca Open on 22 June showed benzoylecgonine, a cocaine metabolite. He was provisionally suspended on 4 August, but is now eligible to return after the International Tennis Integrity Agency accepted his account that he used the drug at a nightclub in Magaluf on 20 June.

The agency said the substance had been used outside competition. Because Kyrgios entered a treatment programme, the matter was reduced from the three-month ban that would otherwise have applied.

That outcome has now prompted comment from fellow Australian Omar Jasika, who said he is a friend of Kyrgios. In an Instagram post, the 29-year-old reflected on his own two-year ban from 2018 to 2020 for testing positive for cocaine.

Jasika, who reached a former world ranking of 177, said the Coronavirus pandemic meant he effectively lost four years of his career because he was kept out of the game for much of the following 24 months. He stressed that Kyrgios should not have received a longer suspension, but said he wanted the “same help and understanding” that he did not receive.

He said on social media, “In 2018, I received a two-year ban after testing positive for the same substance. I accepted responsibility for my actions and served every day of that suspension. Because COVID arrived shortly after I became ineligible to return, I effectively lost almost four years of my career during some of the most important years of my life.

“Today, the rules have changed. A player in a similar situation can receive a one-month ban by entering an approved treatment program. I’m not saying Nick should have received a longer ban. I don’t believe that at all. I’m saying I wish the same help and understanding had been available to me.

“I made a mistake and deserved consequences, but losing two years of my career was incredibly difficult. At the time, I wasn’t offered treatment or a clear pathway back. I was simply removed from the sport and left to deal with everything that came with it.

“I’m glad the system has changed and now focuses more on helping players, but it’s hard not to wonder how different my life and career might have been if those same options existed for me. This isn’t me against Nick. It’s me asking whether the punishment I received was fair, and whether people affected by the old rules deserve to have their cases looked at again.”

Compatriot Max Purcell, serving an 18-month suspension for a prohibited method linked to intravenous vitamin infusion, reacted with a raising hands emoji.

Online, some users called the Kyrgios case ironic, arguing that he has now benefited from the kind of “preferential treatment” he accused Sinner of receiving. Sinner’s 2024 doping case ended with a three-month suspension after it was determined he had accidentally ingested clostebol through a first aid spray, a resolution that drew heavy criticism, with Kyrgios among the loudest voices.

In December 2024, Kyrgios said it was “disgusting for our sport” that Sinner and Iga Swiatek had been caught in doping breaches. He also said Sinner had been “protected to some degree” by the short ban. That criticism is now being turned back on Kyrgios.

The debate over the ATP Tour calendar has sharpened again, and the latest criticism comes from Carlos Alcaraz. Speaking at the US Open, the Spaniard indicated that injuries and the crowded schedule could force him to become more selective about where he plays.

At the Grand Slam, Alcaraz said: ““Seeing how tight the calendar is, obviously I don’t want to have this break because of an injury. But in the future, I’m gonna take some breaks… some long breaks.

“Maybe not 4 months, but 1 month, 2 months, start missing some tournaments because it’s impossible to play them all. They’re adding more important tournaments. In a way, they’re making us play.

“We’re seeing a lot of players getting injured, a lot of players getting tired. If they don’t do anything about it, we’re gonna see it even more in the future.”

That concern now sits alongside fresh reports that two ATP Tour events in Mexico could disappear from the schedule before the 2028 season. Mexican tennis journalist Ivan Aguilar wrote on social media: “Mexico will be left without ATP tournaments for 2028! The Arabs have bought the license for the Mexican Tennis Open. The Los Cabos Open will become a Challenger 175 to be played in the first quarter of 2028.”

The timing would make some sense, given the Mexican Open is usually staged in late February or early March, when several Middle East events are also on the calendar. Even so, the change would leave a major gap in South American tennis and remove a tournament that has long been a fixture on the ATP Tour.

The Mexican Open has been an ATP 500 since 2000, with Rafael Nadal, Nick Kyrgios, and Alex de Minaur among its recent champions. Los Cabos, meanwhile, has been an ATP 250 since its launch in 2016, and Stefanos Tsitsipas, Daniil Medvedev, and Ivo Karlovic have all lifted the title there.

If Los Cabos is reduced to Challenger 175 level, the stronger names are likely to bypass it. For now, it remains unclear whether the event would still be played in July. What is clear is that Mexico could be left without a single ATP Tour tournament, a development that would mark a significant setback for men’s tennis.