Is tennis' relentless nature causing injury crisis?

Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Canada's Denis Shapovalov, a Wimbledon semi-finalist in 2021, retired from his first-round match on Monday with a shoulder injury By Jonathan Jurejko BBC Sport tennis news reporter at Wimbledon Published 23 minutes ago The timing of Jack Draper voicing his concerns about the amount of injuries players suffer was either extremely unfortunate or subtly calculated. Less than 24 hours after saying he felt the volume of injuries was "pretty worrying", the Briton pulled out of Wimbledon with a long-standing arm problem. Former world number four Draper believes the demands placed on the top stars - a gruelling season with a short break, longer matches and more physical battles - are responsible for their bodies breaking down. Seven-time major champion Carlos Alcaraz is missing Wimbledon with a wrist injury, while several ATP players withdrew from grass-court events at Queen's and Eastbourne to protect their bodies. "When I look at the draws, everything is shoulder, arm, wrist [injuries]. They need to really take a close look at what we're doing on tour," Draper said. Draper's withdrawal came after fellow Briton Emma Raducanu was ruled out of playing with a stress fracture in her lower leg. The absence of the star home pair is undoubtedly a major blow to the tournament, but more importantly points to an increasingly worrying trend. "There are so many great players that everyone is pushing to find that extra 1% - spending more time on the court and in the gym," former world number one Tracy Austin told BBC Sport. "Some are playing more tournaments than is good for them, either mentally or physically. It is very, very demanding in all aspects." Defending champion Sinner survives five-set scare Published 3 hours ago Stunned Norrie among 10 Britons to lose on day one Published 1 hour ago Osaka 'pays love and respect to Japan' in Wimbledon kimono Published 57 minutes ago How can tennis avoid breaking point? Injuries are part and parcel of elite sport, but the view that tennis is becoming increasingly punishing is supported by medical experts. Data shows that matches and rallies are longer, players are faster and they are hitting the ball harder across a season that can last almost 11 months. "I always said that if we can somehow find a way to make this season shorter and have a bigger off-season, this could help avoid injuries," world number nine Daniil Medvedev told BBC Sport. Draper was critical of several ATP and WTA mandatory tournaments adding to the workload by being extended across a fortnight to create so-called 'mini Slams'. Chasing ranking points - and money - to maintain a career at the top level means many players feel they have to compete even when not 100% fit. "When you train so much, constantly trying to improve and playing back-to-back weeks on the tour, it's more than normal that you're going to get injured or there might be overuse at some point," said Greek two-time major finalist Stefanos Tsitsipa