Jannik Sinner withdraws from the Paris Masters due to fatigue

Jannik Sinner, a 22-year-old rising star and already number 4 in the ATP rankings, was forced to withdraw from the Paris Masters due to fatigue as he was scheduled to play against Alex de Minaur only 14 hours after finishing his previous match.

This led to heavy criticism on the ATP (the Men’s tennis organisation), from amongst others, number 8 Casper Ruud, and Stanislas Wawrinka, 3x Grand Slam winner. Also, in other professional sports (such as football) there are increasing complaints about tight fixture schedules.

What are the consequences of too short rest periods for (professional) athletes? And what are the possible solutions?

Consequences

• This too-intense match frequency makes it impossible for athletes to perform at 100%.
• If they do not decide to do so themselves, as with Sinner, then athletes will miss big games due to injury.
• Countless medical studies have already proved the negative impact on athletes’ physical and mental health by competing in too many matches in too short a time period.

Solutions

Given the negative medical effects, a request for an adjustment of the match schedule is indeed reasonable and justified in combination with other legal grounds.

An unreasonable schedule can for example be challenged under competition law whether “EU or similar national provisions ”:

1. 101 TFEU prohibition of restrictive agreements

As the decision by the organiser has the effect of restricting competition, it can constitute an unlawful violation as it is completely disproportionate considering the effects on participants ’ health.

2. 102 TFEU abuse of a dominant position

As the competition organiser has a dominant position in the relevant market, the organiser may not abuse that position by imposing obligations that go beyond the competition’s necessary organisation.