"Tons of injuries" - Eva Lys calls out WTA calendar, complains about lack of marketing unlike men's tennis

Eva Lys has criticized the WTA calendar ahead of the 2026 season. The German tennis player claimed that the off-season break was too short and added that men's tennis is being presented better than women's.

The 23-year-old enjoyed a breakout season this year, as she broke into the top 100 after the Australian Open in January and finished with a career-high ranking of World No. 40 in the women's singles. She reached the fourth round of a major for the first time in her career at the Australian Open after entering as a lucky loser. Lys featured in 40 tour-level and three ITF-level matches in 2025, marking her first full-scale regular WTA season.

Eva Lys, who called out the WTA for a lack of solutions to online abuse last month, criticized the WTA's hectic calendar and how it's affecting players' mental fitness. According to the Polish journalist Dominik Senkowski's X post on Sunday, December 14, Lys said:

"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."

The top-ranked German also compared the WTA to the ATP's marketing strategy, saying the latter is presented better.

"I think the way men's tennis is presented is fantastic, and we're completely lacking that. We have equally amazing rallies," Lys added.

Meanwhile, despite struggling with a few injury issues, Eva Lys played eight more tour-level matches this year than in 2023 and 2024 combined. She withdrew before the quarterfinals in Cleveland and retired mid-match in the second round of the US Open.

Eva Lys asks WTA to take measures against online abuse

Eva Lys enjoyed a brilliant season on the court but also fell victim to online abuse after her exit in Beijing and Tokyo. In Beijing, she registered her maiden top-10 win, against Elena Rybakina, and reached the quarterfinals of the WTA 1000 event for the first time in her career.

However, a defeat against the second-seeded Coco Gauff at the China Open quarterfinals introduced the German to the 'reality' of the sport. The young German shared a screenshot of the online abuse on social media and called it a reality for the players after losing a match.

“And let's not forget the reality whenever we lose a match,” Eva Lys wrote in the Instagram story caption.

After the 2025 season, Lys further spoke about the online abuse faced by rising players on the tour. She also called out the WTA, asking the governing body to take more measures to ensure the mental well-being of the players.

Speaking to Die Zeit on November 14, the World No. 40 said:

"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 will next be seen in action at the United Cup 2026, the first WTA event of the next season, on January 2 in Australia. She will join Alexander Zverev and Laura Siegemund for the first time to represent Germany in the United Cup.