Novak Djokovic wants a serious re-think of a bloated tennis calendar, with the 24-time Grand Slam champion suggesting cutting back on the extended Masters 1000 events currently  clogging the ATP Tour..

The 39-year-old made the plea after fighting into the second round at Wimbledon, defeating China’s Wu Yibing in four sets as the tournament curfew approached Monday night.

Djokovic got in before the 11 p.m. witching hour, instigated in 2009 to give local residents in this posh, tree-shaded suburb their nighty rest.

But the energetic winner launched his call for reform after midnight, saying something had to give on the Tours due to an outbreak of player injuries – many due to overplaying.

World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz is missing the tournament after injuring his writ last April with a possible late summer return date being floated.

With all but two of the ATP Masters events now stretching to nearly a fortnight from their former seven-day classic format, the seven-time Wimbledon winner knew exactly where to point the finger.

“Tennis really needs a reset on a bigger level. Our Tours respectively are not
functioning well at all,” Djokovic said.

“A lot of things happening backstage, meetings, relationships are not going in the right direction.”

The last of the iconic Big 3 players from the past two decades added: “Grand Slams are the pillars. Grand Slams are always going to be Grand Slams, the most important tournaments we have in our sport.”

Due to the Balkanisation of tennis into several ruling camps – ATP, WTA, the Grand Slam Committee, the four majors, London’s World Tennis federation – achieving any kind of coherent change is a huge ask.

Djokovic helped form the player Organisation PTPA, which basically fizzled out and is now involved in legal actions against the Tour and Grand Slams over calendar reform and prize money distribution.

Lawyers have become the main benefactors of the squabble while progress on the issues remains a mirage. 

Veteran Djokovic, who can pick and choose his events, has stepped away from the fracus and now sits on the political sidelines.

Player discontent with back-to-back Masters events which stretch almost as long as Grand Slams is growing stronger while chronic injury absences are on the rise.

“The Tours have to look into the formats, rules, calendar – there are a lot of complaints,” he said. “I feel we are trying to Band-Aid on everything. Trying to fix something,…

“What we have to do if we want this sport to really improve ..in the next decades, is – with all the key players – see what we can do.

“There is a lot more conflict within the governing bodies of our sport than there is unity.”

Djokovic said possible solutions include attracting a younger audience – current average 61 years – by presenting a more rapid-fire, modern product.

“Young people are not going to sit for four hours and five hours and watch tennis every day. It’s a short attention span. We have to see what the market is about. How do we get to them?

“We have to change the format, the Tours, have the tournaments have shorter matches, more dynamic, be able to have something more interesting and
shorter length ’cause this is too long.”

But the veteran would leave the four majors to play their classic best-of-five-set format for men while modifying the day-to-day ATP events.

Jannik Sinner needed a comeback on Monday as the defending champion opened play with a dramatic 4-6, 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-2, 6-3 over stubborn Serb Miomir Kecmanic at Wimbledon.

The Italian trailed two sets to one in an opening match where he suffered bleeding which seeped through his right shoe from a toenail and a frightening second-set slip on the grass which left him briefly favouring his  hip.

The world No. 1 overcame the unavoidable niggles of a season-first match on grass to prevail in three and a half hours.

“This was not just another match, it’s a very different feeling (opening as defending champion here),” Sinner said after setting up match points with his 31st ace.

“There is a different feeling of nerves going onto such an historical court. I was happy to win the first round

“I will aim for improvement in the next match, but I can be very happy.”

Sinner ended with 72 winners and 52 unforced errors as he held off his burly opponent.

“A few mistakes are normal, I will try and raise my level for the next match,” the winner said.

The Italian earned his 94th win at a major as he beat Kecmanovic for the fifth time, including here in straight sets two years ago.

“I didn’t play my best,” Sinner said. “But I tried to get into the match. my first of the season on grass.

“The third set – he led 3-0 in the tiebreaker only to lose it – was hard to swallow. But I’m glad I could turn it around.”

Casper Ruud, seeded 11th, became a major victim as the Norwegian fell 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (7) to Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz. No. 12 Andrey Rublev met a similar first-round fate, losing to 132nd-ranked qualifier Roman Safiullin 6-4, 6-7 (6), 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (12) in four hours.

Ruud, a three-time Grand Slam runner-up, has never been past the second round here in six Wimbledon appearances, losing three times in the first round.

The event suffered a first injury retirement as Frenchman Luca Van Assche stopped with a second-set back injury as former quarter-finalist Marton Fucsovics went through 6-4, 4-0.

Rising Spanish teenager Rafael Jodar made a winning Wimbledon debut as the 19-year-old played his first official match on grass.

The 23rd seed showed no nerves in a 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 defeat of British qualifier Felix Gill.

“I had a good feeling the whole match,” the winner  said. “Playing on grass at Wimbledon is special. 

“My game is suited for this surface, I just have to get used to it. That’s why I came early to get a few more days of preparation.

“I’m super-happy with the performance, now I need to think about the next match.”

This month’s Queen’s Club finalist Tommy Paul had little trouble as he crushed Alexnadre Muller of France 6-1, 6-2, 6-1 in just over an hour.

Paul was joined as a winner by US compatriot Learner Tien, who defeated Czech Dalibor Svrcina 6-1, 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-3.

Main photo:-Jannik Sinner (ITA) takes a fall during first round match with Miomir Kecmanovic – by Roger Parker International Sports Fotos Ltd

British pride at Wimbledon hit the floor on Monday as Jack Draper joined Emma Raducanu in making a last-gasp injury pullout from the home Grand Slam.

Embarrassment reigned as the oft-injured left-hander who once stood inside the top 10 pulled the plug before the start of his adventure on the grass.

Draper was drawn to face US threat Taylor Fritz in the first round on Tuesday, but withdrew as a chronic arm injury flared up at the worst possible time. He will be replaced by a lucky loser from qualifying.

British No. 1’s Draper and Raducanu both have minimal Wimbledon records, with Draper producing a pair of second-round showings and Raducanu reaching the fourth round twice.

“Devastated to share that I have had to withdraw from my first round match due to a recurrence of my arm injury,” Draper posted on social media.

“There have been a lot of painful moments in the last 12 months but this one is definitely the absolute worst as there is no greater honour for a British player than playing at Wimbledon.

“I will continue to persevere through this. Thank you for the support!!”

Raducanu withdrew on Sunday night just hours after telling media she would try to front up for her Monday match while dealing with a stress fracture in her right leg.

Main photo:- Jack Draper playing Wimbledon 2024 – by Roger Parker/ISF Ltd