\u2014 ATP Tour (@atptour) September 25, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n McEnroe told the Press Association: \u201cObviously that is of huge concern when the two best players have missed significant time in the year when they\u2019ve completely dominated for the past two or three years.<\/p>\n \u201cCarlos didn\u2019t play the French or Wimbledon, that to me says all that needs to be said. We don\u2019t want that.\u201d<\/p>\n Eight of the nine Masters 1000 tournaments across the season are mandatory for most top players along with four ATP 500 events, and the growth of most Masters events to 12 days has been a bone of contention among players.<\/p>\n Former world number one McEnroe would like to see radical change, saying: \u201cThis is one of the issues that has to be addressed. Should there be requirements or should players be able to do what they think is best for them?<\/p>\n \u201cThat would be, to me, best for the sport. They would all want to play Wimbledon and the majors, because that\u2019s what people ask about, and then they could decide their schedule based on the way they feel represents what they can bring to the table.\u201d<\/p>\n Billie Jean King and John McEnroe take to the stage for an evening of stories, insight and discussion on Sunday 27 June 2027, in celebration of The O2 turning twenty. Tickets on sale at 10am.<\/p>\n Join the waiting room now\ud83c\udf9f\ufe0f \u2b07\ufe0fhttps:\/\/t.co\/e1tr8MgFyL<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/Xjl9JmNsaS<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 The O2 (@TheO2) September 25, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Alcaraz and former captain McEnroe are both in London this weekend for the Laver Cup, the Ryder Cup-style tournament pitting Team Europe against Team World at The O2.<\/p>\n McEnroe, meanwhile, will be back at the Greenwich venue next summer in conversation with Billie Jean King as part of The O2\u2019s 20th anniversary celebrations.<\/p>\n Called \u2018Billie Jean King and John McEnroe \u2013 Champions in Sport. Champions in Life\u2019, the event takes place on the eve of Wimbledon on Sunday, June 27.<\/p>\n \u201cThe first Laver Cup that I won was here so to be in conversation with Billie Jean King, who I met when I was 16 and who\u2019s obviously been a force in tennis for 50-60 years, is incredible,\u201d said McEnroe.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m very much looking forward to that. Fans can expect to hear some stories they\u2019ve probably heard to some degree and hopefully some others they haven\u2019t heard as much.\u201d<\/p>\n Tennis scheduling may well be on the agenda, with the debate continuing over the sport\u2019s late-night habit.<\/p>\n Alcaraz and Ben Shelton set a new record for the latest finish in US Open history when their quarter-final went beyond 3.30am earlier this month, while Venus Williams did not begin her first-round match until after midnight.<\/p>\n Opinion is split over whether the early hours drama is something to be celebrated or criticised, and McEnroe said: \u201cIt\u2019s probably both.<\/p>\n \u201cI was calling the match that ended at 3.30am. That was a pain trying to get to sleep and I can only imagine for the players how much worse it was.<\/p>\n What did we just witness \ud83e\udd2f@usopen<\/a> | #USOpen<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/xvlLs2gQTW<\/a><\/p>\n![\"John](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/2.67722015.jpg\")
John McEnroe, right, and Billie Jean King at Wimbledon (John Walton\/PA)<\/p>\n