Season three of the World Tennis League has seen the likes of Daniil Medvedev and Taylor Fritz pull out of the competition this month.
A star-studded lineup was announced at Abu Dhabi, featuring two Olympic gold medalists, five Grand Slam champions, six of the top 12 ATP players and six of the top 10 WTA stars.
However, that cast has since been decimated after the league announced that several big names were forced to withdraw.
Medvedev has been replaced by Denis Shapovalov, while Jordan Thompson has stepped in for American star Fritz.
Meanwhile, Hubert Hukacz also has confirmed that he will not be participating, replaced by Alexander Shevchenko. Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova has pulled out, with Simona Halep stepping in.
The league announced the news in a statement: “The star power continues at World Tennis League Season 3!
“Due to unforeseen personal reasons and unavoidable circumstances like injury concerns, the line-up for the upcoming edition has changed:
– @denis.shapovalov joins, in place of Daniil Medvedev.
– @shevchenkoo_17 joins the mix, as Hubert Hurkacz takes a step back.
– @jordanthompson2004 brings his A-game to the court, taking it over from Taylor Fritz.
– @simonahalep takes her spot on the team, replacing Barbora Krejcikova.”
The likes of Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Nick Kyrgios and Stefanos Tstisipas are among the familiar faces still scheduled to feature from December 19-22.
While the official reason stated was due to “unforeseen personal reasons and unavoidable circumstances like injury concerns” players have been subjected to a gruelling 2024 calendar.
The previous season has only recently finished and instead of taking a break from the sport, preparations are already underway ahead of the Australian Open which begins on January 12.
Novak Djokovic centred his campaign around Grand Slams and took various breaks throughout the year in order to remain in peak condition, while many of his rivals publicly complained about the calendar.
Carlos Alcaraz, who has begun pre-season training in Spain, earlier this year hit out at the amount of tournaments that top players feel compelled to compete in.
Having joined in with Swiatek’s protests, Alcaraz said: “Many believe that this is a good calendar, but others think there are too many mandatory tournaments and there will probably be years with even more.
“In a way, they are killing us. Right now there are many players injured due to the calendar and other factors, but at some point, there will be players who will have to skip tournaments because they have to take care of their bodies, families, and other aspects of life besides tennis.”
But the sport continues to roll on, even in the absence of Medvedev, Fritz, Hurkacz and Krejcikova at the World Tennis League.