ATP looking to adjust calendar after complaints

The governing body for men's tennis is seeking a "meaningful way" to shorten the season and protect players from burnout and injury after world No 1 Rafa Nadal reissued a plea for the ATP calendar to be revised.

A tired-looking Nadal crashed out of the Shanghai Masters quarterfinals on Thursday, just hours after the Spaniard had reaffirmed his view that the season was too long.

"We are taking a good, hard look at our calendar to see if there is a meaningful way to lengthen the off-season that would allow players more time for rest, fitness and working on their game," an ATP spokeswoman said on Friday. "The issue of season length has been around for a long time and there is no quick fix, but we are committed to giving it real consideration.