Rafael Nadal has called for fewer tournaments on hard courts following his victory in the Australian Open.
The Spaniard's five-set victory over Roger Federer was his first Grand Slam win on such a surface, but he re-iterated a view expressed before that matches played on clay and grass take a lesser toll on the body.
The 22-year-old also called for an end to the seemingly endless expansion of the tennis season, which now runs for 365 days a year.
"This surface is tougher than grass or clay for the body, and all the time we are playing more on this surface," he said.
"In my humble opinion, we have to change that a bit more. I can say that because I won a grand slam on hard (courts).
"Before if I say that, a lot of people think 'he wants to change because he's a clay player'. But believe me, I don't think anything about if I am a clay court player or not.
"When I say this, I think about the best for the players and for the future. It's not possible to have a lot of injuries on tour like this. So we have to try to change something.
"To play with this aggression and with this rhythm all the time from the 1st of January to 31st of December is impossible."
Nadal, who suffered a knee injury towards the end of the last year and now wears knee supports, expressed concern that the rigours of life on tour could impinge on his quality of life post-retirement.
"I love football - I can't play football right now because I am playing (tennis) - but I would love to play football with my friends later when I finish," he added.
"I would love to continue playing tennis and to do what I want (after retirement) but if we continue to play this (many tournaments), later maybe it's going to be tough to practice sports."
The 22-year-old also called for an end to the seemingly endless expansion of the tennis season, which now runs for 365 days a year.
"This surface is tougher than grass or clay for the body, and all the time we are playing more on this surface," he said.
"In my humble opinion, we have to change that a bit more. I can say that because I won a grand slam on hard (courts).
"Before if I say that, a lot of people think 'he wants to change because he's a clay player'. But believe me, I don't think anything about if I am a clay court player or not.
"When I say this, I think about the best for the players and for the future. It's not possible to have a lot of injuries on tour like this. So we have to try to change something.
"To play with this aggression and with this rhythm all the time from the 1st of January to 31st of December is impossible."
Nadal, who suffered a knee injury towards the end of the last year and now wears knee supports, expressed concern that the rigours of life on tour could impinge on his quality of life post-retirement.
"I love football - I can't play football right now because I am playing (tennis) - but I would love to play football with my friends later when I finish," he added.
"I would love to continue playing tennis and to do what I want (after retirement) but if we continue to play this (many tournaments), later maybe it's going to be tough to practice sports."
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