During this weekend’s Laver Cup in Germany, the debate about the Tour schedule has been reignited after a stark warning was issued by one player.
Four-time Grand Slam champion and world No.3 Carlos Alcaraz believes the current calendar ‘will kill players in some kind of way.’ Referring to the ATP season which starts in January and usually ends in November. Alcaraz has already played more than 50 matches this year, winning two major events, a Masters 1000 title and claiming silver at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
“Probably they are going to kill us in some way,” Alcaraz said on Saturday.
“The calendar is so tight, right now there are a lot of injuries.”
“Right now a lot of good players are going to miss a lot of tournaments because of that.”
The Spaniard is playing in his 15th event this year (including Davis Cup ties). Even though there are no ranking points on offer, the Laver Cup is an official ATP Tour tournament and will continue to be so for at least five years following a new agreement to extend their certification.
While he is one of the top names currently on the men’s Tour, Alcaraz admits he struggles at times with his motivation due to the current calendar.
“Sometimes, you don’t want to go to a tournament. I’m not going to lie — I have felt this way a few times already.” He said.
“Sometimes I don’t feel motivated at all. But as I’ve said many, many times, I play my best tennis when I smile and enjoy it on court. That’s the best option to keep motivating (myself).”
Alexander Zverev, who lost to Alcaraz in this year’s French Open final, shares a similar view. Branding the current conditions as a ‘health risk to players.’
“There is no other sport where there is so much play; this cannot continue. The players’ health is at risk; it’sinconceivable that we start a season on December 29 and finish in the second week of November,” said Zverev.
The bluntly speaking German hit out at the ATP by accusing the governing body of men’s tennis of only caring about money with players having little say in the decision-making process. Something that has previously been highlighted by Novak Djokovic who co-founded the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA).
“This week we can talk, and we all agree on many things, but we can’t change anything. It’s all about money. Tournaments have licenses, and we can’t do anything against that. It’s impossible to eliminate tournaments just like that; we would have to compensate all those events because they have their licenses. It’s not viable.” Zverev commented.
Both Alcaraz and Zverev could play up until the end of November with both of their countries qualifying for the Davis Cup knockout stages. Should they play, the duo will only have a month before the 20205 season starts.
