Carlos Alcaraz added his voice to the criticism and pulled out of the Shanghai Masters with “physical issues” as the packed schedule for elite tennis players came under renewed scrutiny this week.
With another season approaching its climax, six-time major champion Alcaraz and fellow Grand Slam winners Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff all took aim at the amount of tennis they play.
The busy calendar in women’s and men’s tennis has been a constant talking point in recent years.
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Top players, who earn handsomely, have repeatedly railed against their workload and this week saw a raft of matches end prematurely at the China Open.
Five players retired from their matches in Beijing with injury on Monday alone. On Tuesday there was the sight of Daniil Medvedev hobbling about on court, barely able to move, before the Russian called it quits when 0-4 down in the deciding set of his semi-final to US teenager Learner Tien.
Tien’s quarter-final opponent, Lorenzo Musetti, also retired with injury.
– ‘Too intense’ –
World number one Alcaraz sustained an ankle injury in his opening match of the Tokyo Open that required heavy strapping and put his participation in doubt.
He shrugged off the problem to beat Taylor Fritz in the final for his eighth title of a spectacular season.
Asked about comments from Swiatek and Gauff on the packed calendar, Alcaraz said: “The schedule is really tight. They have to do something with the schedule.” Soon after the 22-year-old Spaniard pulled out of the prestigious event in Shanghai, which got under way this week, “to rest and recover”.
He did not say when he will return to action.
One of the complaints among elite players has been that some tournaments, like Shanghai, have been extended to become more akin to a Grand Slam fortnight.
Critics have countered that the likes of Alcaraz have turned down opportunities to take a breather by playing lucrative exhibition matches instead.
This latter part of the season, when the tennis world heads to Asia, has seen other high-profile players struggle with injury or withdraw from tournaments.
Women’s world number one Aryna Sabalenka is not playing at the China Open, citing a “small injury” suffered on the way to winning her fourth Grand Slam title in New York last month.
Poland’s Swiatek, the top seed in Beijing, warned this week that she might skip mandatory tournaments to protect her health.
“There are a lot of injuries,” she said of the pullouts at the tournament. “I think it is because the season is too long and too intense.”
– Survival of strongest? –
Starting last year, the Women’s Tennis Association made it mandatory for top players to participate in each Grand Slam, 10 WTA 1000 events — which includes Beijing — and six 500-level tournaments.
There are similar rules in men’s tennis.
The WTA insisted that “athlete welfare is always a top priority” in a statement to AFP.
“The new structure provides more predictability as to which events our top 30 players compete in and more playing opportunities for aspiring players, while underpinning the commitment to a $400 million increase in player compensation over the next 10 years,” the statement said.
The 21-year-old American Gauff, who like Swiatek emerged unscathed to advance in her defence of the Beijing title, said it was “impossible” to play more than she already does.
“I would like to see in my lifetime on tour that a solution be made to make the season shorter,” the world number three added.
Gauff’s 2024 season ended on November 9 by winning the WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia.
She was back in action again at the United Cup in Australia at the end of December.
The 2024 Olympic singles champion and home hope Zheng Qinwen was one of the five retirements at the China Open on Monday, admitting afterwards she had returned too early from elbow surgery.
But asked if there was too much tennis, she said: “I don’t think for professional players the calendar is too much.
“Because the strongest players survive, and that’s the rules in my head.”