Spanish ace Carlos Alcaraz has fired shots at the ATP and other tennis governing bodies about the scheduling congestion impacting players' performance and welfare.
The world No.3 is the latest player to come out swinging after top-ranked woman Iga Swiatek stood firm on her stance, saying the lack of time to rest is "crazy" and "not going to end well."
After his straight sets victory over America's Ben Shelton at the Laver Cup, Alcaraz commented on his packed schedule having played 50 singles matches spanning across 14 tournaments in 2024.
"Probably they are going to kill us in some way," Alcaraz said after the match.
The four-time Grand Slam winner believes the "calendar is so tight" and as a result, "right now there are a lot of injuries."
"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," the 21-year-old 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]."
Part of the reason why the former world No.1 is experiencing a spell of inconsistency is due to the surface changes with the Olympic Games held in Paris on the clay almost two months ago.
A shock first round defeat to Gaël Monfils in Cincinnati was followed by one of the biggest upsets in Grand Slam history when Alcaraz bowed out in the second round of Flushing Meadows at the hands of Botic van de Zandschulp in straight sets.
"I took a little break after the Olympic Games. I thought it was enough. Probably it wasn't enough. Probably I came here without as much energy as I thought I was going to [have]," he said after his US Open exit.
"I have to think about it and I have to learn about it."
Comentarios