Carlos Alcaraz recently captured his eighth title of the season at the Tokyo Open with a victory over Taylor Fritz, but was forced to withdraw from the Shanghai Masters after sustaining an ankle injury in the opening round. In the aftermath, the Spaniard criticized the ATP calendar and its mandatory tournament requirements.
Speaking to the press after his triumph in Japan, Alcaraz voiced frustration over the demanding schedule, pointing to the number of compulsory Masters 1000 and ATP 500 events.
“I think that the schedule is really tight. They have to do something with the schedule. There are too many mandatory tournaments, too many in a row. They put in some rules that we have to play Masters 1000s, 500 tournaments, whatever it is. But there are too many rules that we as tennis players… we are not allowed to have a choice if we play or not,” Alcaraz said.
The ATP extended certain Masters 1000 events from one week to two, further lengthening the calendar and reducing recovery time. Alcaraz warned that, in order to preserve both his physical and mental health, he may be forced to skip mandatory tournaments in the future.
Carlos Alcaraz got injured in the first match of the Tokyo Open. (Koji Watanabe/Getty Images)
“To be honest, I have to consider in the future if I have to skip some mandatory tournaments just to maintain my physical condition and good shape. Obviously it’s more than the physical condition,” he explained. “I think mentally it’s really demanding as well, playing so many mandatory tournaments in a row or playing so many tournaments without having days to rest. I will consider skipping some mandatory tournaments to benefit myself mentally. I agree with Iga (Swiatek) and I think a lot of players are going to do that”.
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Iga Swiatek has also raised concerns
World No. 2 Iga Swiatek had already spoken out on the issue earlier this season, voicing her frustration with the demanding schedule during a press conference following her victory over Yue Yuan in the China Open.
“When I look at the schedule, I think we’re playing too much, and the schedule is crazy,” Swiatek said. “The schedule is really demanding and tough. That’s why I try to split the year into swings and just focus on the next swing“.
She also highlighted the mental toll of the packed calendar: “After a four-week pre-season and just eight days of vacation, if I were to look ahead to December and think I have to play 11 months at the top of my game, it would be overwhelming. It’s better to really take it step by step“.
