Spaniards angry
Carlos Alcaraz: “This is going to kill us”
Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev used the Laver Cup on Saturday to harshly criticize the overcrowded tournament calendar on the tennis tour. "I'm one of those players for whom there are too many compulsory tournaments a year. And there will probably be even more in the next few years. That will kill us," said the 21-year-old Spaniard.
Zverev didn't mince his words either: "The ATP isn't interested in our opinion. It's a money business."
The world number two from Germany pointed out that tennis players have the longest season in the sport and also described it as "unnecessarily long". "There is no time to rest. There is no time to prepare the body and build up muscles," said Zverev. The season begins for most of the pros directly after Christmas with the United Cup in Australia and sometimes lasts until the Davis Cup finals at the end of November.
"We can't go on strike"
"We come back from vacation and start tennis training straight away because we have to play in Australia in two or three weeks," complained Zverev. The stress issue is also currently being discussed in soccer, after Manchester City star Rodri sparked the debate and even did not rule out a strike. "We are not allowed to strike. We will be fined if we don't play the tournaments," explained Zverev.
In addition to the four Grand Slam tournaments, the Masters 1000 events are mandatory for the players. For him, playing fewer tournaments is not an option, said Zverev. "If you're an ambitious young person who feels that you haven't achieved everything yet, that's not an option. The tour then goes on without you."
Alcaraz is also not happy with the current situation. The French Open and Wimbledon winner predicted that there will be even more injuries in the future: "At some point, a lot of good players will miss a lot of tournaments because they have to think about their bodies." The world number three had played 50 professional matches this year before the Laver Cup, winning 41 of them.
"It's difficult. Sometimes I'm not motivated at all. The calendar is so tight and there are far too few days off. There have been a few times when I've felt like I didn't want to travel to a tournament and would have much rather stayed at home with my family and friends," said Alcaraz. While the Spaniard is fit, many are worried about Zverev's state of health. Although the German stated that he had had a fever for four days and was not feeling well, he did not provide any details, as did his management. "That's a private matter," said his brother Mischa Zverev.
Guesswork about Zverev's fitness
Zverev's fitness has been a mystery for weeks. He failed to reach the quarter-finals at the Olympic Games, complained of dizziness and reported that he could see four balls at times. He was also ailing during the subsequent elimination in Montreal, coughing and barking. According to Zverev, blood tests did not clarify the cause of the symptoms. On Saturday in the Berlin Uber Arena in the lost duel with Taylor Fritz, the doctor had to come on court in the middle of the second set. Zverev's coughing could be heard throughout the arena. "My heart rate was pretty high," reported the 27-year-old.
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