How can the ATP calendar be improved?

The season is almost over, but there are still many prestigious tournaments to be played. The most important tournaments in the second half of 2024 Master 1000 in Shanghai And Paris-Bercyat the same time Nitto ATP Finals In Turin. The season will close on: Davis Cup Finals In Malaga, before the players finally rested after a very long year.

Last week, harsh criticism of the ATP calendar returned. Four-time Grand Slam champion during the Laver Cup Carlos Alcaraz He argued that the season was too long and the risk of injury to players was high. Carlitos’ words sparked a lot of controversy and were also supported by. Alexander Zverev And Jack DraperWhen I was number 1 in the world Jannik Sinner adopted a more moderate approach to the issue.

While it is certainly true that the tennis season is the longest considering all sports, some experts have criticized players for participating in several exhibitions throughout the year. Alcaraz – just to give one example – played this: Laver Cup In Berlin and ‘he will be one of its stars’Six Kings SlamIn Saudi Arabia next month.

different opinions

Due to injuries and tennis becoming increasingly difficult, some players decided to give up some tournaments during the season. While Sinner did not defend his title in Vienna in the second half of 2024, Alcaraz decided to give up the ATP 500 in Basel. Discussions continue about the fact that the busy schedule throughout the season on the ATP tour is too sensitive. Last speaker on the subject Stefanos Tsitsipas With a lengthy press release published on his personal X profile, where he highlighted some suggestions to make the schedule more fluid and place the most prestigious appointments less close together.

“We are on the verge of a player-led tennis revolution. “Change is not easy, but if we do it right tennis can enter a new era,” he said: “Let’s think about how different the discipline could be if players like Rafa, Roger or Serena could play at the highest level.” a few more years”, a comment that points out how the current schedule creates physical and mental wear and tear on athletes, which only results in early withdrawals or defeats.

The Greek star reported a number of interesting solutions: “A restructured calendar and the use of new technologies will not only protect the health of the players, but also increase the level of competition. More rest means better tennis, which creates more enthusiasm on the field from some of the fans.” . A rotating system could be the solution for smaller tournamentsYou can relocate every year to avoid spending weeks traveling around the world. Portable devices that record athletes’ fatigue could be a game changer. We can imagine that we know when an injury will occur or when we need to rest based on recovery statistics.” We then appealed to our other colleagues: “This is necessary and we are in a unique position to negotiate these changes.” But that wasn’t the end of it, because the Athenian said on social media The reason for this was revealed by some users a few hours later: Tsitsipas. Used artificial intelligence to type the entire message.

It’s a difficult solution

This is a very sensitive issue and open to different interpretations. Looking at the numbers, it is not true that today’s players play more than in the past. At the same time, we wonder if the game has become more expensive and burdensome than before.

Recently US Open finalist Taylor Fritz He expressed his perspective on the ATP calendar: “I agree that it is difficult for the ATP to shorten the calendar when we see top players participating in exhibitions in their off weeks. I have seen many players criticize calling for changes to the calendar and then compete in these unofficial events, but I do not understand this argument because exhibitions have nothing to do with competing in an ATP eventIn terms of physical and mental demands. A tournament may require more than 5 days of playing at your best and being fully focused on and off the court; At an exhibition, you show up, entertain the crowd, and leave. It is very similar to a rest week. I don’t expect fans to fully understand this Because it’s hard to comprehend the mental and physical exhaustion that comes with competing at the highest level, but I hope the players do it.”