Carlos Alcaraz has issued a very stern warning to the ATP as he says their schedule is demanding to the point where it can "kill us in some way" and adds that it has a very negative impact on the quality of the game.
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On Saturday, the Spaniard ousted Ben Shelton 6-4 6-4 at the Laver Cup. For the 21-year-old, the Laver Cup was his 14th tournament of the year and he has now played over 50 matches this year, with a couple of more big tournaments coming in the remainder of the year.
And in Berlin, Alcaraz - who is usually not the one to complain about things - issued a damning statement on the calendar.
"Probably they are going to kill us in some way. Right now a lot of good players are going to miss a lot of tournaments because of that. 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. 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)," the four-time Grand Slam champion said.
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After successfully defending his Wimbledon title, Alcaraz was also a finalist at the Paris Olympics but the main glory escaped him there following a tight loss to Novak Djokovic. When the world No. 3 returned to action, he got upset in his Cincinnati Masters opener before also shockingly exiting the US Open in the second round.
Now, the 21-year-old reveals he didn't feel fresh or ready to play those events and also confessed that he didn't feel his best at the Laver Cup.
"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). I have to think about it and I have to learn about it," Alcaraz added.
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Alexander Zverev joins Alcaraz in slamming the ATP
The German tennis star was also in action on Saturday - but unlike the Spaniard - he lost his match as Taylor Fritz claimed a 6-4 7-5 win. The 2024 French Open runner-up may have ended on the losing side but his post-match comments were similar to those which the current world No. 3 made.
"The ATP doesn't care about our opinion -- it's a money business. It's the longest season in sports. It's unnecessarily long. We have an unnecessary amount of tournaments," Zverev said.
After blasting the ATP, the second-ranked German was asked if there was something they could do - like not playing. Answering the question, the 27-year-old highlighted that the rules are clear in that regard and that boycotting would only hit them in the pockets.
"We're not allowed to boycott, we get fined if we don't play tournaments. The tour goes on without you. We need to do something about it. It's not an easy solution, but a solution which needs to be made," Zverev underlined.
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Zverev harshly ripped the ATP earlier this year as well
So far this season, the German has appeared in 18 tournaments and has played over 70 matches. Considering that there are still some tournaments left in the season, he will likely finish the year by competing in at least 20 tournaments and over 80 matches.
While the two-time Grand Slam finalist is evidently not shying away from playing, it doesn't mean that he is the happiest about the tennis calendar, which he thinks is way too long.
"I have been on the Tour for 10 years now. We have always discussed how we can shorten the season. It's not about whether we play tennis, because we love playing tennis, but what we can do to have time to prepare our bodies for the physicality that tennis imposes on you and having the time to take care of our body. The season lasts eleven months. I spoke to Alex de Minaur who played the Davis Cup final on November 29th and his first ATP Cup match on December 29th. Exactly one month. That's not enough time. It's not enough to rest the body," Zverev said earlier this year.
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Meanwhile, the WTA faces similar problems as world No. 1 Iga Swiatek has criticized the calendar numerous times. Over the last few years, the Polish five-time Grand Slam champion explained several times that the schedule is too demanding - impacts the quality of tennis - and it just isn't in the best interest of the players.
So far, the ATP and WTA have shown no indications that the season will be shortened.
