Alexander Zverev, at a press conference on the sidelines of the Laver Cup, complained a lot about the current tennis schedule and heavily attacked ATP. The busy schedule, with many tournaments held close together without allowing players to rest and recover energy, has returned to prominence as a topic in the world of tennis during the 2024 edition of the tournament founded by Roger Federer to pay homage to Australian legend Rod Laver.
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"There is no sport in which so much is played, it cannot continue like this. It puts the health of the players at risk, it is inconceivable that a season begins on December 29 and ends in the second week of November," are the harsh words released by the German, which surprised the media present.
A journalist called for a protest action organized by the tennis players themselves to put pressure on and obtain important changes.
"For what? It's all about money here, it's the only thing that matters for the ATP, we players have no decision-making power. OK, what would you do? Tell me. No, seriously. Many times journalists come here to ask us things that are impossible to answer, now I want to know what you would do," he added.
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The German, on the sidelines of the Laver Cup, harshly attacked the schedule of men's tennis
Zverev then analyzed: "If you want to fight for important things like being number one in the world or winning a Slam, with this calendar you have to play many weeks a year and it is unsustainable. This week we can talk and we all agree on many things, but we cannot change anything.
Everything is money. Tournaments have a license and we cannot do anything about it. It is impossible to suppress some. OK, I will listen to you and we will boycott. We stop competing, we boycott the ATP, and then? Do you think this will change anything? We would lose money, other players would take our place and nothing would change. I only trust in the steps that the PTPA is taking to make us listen, but it is an issue that has no short-term solution."
