In recent weeks, several players have expressed their complaints about the ATP calendar and some regulatory glitches. Two top players like Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev said the ATP schedule is too long and does not allow players to rest and avoid injuries. Their words have generated a great debate among their colleagues and fans, who have brought up the issue of performances.
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After the Masters 1000 in Shanghai, there will be the 'Six Kings Slam' in Saudi Arabia. This prestigious exhibition will guarantee participants - Alcaraz, Djokovic, Nadal, Sinner, Medvedev and Rune - $1.5 million for their presence alone. The winner of the event will earn a record $6 million.
According to the runner-up of the 2024 US Open Taylor Fritz, the exhibitionscannot be compared to official tournaments because they are much less strenuous from a physical and mental point of view. In this last part of the season - also - there were several quarrels between players and umpire chairs.
Too many controversies
During the tournament in Shanghai, many players had heated arguments with the umpires after some wrong calls that affected the result. The increase in technology seems essential to prevent tennis from taking a very negative turn. Tennis has always been a fair sport and some episodes have not given a good image around the world.
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This week in Shanghai has left a lot of debris regarding the arbitration controversy. They have made much discussion the heavy protests addressed by players such as Alexander Zverev and Frances Tiafoe towards the referees. The American lost control at the end of the match lost in the tie-break of the third set against Roman Safiullin, addressing serious offenses to the chair umpire.
The reason? a warning for time violation attributed to him by the referee. His reaction at the end of the match was very heavy, as he repeatedly insulted the referee by repeating loudly: "F*ck you, f*ck you! Sascha, as mentioned, had several disputes against Mohamed Lahyani. The reason for the controversy triggered by the number three of the world had been a point signaled for a double bounce but in reality according to him he had hit land only once.
Although the replay later confirmed Lahyanis choice, Zverev subsequently accused him: "Every Grand Slam final I lose is your fault, your mistakes. Im here, working like an animal, but you make a lot of mistakes. You decide the matches, you decide the outcome of tournaments every week".
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Wimbledon changes
Starting in 2025, things will change and the big tournaments will start to do without the linchpins. The precursor in this sense will be Wimbledon, it will adopt on all its fields the Electronic Live Calling (ELC) that will make the calls "out" and "fault" without the aid of a human eye. Sally Bolton, CEO of the worlds oldest Slam, explained this choice:
"After evaluating the results of tests carried out during the last Championships, We considered this technology sufficiently reliable and it is now the right time to take this step towards seeking ever greater accuracy in the management of matches. The players will then be given the same conditions they already experienced in numerous other tournaments of the tour.
At Wimbledon we take the balancing of tradition and innovation very seriously. The line judges have played a central role in the Champioships for many decades and thanking them for their commitment and service, we recognize their invaluable contribution," he concluded, as evidenced by a note issued by the boss of the All England Lawn Tennis Club.
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Also 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic had some problems with the chair umpire in Shanghai because of the shot clock before serving. I get its not up to you. But the rule change is unbelievable," Djokovic said during his match against Safiullin. "For four years we had a situation where we cant get the towel. The ball kids are doing their best but theyre not trained. Without even notifying any players, they start this new rule. Its incredible honestly. I get it. You guys want to speed up the pace of the tennis match. But at the same time weve got to know if were starting the season this way. We cant change it midway in the season he added.
Meanwhile, the penultimate Masters 1000 of the season has reached the quarterfinals. Only Jannik Sinner has qualified for the semi-finals, beating Daniil Medvedev in the first match of todays schedule. In the last 12 months, the Italian ace has become a nightmare for the Russian who lost seven of his last eight matches against the world number 1.
