Totally agree with the shortening of the season. Have maintained that belief for years. However, Nadal's voice brings with a tinge of concern when viewed together with other recent statements being attributed to him regarding adjustments to the tour combined with the changes which have been instituted tour wide in recent years.
This is the current player council:
Player
Council
1-50 Singles: Roger Federer (Pres.)
1-50 Singles: Rafael Nadal (VP)
1-50 Singles: Novak Djokovic
1-50 Singles: TBD
51-100 Singles: Peter Luczak
51-100 Singles: Michael Berrer
1-100 Doubles: Yves Allegro
1-100 Doubles: Eric Butorac
At-Large: David Martin
At-Large: Martin Garcia
Alumni: Jaime Fillol
http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/en/aboutatp/structure.asp
Who to my understanding have been in place for more than just this year.
Nadal has recently offered several critiques of the tour:
1- The AO being too early in the year suggesting it should be pushed forward
2- Too many hard court events
3- Season too long
Okay, all seem to be in line with reducing the grind. However, viewed with a cynical eye they also seem to be at least a little self serving in that in combination, all seem to be issues most directly address concerns about one top player's relative weakness over the short term, during a given year, and their combined projected impact on the length of his career: Nadal.
However, when one looks at the changes instituted tourwide since 2001, changes with which the ATP had to have had a voice and been integrally involved it rings as suspect.
2001 both Wimbledon and the US Open slowed their surfaces and playing conditions.
2003 the US Open slows their surface a second time in two years.
2006 the YEC changes its surface from carpet to hard courts.
2006 the AO decides to change and institutes that change from a softer Rebound Ace surface to a harder Plexipave surface which based on the descriptions of players and commentators alike, despite announcements of tournament officials is not faster than the second fastest Major, Wimbledon, but slower, and slower than the former surface.
2008 the ATP announces the elimination of carpet from the schedule.*
*Carpet events had already been reduced from 9 up until 2005 to 1 by 2008.
Putting cynicism aside, I have to ask: Who's running the asylum?
Nadal suggested pushing the AO back on the calendar, not to shorten the season, but to allow more events to played in front of it so that he (and other players) could tune up.
The AO just shifted to Plexipave so any preceding/warm-up events would undoubtedly shift to the same prepared at the same speeds.
The slow downs at the US Open did that very same thing.
The YEC shifted from carpet to hardcourt from 2005 to 2006 and all its lead up events during the sprint to the final eight, followed in kind, bar one, which was euthenized at the end of the 2008 season.
Who's running the ATP?
IMO there was too strong an influence from the clay based countries to slow conditions, after a ruling in 2000/2001 that would compel players to play every Major and MS event or be penalized.
Logistics and costs, dictated that everywhere, except for Wimbledon the slowing could best be accomplished on a hard court where speeds are more easily manipulated. I think that this overly strong lobby got just what they wanted, but for the grinding clay court style baseliners, they are now living the reality of that want.
Now it seems this lobby within the ATP, lead by Nadal feeling liberated by winning the AO, which to his credit he did, now wants to have their cake and eat it too.
While the clay court season reduces pounding it is the epitome of the grind. The short lived grass court, although also reducing the pounding has been reduced to a baseline grind. Then it's back to the US Open Series/US Open twice slowed conditions, followed by the sprint to the YEC, which is the same grind plus the pounding for nearly 6 months straight with the elimination of carpet.
The most suspect move for me, was the elimination of carpet from the end of the year. Softer surface, quicker points, if nothing else provided a respite from the grinding and pounding of hard courts, but don't favor the extreme topspinners and would negatively impact their performance. Indoors not many arenas would be willing to foot the cost to construct "temporary" clay courts. So hardcourts it is.
The ATP, it's not just Nadal, wanted slow. Now the players want slow and soft. Okay. Can you imagine the AO played in their notorious weather on har-tru or some version of red clay?
Slow was their want. The lesson is: "be careful what you wish for, you might just get it". I admit my bias in that I would like to see at least one "season" of quick court tennis, but my response would be "you can't have your cake and eat it too."
5
and Djok is even younger 
