'They are going to kill us' - Alcaraz criticises schedule

[Devilito]

Yeah no. It's not the schedule buddy, it's the game. We went from a sport that was primarily skill based to one where skill takes a back seat to fitness, endurance and athletic ability. Everyone plays the same game and has the same style. Stand 40 feet from the baseline to return a serve, have a 40 ball rally where eventually your opponent makes a mistake, tear off your shirt and flex like you're Conan.

Sorry, i can't believe anybody would find this entertaining over skill and shotmaking that leads to winners and errors mattering more than how fit you are. If I wanted to watch a fitness competition i'd watch a marathon or crossfit.

Carlos is correct, but for the wrong reasons.

Carlos Alcaraz critical of amount of tennis fixtures

Spanish star Carlos Alcaraz says "probably, they are going to kill us in some way" as he criticises the congested tennis calendar.

www.bbc.com

 

[jm1980]

He criticizes the calendar but then chooses to play Fed's exho? LOL

 

[Im(moral) Winner]

He criticizes the calendar but then chooses to play Fed's exho? LOL

This is an empty slot while 6 Kings Slams is sillier

 

[insideguy]

Is it more congested than it was 10 years ago? Honestly im a little confused. I mean as a fan I just tune out after the US Open. Not really clear on what these guys have to play after the open. I guess technically the last two masters and if you are good enough the Finals? That doesn't seem crazy to me. But what do I know.

 

[big ted]

He criticizes the calendar but then chooses to play Fed's exho? LOL

not only that but he complains about it at the exhibition

i have no idea why journalists ask all kinds of stupid questions except “if the seasons so long then why do u play exhibitions!?!”

 

[Devilito]

He criticizes the calendar but then chooses to play Fed's exho? LOL

It's more like a practice match than a job. That's why many play it. Seems to me the psychological aspect of a modern pro is getting to them even more so than the schedule. The pressure is far great than it was before. Your sponsors, your media exposure, your social media posts, etc.

Some of the best tennis i've seen has been in the Laver Cup merely because it seems such a stress free event that pros can enjoy playing without expectations. They can focus on shot making and spectacle rather than just results

 

[FlyingSaucer]

A large part of why Charles is at the Laver Cup this year is that he wanted to hang out with Fed properly, I expect. He may not play it that much going forward (and who knows how long it will last, anyway).

 

[Vincent-C]

Go Fed

 

[jayvee]

He criticizes the calendar but then chooses to play Fed's exho? LOL

Playing a fun exhibition event in a nice place is completely different from being forced to be in China for 2 weeks for a M1000 only in name.

Your comment just tells me you're pretty clueless on what's like to be a top player.

 

[TheGoldenEra1990’s]

Drama queen. LOL. Djoker was still winning at 37 with 500,000 miles on his body. You won’t die gill man. Nadal was winning up to 36 and he started 20 years ago. He would still be winning if he didn’t break down physically. Fed almost won Wimbledon at 38. Why are these kids such wussies?

No one is going to die. Barbie dolls I swear Their parents should be ashamed

 

[Lleytonstation]

That's right.

He wants to play 10 tourneys a year and be up there with the big3 lol.

Grow a few cm's my man.

He is also playing 2 exhos and complaining.

Tennis is better without long rallies, skill, not out lasting your opponent in a rally.

 

[ghostofMecir]

Playing a fun exhibition event in a nice place is completely different from being forced to be in China for 2 weeks for a M1000 only in name.

Your comment just tells me you're pretty clueless on what's like to be a top player.

That poster’s comment is mostly there to take a shot at Federer, which is what half of his posts are anyway.

 

[big ted]

Some of the best tennis i've seen has been in the Laver Cup merely because it seems such a stress free event that pros can enjoy playing without expectations. They can focus on shot making and spectacle rather than just results

Playing a fun exhibition event in a nice place is completely different from being forced to be in China for 2 weeks for a M1000 only in name.

true but it does count in their official h2h’s

 

[jm1980]

Playing a fun exhibition event in a nice place is completely different from being forced to be in China for 2 weeks for a M1000 only in name.

Your comment just tells me you're pretty clueless on what's like to be a top player.

Even as a clueless foreigner who doesn't speak Chinese, Shanghai is a far better place to be than some of the places Alcaraz willingly dragged himself to

He also said "Sometimes, you don't want to go to a tournament," he said. "I'm not going to lie - I have felt this way a few times already."

Seeing how he's only been to China once, I doubt that comment of his was aimed at the Asian swing

 

[Tano]

He criticizes the calendar but then chooses to play Fed's exho? LOL

Easy money, pal.

 

[Tano]

not only that but he complains about it at the exhibition

i have no idea why journalists ask all kinds of stupid questions except “if the seasons so long then why do u play exhibitions!?!”

Because exhibition$ are lucrative.

 

[Fabresque]

He criticizes the calendar but then chooses to play Fed's exho? LOL

And he’s playing the 6 kings nonsense. Really?

 

[T&M Returns]

Yeah no. It's not the schedule buddy, it's the game. We went from a sport that was primarily skill based to one where skill takes a back seat to fitness, endurance and athletic ability. Everyone plays the same game and has the same style. Stand 40 feet from the baseline to return a serve, have a 40 ball rally where eventually your opponent makes a mistake, tear off your shirt and flex like you're Conan.

Sorry, i can't believe anybody would find this entertaining over skill and shotmaking that leads to winners and errors mattering more than how fit you are. If I wanted to watch a fitness competition i'd watch a marathon or crossfit.

Carlos is correct, but for the wrong reasons.

Carlos Alcaraz critical of amount of tennis fixtures

Spanish star Carlos Alcaraz says "probably, they are going to kill us in some way" as he criticises the congested tennis calendar.

www.bbc.com

No, the guys playing now have plenty of skill and shot making ability.

The tennis year is simply nonstop, it's 12 months out of the year. No other major sport does anything near that.

 

[SonnyT]

Yeah, I got you! The two best players, Alcaraz & Sinner, are like identical twins!

So were the two best players previously, Djokovic & Nadal! Without a program, there would be no way to tell them apart!

 

[mtommer]

We went from a sport that was primarily skill based to one where skill takes a back seat to fitness, endurance and athletic ability. Everyone plays the same game and has the same style.

True but I think it's in large part due to the fact that fitness, endurance and athletic ability negates skill. In other words, you can be the most skillful player in the world and you'll just flat out lose to players today. There's a reason why everyone plays the same way. It works and careers and money is on the line.

 

[_phantom]

Top soccer players are talking about going on strike over the congested schedule. Alcaraz and co should consider joining them.

Could star players really go on strike over football's packed schedule?

Why are elite footballers threatening strike action and how likely is it to happen? Football's calendar is overheating and something's got to give.

www.espn.com

 

[RSJfan]

Isn‘t Charles a little young/new on tour to be whining about the schedule already.

 

[NeutralFan]

Dude is playing Laver cup and complaining about schedule?lol.

 

[MrFlip]

The game is fine, but his playstyle is not. He runs around still thinking he's as good as Nadal day in, day out.

 

[Mustard]

Yevgeny Kafelnikov is laughing somewhere.

 

[NeutralFan]

Alcaraz should shut up and then start thinking about improving on HC else he will get surpassed by Sinner.

 

[jayvee]

Yevgeny Kafelnikov is laughing somewhere.

While perking off Panatta

 

[Tennfan123]

I am sure construction workers throughout the Middle East sympathise with the early 20s multimillionaire.

 

[insideguy]

So I am looking at this and thinking the guy lost early at US Open. So then he didnt play for two weeks. Played a couple Davis cup matches. Then didnt play for another 2 weeks and is playing Laver cup. And doesn't really have to play till Sept 30. The guy could have literally taken a month off. Davis cup and Laver cup are not mandatory. No one is forcing him to play this stuff.

 

[Sudacafan]

Exhibitions doesn't matter.
Nobody plays hard on them.
I have never seen a pro seriously injuring him or herself during an exhibition.

 

[vokazu]

And that's where Clostebol comes in handy.

 

[vokazu]

Exhibitions doesn't matter.
Nobody plays hard on them.
I have never seen a pro seriously injuring him or herself during an exhibition.

Federer got hit on the butt by Nole at Laver Cup. Fed also got hit on the body by Tiafoe at Laver Cup.

Serena injured her knee and retired at Hopman Cup.

Serena retires during 2nd set at Hopman Cup

Serena Williams retired from her match at the Hopman Cup on Tuesday, leaving the court in the second set when trailing Jarmila Wolfe 7-5, 2-1.

www.espn.com.au

Sock injured his hip at Hopman Cup.

Federer tops Khachanov in Hopman Cup; Sock retires with hip injury | Tennis.com

Jack Sock injured as US beats Japan at Hopman Cup

www.tennis.com

Petkovic retired with knee injury at Hopman Cup.

Petkovic retires with knee injury in Hopman Cup | Tennis.com

Petkovic retires with knee inj

www.tennis.com

Tsonga retired with groin injury at Hopman Cup.

Tsonga retires from Hopman Cup, out next week

South Africa beat France 2-1 at the Hopman Cup on Friday when Jo-Wilfried Tsonga had to retire in the deciding mixed doubles with a groin injury that later

www.si.com

Ivanovic tore her abdominal muscle at Hopman Cup

Ivanovic races time after Hopman Cup injury

High flying Serbia forced to withdraw from today's Hopman Cup final after former world No.1 Ana Ivanovic suffers a muscle tear.

www.smh.com.au

Ebden injured his calf muscle at Hopman Cup

Australia's Ebden out of Hopman Cup

Matt Ebden's Hopman Cup dreams have been dashed after just one match following a calf injury.

www.sbs.com.au

Marc Rosset injured his hand at Hopman Cup after punching an advertising board in anger.

Croatia at the Hopman Cup - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Clijsters injured her left ankle at Hopman Cup

Fanatics

World No.2 Kim Clijsters' Australian Open ambitions have been thrown into doubt after she withdrew from the Hopman Cup with an ankle injury.

www.thefanatics.com

Hanescu retired with groin injury at Hopman Cup

Spain close in on Hopman Cup final | Tennis News

Spain are on target for a fifth Hopman Cup final after an injury to Victor Hanescu forced Romania to forfeit their crucial Group A tie on Tuesday.

sports.ndtv.com

 

[Gizo]

In terms of scheduling, I’ve always thought that there should be a clear tournament hierarchy, but with no mandatory events on either the ATP or WTA tours.

The WTA set-up before their IMO terrible roadmap changes from 2009, with a Tier 1, 2, 3 and 4 tournament system (easy to follow and understand for diehard and more casual fans), and no mandatory events other than Miami (and ideally even Miami shouldn’t have been mandatory), was great. It meant that players had a lot more flexibility with their scheduling, and that ultimately a noticeably larger number of tournaments throughout the year had big name players in them, so effectively spreading the wealth more.

 

[Sudacafan]

Federer got hit on the butt by Nole at Laver Cup. Fed also got hit on the body by Tiafoe at Laver Cup

You are right only here, that was Fed's last pro match. So the injuries were serious as they were career ending.

 

[NeutralFan]

Carlos should stop being a crybaby and learn from Sinner

 

[Sudacafan]

Carlos should stop being a crybaby and learn from Sinner

Yes, he should go and get a massage for himself rightaway.

 

[Lleytonstation]

In terms of scheduling, I’ve always thought that there should be a clear tournament hierarchy, but with no mandatory events on the either the ATP or WTA tours.

The WTA set-up before their IMO terrible roadmap changes from 2009, with a Tier tournament system (easy to follow and understand), and no mandatory events other than Miami (and ideally even Miami shouldn’t have been mandatory), was great. It meant that players had a lot more flexibility with their scheduling, and that ultimately a noticeably larger number of tournaments throughout the year had big name players in them, so effectively spreading the wealth more.

They do need an entire shakeup.

Add grass masters, shorten the season, and it should be clear.

4 slams. 2 Elite Masters (1250 points), 8 masters (1000 points), and let the rest fall wherever. But the season should end after the USO, and have ATP finals in October. Give them 3 months off.

 

[Bride of Alcaraz]

If they double the points awarded for slams, problem solved!
But, ATP doesn't want that, so the busy schedule will never end

 

[Lleytonstation]

If they double the points awarded for slams, problem solved!
But, ATP doesn't want that, so the busy schedule will never end

So players would play like 5-6 tourneys if you are a top player.

 

[vokazu]

Yes, he should go and get a massage for himself rightaway.

Firstly, the masseuse must be Italian. Secondly, the masseuse must have an Italian best friend. Thirdly, this Italian best friend must be an Italian pharmacist.

 

[Razer]

Alcaraz might have problems winning many non slam tournaments on tour. He needs to follow the Nadal template, pick and choose tournaments, make sure you win your fav tournaments always.

 

[TripleATeam]

If players think they can't keep up with the demands of the tour, they're free to show up and not play their best. Or they can switch to a more efficient game plan than running from side to side until the opponent gets tired.

That gameplan worked for 2 guys, it doesn't mean everyone can do it.

 

[big ted]

Because exhibition$ are lucrative.

i think their obligated by their sports agent or something. the last thing the top players need is more money…

 

[gold soundz]

Fedr

 

[safin2hbh]

TT falls short once again smh

 

[Bride of Alcaraz]

So players would play like 5-6 tourneys if you are a top player.

5 or 6? No, because even top players don't know how they'll do at Slams until the US Open is over, which is most of the year.
Alcaraz for example, lost in the 2nd Round, so he can't bank on the Slams alone to help his ranking when Sinner is so far ahead and even Zverev may finish ahead.
Players wanting to finish #1 or #2 will still need to play a lot more than 5 tournaments, to either overtake the other top 10 players, or to prepare for each slam.

 

[Aabye5]

5 or 6? No, because even top players don't know how they'll do at Slams until the US Open is over, which is most of the year.
Alcaraz for example, lost in the 2nd Round!
Plus they need to play tennis in the lead-up to Roland Garros in particular, to find form.

But if you double the points from that 2nd Round, he's not doing too badly.

Slams are not the season. I know that's all TTW cares about, but that's not all there is to tennis.

Now, the season does need to be shortened, but we're talking about a player playing 3 exhibition tournaments. I don't care how good the money is, if you're that tired, skip two of those.

 

[Bride of Alcaraz]

But if you double the points from that 2nd Round, he's not doing too badly.

Slams are not the season. I know that's all TTW cares about, but that's not all there is to tennis.

Now, the season does need to be shortened, but we're talking about a player playing 3 exhibition tournaments. I don't care how good the money is, if you're that tired, skip two of those.

If you double a 2nd Round Slam performance, it still won't help Alcaraz contend for #1 when Sinner and Zverev are also receiving doubled points...
Well I don't think you'll find anyone who thinks the Slams are currently given enough points!
Alcaraz is hardly playing at the Laver Cup, so it doesn't compare to if he was playing an event in Asia instead...
Plus he's always been a huge Federer fan, so this is his chance to be around Federer.

 

[Aabye5]

If you double a 2nd Round Slam performance, it still won't help Alcaraz contend for #1 when Sinner and Zverev are also receiving doubled points...
Well I don't think you'll find anyone who thinks the Slams are currently given enough points!

I think it would be better to have 8 M1000s. Then the points make more sense.

A Slam is worth double the number of points as an M1000. In terms of difficulty, you have days off at Slams, but you play seven matches. Fewer matches at the M1000 level, but you don't get days off between most matches.

 

[Steve500]

Yeah no. It's not the schedule buddy, it's the game. We went from a sport that was primarily skill based to one where skill takes a back seat to fitness, endurance and athletic ability. Everyone plays the same game and has the same style. Stand 40 feet from the baseline to return a serve, have a 40 ball rally where eventually your opponent makes a mistake, tear off your shirt and flex like you're Conan.

Sorry, i can't believe anybody would find this entertaining over skill and shotmaking that leads to winners and errors mattering more than how fit you are. If I wanted to watch a fitness competition i'd watch a marathon or crossfit.

Carlos is correct, but for the wrong reasons.

Carlos Alcaraz critical of amount of tennis fixtures

Spanish star Carlos Alcaraz says "probably, they are going to kill us in some way" as he criticises the congested tennis calendar.

www.bbc.com

You say all this but you openly support the advancements in racquet technology and sanitised tennis surfaces being similar now everywhere . Racquet technology has killed the skilled players more eg John McEnroe and Bjorg and Edberg would get destroyed in this era. Boris Becker would do well in current eta .