Carlos Alcaraz has been very outspoken about the gruelling nature of the ATP Tour since returning to action following four and a half months on the shelf due to a wrist injury.
Alcaraz was forced out of both Roland Garros and Wimbledon this year due to injury, before he made his return at Flushing Meadows for the US Open.
The Spaniard said he would be more selective about the tournaments he played heading forward following his return and he was particularly scathing about the ATP Tour schedule after Jannik Sinner revealed he would be ending his season early.
“One of the reasons we had to see the players who are getting injured, they [ATP officials] are pushing us too much out of the line sometimes to play a lot of tournaments, to play a lot of matches,” said Alcaraz while at the Shanghai Masters.
“It’s getting in the wrong direction,” he continued. “I just wish Jannik the best for these months, just to be in good shape for the next season.”
While many players and pundits have praised Alcaraz for speaking up on the issue, Naomi Broady has questioned the star’s complaints when he continues to play exhibition matches.
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Speaking on Sky Sports Tennis during Alcaraz’s Shanghai Masters defeat to Zizou Bergs, she said: “I definitely lose sympathy for the argument when you play Six Kings and Laver Cup, whatever other ones there are dotted throughout the year.
“He’s a big voice at the top of the sport and at the end of the day it’s a diluted product if Alcaraz, Sinner, and the other top players can’t keep up with the demands of the Tour. The other argument is they don’t have to play every single one.
“I think they’re docked extra prize money at the end of the year. It’s on top of what they’re already earning, it’s the bonus pool they’re docked from when they don’t play everything.
“I think it was Dan Evans who said: ‘If you’re not happy, don’t play a week.’ You’re just going to earn a bit less at the end of the year. If you’re earning a lot, it’s a balance absolutely. There’s side to both arguments.”
Alcaraz has often played exhibition matches, both during and in the off-season. The star played an event in Miami last December against Joao Fonseca and he followed it up in January by playing Sinner in South Korea in January of this year.
Add into that his appearances at both the Laver Cup and Six Kings Slam in September and October, that means the star could play nearly 10 matches a year outside of his commitments on the ATP Tour.
