Carlos Alcaraz has issued a stark warning about the non-stop tennis schedule, suggesting it is going to ‘kill’ players unless changes are made.
Alcaraz has enjoyed a successful season, winning two Grand Slams at the French Open and Wimbledon, while also claiming silver at the Olympics in Paris.
However, the Spaniard suffered a shock defeat in the US Open second round last month and missed last week’s Davis Cup tie with Australia due to fatigue.
The World No.3 made a winning return at the Laver Cup against American Ben Shelton but insisted he is not the only one struggling with the playing demands being put on him.
‘A lot of players say that it’s really tight and a lot of tournaments during the whole year,’ Alcaraz said.
‘I’m the kind of player who thinks there are a lot of tournaments during the year, mandatory tournaments and probably during the next few years gonna be even more tournaments, more mandatory tournaments.
‘So, I mean, probably they are going to kill us in some way.
‘Right now they are showing up a lot of injuries because of the ball, because of the calendar, because of a lot of things.
‘So probably at some point a lot of good players are going to miss a lot of tournaments because of that because they have to think about their bodies, they have to take care of their love.’
The Laver Cup marks Alcaraz’s 14th tournament of the year, with the 21-year-old revealing that he has struggled with motivation at points this year.
‘Well, honestly it is difficult. I mean, sometimes I didn’t feel motivated at all,’ he added.
‘It is a difficult moment. As I said many times, you know, the calendar is so tight, a lot of tournaments, no days off or not as many days off as I want.
‘Sometimes I really want to take some days for myself that I can’t because I have to practice, I have to travel, I have to, you know, the jet lag sometimes when you’re travelling around the world.
‘I have been feeling this, you know, this feeling a few times already that I don’t want to go to that tournament because I want to stay at home with my family or my friend.’
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