After reaching the semi-finals at the ATP Finals in Turin, Alexander Zverev made a passionate plea for a shortening of the season in professional tennis.
“What we are doing here with the tour is complete madness,” said the Hamburg player after his 7:6 (7:5), 6:4 win against Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, when asked about the short season break from mid-November to the end December. This year he “didn’t spend three days in a row at home,” said Zverev.
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You rarely see Alexander Zverev so light and relaxed in an interview. After the win against Carlos Alcaraz, the German was visibly in a good mood.
Not even at Christmas with the family
“Name me another professional sport where you only have four weeks off a year,” complained the world number two. A day off for him is not training in Shanghai between two games and driving for hours to the facility, but “when I sleep at home in my own bed, can spend time with my daughter and am with my two dogs. That’s for me a day off for me to enjoy.”
According to Zverev, he doesn’t even have time in his own home for Christmas and New Year’s Eve. “I’m flying to Australia on December 19th this year. December 19th. You have to think about that. We don’t have a single holiday off with the family. None,” said Zverev: “That’s the only one sport in the world. Even the Bundesliga has holidays for Christmas and New Year.” Zverev will play at the start of the season on December 27th at the United Cup Down Under.
Saudi Arabia as a solution?
In Turin, the 27-year-old brought up the possibility of a tournament in Saudi Arabia. The ATP could use the money from the controversial kingdom to buy back licenses from less important tournaments in order to straighten out the season. Zverev is a member of the ATP Players Council. Other players such as the Russian Daniil Medvedev also spoke out in favor of shortening the season at the end of the year in the Italian metropolis.
The debate about the high level of stress placed on tennis professionals has been simmering for a long time. The season only ends next week with the Davis Cup Finals, which Zverev is foregoing. “Maybe other players see it differently. I think things have gone in the wrong direction in the last few years,” said Zverev, who played in the semi-finals in Turin on Saturday (from 2:00 p.m. live and exclusively on Sky) meets the American Taylor Fritz.
SID
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