Alcaraz says “many players” agree after schedule “kills us”

Text size

Carlos Alcaraz doubled down on his criticism of the demands of the tennis calendar on Wednesday, saying “many players” agree with him and “we have to do something about it.”

The four-time Grand Slam champion said at the Laver Cup last week that the schedule was “going to kill us”, joining a growing number of players speaking out.

The 21-year-old Spaniard is in action this week at the China Open, his 15th tournament of the year.

“I have seen and heard many players complaining about the schedule and also the calendar,” he said.

Not among them is world number one Jannik Sinner, who played down the issue in his conversation with reporters in Beijing on Tuesday.

“The schedule is obviously quite long these years. But we players can still decide what we play and what we don’t,” said the Italian, who won his second major title this month at the US Open.

Regarding those comments, Alcaraz acknowledged that “every person has different feelings,” but added, “So I’m talking about myself. The schedule was so tight from the first week of January to the last week of November.”

“We have to talk about it ourselves and we have to do something about it.”

Alcaraz, the second seed, will face Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in his opening match in the Chinese capital.

The number one seed and defending champion Sinner plays against Chilean Nicolas Jarry.

Novak Djokovic is not in Beijing, while world number two Alexander Zverev has cancelled.