Football is slowly, but inexorably, moving towards the death of success. It wanders drunk on matches, tournaments with renewed formats and competitions recently created with the aim of exploiting a goose that lays golden eggs. Football is drowning, but footballers are opposed to being left without oxygen.“If this continues, we will have no choice but to strike.”
The reflection of Rodriplayer of the Manchester Citythe alarm light came on. The new format of the Champions could increase the number of matches to four and, after a summer of European Cup And Olympic Gamesthe next summer period will have the new Club World Cup“Between 40 and 50 games, a player can play at a high level. Then he falls, because it is impossible to maintain this physical level,” Rodri explained.
A situation similar to the one that the world of tennis has been going through for years. The new complaint from football is a constant in racket sports. There are more and more tournaments of longer duration. Four grand slam8 Mastery 1000four ATP 500 tournaments and one or two ATP 250s. This is what the majority of players on the circuit are forced to compete in. ATP.
To which must be added the ATP Finalsif they are classified, possible calls to Davis Cup and other events such as Wash Cup. The same thing happens on the WTA Tour. Tennis players compete and live from one city to another. No time to rest, no time to train, no time to prepare physically and recover from discomfort. All this in a sport that is increasingly fast and powerful.
The last US Open is a reflection of the fatigue of tennis players. Neither one nor the other Alcaraz, Djokovic, Musetti and AliassimeOlympic semi-finalist, even qualified for the round of 16 of the last Grand Slam of the season. The Murcian’s reactions exuded fatigue.
😡 Alcaraz’s anger.#LaCourTennis pic.twitter.com/9etXAYVZf9
– Tennis on Movistar Plus+ (@MovistarTenis) August 16, 2024
He put his index finger to his head to immediately refuse his bench. The game was not over, but he was already out of it. His mind and his legs had already told him “enough is enough”. He was exhausted, as that broken racket had already warned him during the Masters 1000 in CincinnatiThis year, the men’s programme is giving almost no respite and in 2025, the dynamic will be even worse, because seven of the nine Masters 1000 will take place over two weeks.
“By adding extra days, you have to be some kind of superhero to be consistent two weeks in a row. All of this is detrimental to the sport. It starts with the mental and continues with the physical; it causes injuries to players,” he said, criticised at the time. Tsitsipas. In return, the increase in the number of days leads to an increase in the number of participants, thus broadening the range of professionals who can access the tables.
More games, more tournaments, less spectacle
“They’re great for those in the top 50 to top 100, but not for those in the top 10. It’s that simple,” he says. ZverevThe last authoritative voice to demonstrate his responsibility was Carlos Alcaraz, since Berlinwhere he participated in the Laver Cup with the European team after sealing an unforgettable American tour in the sport.
“It’s been a tough season. I haven’t played many tournaments, but I’ve played a lot of matches. In a way, they’re killing us. Now there are a lot of injuries because of the schedule, but there will be players who have to skip tournaments because they have to take care of their bodies, their families and their other lives outside of tennis. Sometimes I don’t feel motivated, I’d like to take a day off. I can’t because I have to train, commitments, travel, I have jet lag…”
Alcaraz acknowledges that the calendar is very tight and predicts an even busier future. “It’s hard to find days off. I think there are too many tournaments and there will probably be more. There will be many more injuries, so some players will have to abandon some tournaments. And we have families to be with,” he elaborated on the subject while continuing to work in his own way with the racket. Tennis every day and at all hours.
