The tennis schedule is a point of serious debate at the moment, with some of the world’s biggest names weighing in.
And now, the men’s world number one has actually offered his take on the subject, in an alarming divergence from what most of his peers are suggesting.
Normally, the typical argument states that far too much is being asked of these athletes, forced to feature relentlessly throughout the year with little to no break.
Jannik Sinner, however, has argued otherwise.
Jannik Sinner weighs in on tennis schedule debate
Speaking ahead of this week’s China Open to reporters at the event, Sinner previewed his return to tennis, having enjoyed a well-earned absence ever since his US Open triumph.
Winning his second Grand Slam of the season, he subsequently missed the Davis Cup despite still being there to cheer on his teammates. He also opted out of the Laver Cup too.
This decision to take such a rest was actually one of the chief topics of discussion for the Italian, who is the latest player to be quizzed about the ever-increasing tennis schedule.
However, he took a different outlook on the matter, noting: ‘The schedule is quite long these years. But as players, we can still choose what to play and what not to play.
‘Obviously we have some mandatory events, yes. As a player, you can still choose. It is a very busy schedule this year, there are a lot of tournaments. You don’t have to play in a tournament. If you want, you can play. If not, you don’t play.
‘For example last year and also this year, I didn’t play some tournaments because I wanted to practice. There are some choices behind this. In general, yeah, the season is quite long, so sometimes it’s not easy.’
Jannik Sinner argues against Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek
Whilst Sinner has almost accepted the scheduling issues, his claims come in direct contrast to what Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek have both said in recent months regarding the business of the calendar.
After all, the former of that duo admitted that there are some tournaments which he loves playing more than others, but he unfortunately just does not have the time anymore due to how unrelenting his current plan is.
Meanwhile, the women’s world number one even suggested that she might have to take a break to deal with her workload, as Swiatek condemned the busy tennis calendar.
Sinner is right to an extent, but with so many mandatory events throughout the year for those top players, plus any favourable extras players might want, it’s easy to see why they are upset.
It’s therefore no surprise that John McEnroe called on players to boycott Grand Slams in order to make meaningful change.
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