The former coach of Roger Federer Paul Annacone has shared exactly what he thinks of the packed tennis schedule.
One of the biggest talking points in tennis currently is the lack of opportunity for sufficient rest on the ATP Tour due to the sheer volume of events on the circuit and how close they are to one another.
Those who competed in the Laver Cup that concluded on Sunday, flew straight to China or Japan to commence the Asian swing just two or three days later.
Two of the players to do this were Taylor Fritz and Francis Tiafoe, who represented Team World in what was an emotionally-charged Laver Cup.
Once the event had concluded they flew to the Japanese capital and their campaigns have already come to an end.
What did Roger Federer’s ex-coach Paul Annacone say about the tennis schedule?
Several players have spoken about the congested tennis schedule. Alcaraz claimed the schedule is ‘killing’ the players after the Davis Cup began just two days after the conclusion of the US Open and ended less than a week before the Laver Cup.
This came after a packed summer with the Paris Olympic Games taking place shortly after the Wimbledon Championships.
Furthermore, there was a very short turnaround between the Laver Cup and the Tokyo Open, where Tiafoe and Fritz suffered opening round defeats.
Annacone appeared on Tennis Channel to talk about the scheduling, and while he did not make any excuses for Taylor Fritz and Francis Tiafoe, he understands those complaining about the congested schedule.
“No excuse for any of those boys [Fritz and Tiafoe] that is what it is. But the schedule doesn’t work, it doesn’t take a genius to figure it out, it’s just getting more and more congested,” he said.
“It’s ridiculous for anyone to play an event of the magnitude of the Laver Cup which is so great and phenomenal and so emotionally charged and fly to Tokyo, get to Asia Tuesday morning after flying all night and then playing the next day.
“It’s a circus. The tennis calendar has always been a circus and we don’t do ourselves any favours with it do we?”
Who did Taylor Fritz and Francis Tiafoe lose to at the Tokyo Open?
Fritz flew straight from Germany to Japan to compete at the Tokyo Open where he was the top seed.
He took on Arthur Fils, one of the young stars of the ATP Tour for the first time and came out on the losing end of a 4-6, 6-3, 3-6 scoreline.
Tiafoe, who was seeded seventh, took on fellow American Brandon Nakashima, and suffered a 5-7, 3-6 loss in his first match of the Asian swing.
In their first meeting since 2022, Nakashima prevailed to secure his first career victory over the two-time US Open semi-finalist.
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