The chairman of the ATP has defended the current Tour schedule by suggesting players can choose to play fewer exhibition matches.
Andrea Gaudenzi, who has been the head of men’s tennis since 2020, has faced pressure in recent months about the Tour structure following a series of comments made by some top players. Four-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz has previously said the calendar will ‘kill us players in some way’ during the Laver Cup before telling reporters at the Beijing that he has heard others complain about the issue.
Meanwhile, Daniil Medvedev believes the Tour calendar ‘needs to be refocused around the Grand Slams and Masters 1000 events with the lower-tier ATP 250 tournaments moved to an optional slot later in the year.’ Alexander Zverev has also weighed in on the subject by warning it is potentially putting players at a greater risk of injury. From next year, seven out of the nine Masters 1000 events will be held over 12 days which has also triggered a mixed response from both players and fans.
Speaking to L’Equipe, Gaudenzi has attempted to play down the argument by implying players decide to play more matches when they could be resting. Many participate in exhibition events around the world with many profiting from doing so due to appearance fees.
“It’s not like football or basketball where they are employed by a club. Our players are self-employed and can decide their schedule,” said Gaudenzi.
“Yes, there is the ranking that makes them have to play, but it depends mainly on the big tournaments, the Grand Slams, the Masters 1000 and the ATP Finals. We decided to strengthen the Masters 1000, but in this new format, if you go to the final, you only play one more game compared to the old one.
“In addition, players choose to play many exhibitions outside the circuit. We don’t see that in other sports. The question is whether you want to invest in the circuit or outside the circuit. Reduce the season? Yes, but it will then be necessary to reduce the number of ATP 250 tournaments. Afterwards, players can also decide to do fewer exhibitions and spend more time at home to rest.”
Under the current format, the Tour starts during the first week of January and ends in November with the ATP Finals. Although both the Davis Cup Finals and Next Gen Finals take place after this.
Another hot topic in the game concerns the types of balls being used and their quality. Some believe using different types of balls at various tournaments could be contributing to a rise in injuries. Zverev, who is a member of the ATP Players Advisory Council, believes the COVID-19 pandemic is partly to blame for the decline in quality with companies at the time trying to cut costs by using different runners which he estimates ‘makes the tennis balls between 30% and 60% slower on average.’
“The management of the balls will be centralized. We made this decision last year and will apply it progressively from 2025. For example, we will use the same from Monte Carlo to Rome”. Gaudenzi commented.
Tournaments have signed contracts with the manufacturers and we will have to wait for them to be concluded. The Slam tournaments are excluded from all this, on which we have no say in them.” He added.
