2024-05-08 18:12:08
Alexander Zverev, ranked fifth in the men’s world tennis rankings, said the extended format of the Masters tournaments, which last 12 days, gives competitors fewer opportunities to recharge their batteries as they spend more time away from home, BTA reports.
Five of the nine Masters events, which are a step below the Grand Slams, are 12-day tournaments with 96 participants. The ATP announced in March that two more could travel this route from next year. The Madrid and Rome tournaments joined the list last year and Zverev, speaking ahead of the one in the Italian capital, said it was not best to play back-to-back tournaments in this format.
“The two-week Masters tournaments are great for the 50th to 100th ranked players in the world because they get a chance to play in the main draw. But they’re not great for the top 10 players. It’s simple,” commented Alexander Zverev.
“Yes, they say there’s a day between games and you don’t have to play every day. But at the end of the day, it’s not a holiday. A holiday means spending time at home, sleeping in your own bed, being with your family, right? right? With a day between matches, you stay in another place, so it’s not a break. You try to get ahead in the tournament and you just have to work harder,” said the German tennis player.
Italy’s Yannick Ciner and Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz will miss the race in Rome due to injuries and to prepare for the upcoming French Open, which starts on May 26.
Zverev believes that reducing the length of the season will help tennis players prevent injuries.
“If we have an 11-month season like it is now … that’s just not enough time for the body to rest. There’s not enough time to physically prepare your body. Physical preparation is not how much you practice on the court, and how much you play. It’s about how much time you spend in the gym, on the track or off the court, and that can’t be done during the season,” added Alexander Zverev.