Djokovic calls for meetings to adress ATP schedule
BASEL, Switzerland (AP)—Novak Djokovic has called for “crucial” meetings to address the heavy playing schedule faced by top tennis players.
The third-ranked Serb said Friday that more players were getting injured because of the demands of a long season.
Djokovic said players should have up to two months rest before preparing for the Australian Open in January.
He spoke at the Swiss Indoors tournament. U.S. Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro pulled out of the tournament because of a wrist injury.
Leading players and ATP tour officials will gather at the Paris Masters next week. The season-ending finals in London starts on Nov. 22.
Updated Nov 6, 2:19 pm EST
15 Comments
1 - 15 of 15
Report Abuse
You are so wrong about us fans. We are not against Serbia or Djokovic. Our point is, to shorten a season you have to drop tournaments from the schedule. There are sponsors who pay a lot of money to bring tournaments to their country. So which tournaments are you going to drop. Since Djokovic's family just brought a new tournament into the schedule this year in Serbia, why don't we start by dropping it first. I do like Djokovic, but he needs to think before he makes public statements.
The men are required to play 18 tournaments a year to gain points. 8 Master series and 4 GS are mandatory. Then there are four 500 pt tournaments and two 250 pt tournaments a player is required to play. If you don't play, you get 0 pts for the tournament. Also one of the 500 pt tournament needs to be played after the US Open. If I am not mistaken, Federer skipped Dubai, Halle and Japan - all 500 pt tournaments - but played Monte Carlo which can be replaced for a 500. He also skipped Shanghai which is a 1000 pt master series for which he got 0 pts. *~*Kennedy*~* is right in stating that the rest of the guys need to play more tournaments because Roger, Rafa and Murray are winning most of the GS and Master Series.
Djokovic has already played five 500 pt tournaments this year. He played in China after the US Open. He did not have to play this week in Basel but he chose to. He has played 2 tournaments more than the ATP has mandated and 3 after Paris next week. If he is looking for points then maybe he should concentrate on GS results and not lose to Roddick (AO QF), Kohlschreiber (FO 3rd Rd), Haas (W QF). He was the higher ranked player and should have been in each SF as per his seeding. Murray, Djokovic, Del Potro, Roddick, Tsonga are battling for 3 - 7 ranking and pushing themselves to injuries. Rafa is pushing himself so that he makes it to #1, which is causing his injuries. Roger has these results this year - 4 GS finals (2 wins), 2 Master Series wins, 3 Master Series SF, 1 Master series QF, SF at Qatar and now in the final at Basel. He has more points than anyone in just 12 tournaments. If Novak is not going to hold his seeding in the GS, what difference is it going to make if he is ranked between 3 - 8. He is trying to avoid Roger and Rafa until the semis but he has to get there first. I would reduce the number of tournaments played and focus on GS results.
I have watched tennis for over 30 years, and I have heard a lot of players complain about the schedule. The schedule is made to represent the 1000 odd professional players and not for just the top 10. Most players find it hard to make a living and need all the tournaments on tour. I am very happy that Serbia has got a tournament. In 15 - 20 years the country has come so far to host a top international tournament. The Djokovic's have done a lot for this to happen. Similarly, other people have done a lot to host their own tournaments. Why should they lose theirs because some players think the schedule is too long? There are guys like Connors, Lendl, Kafelnikov, Davydenko etc who could play every week and therefore were in top four in rankings. Fitness is a huge part of tennis and you play as much as your body can give. The ATP gives everyone a break in schedule. The mandatory tournaments are generally prior to a GS. Now it is up to the player how and when they want to schedule their breaks.
Finally, why bring up Serena and Venus. They are not part of this article. I also don't comment about them so please don't insinuate and make false accusations and assumptions in your posts.
Also, I am a fan of tennis. The top players don't need to be playing for me to watch. I could watch doubles as well as unknown juniors play. When top players don't play it opens doors for other players to shine. Marco Chiudinelli is a perfect example this week. It probably was his biggest payday. A semi-final in a 500 tournament in his home country and to play Roger Federer on center court. This is probably his best moment of his career. Now that's a great story to tell his grandchildren.
Report Abuse
Report Abuse
Report Abuse
Report Abuse
It is the same nonsense both Djokovic and Nadal did a couple weeks ago when they started complaining about this long season. The Shanghai Masters is a very important event and yet Nadal and Djokovic chose to play in the China Open the week before. If they were really concerned about this so called long season then they would know better than to play a low-key smaller event right before Master's series tournament.
I mean yes the season is long but the ATP has only made 8 tournaments mandatory for all top ranked players in the season and as you correctly stated "goFed" after each of the Slam there is like a length period of rest where top ranked players don't necessarily have to play these low-key smaller events.
This is what annoys the hell out of me with these top ranked players. They @#$% about a long season and yet they are the ones who keep playing a bunch of unnecessary tournaments they really don't have to play.
My feeling is that guys like Djokovic are realizing that in the world of men's tennis there are really two guys who have been dominating the sport for the last five years i.e. Roger and Rafa - and odds are when they are entered into a tournament 9 out of 10 times they are the ones that's usually holding the winners trophy at the end of the tournament.
Therefore for guys like Djokovic, Roddick they are now forced to play the other low key events just to catch-up. And that's the real reason why they are complaining about this alleged long season!!!!
It's not because the season is too long and players are getting injured but it more has to do with the fact that they still do not have the ability to have consistent wins over Roger and Rafa to win those big, elite tournaments so they are then forced to compete in smaller events both Roger and Rafa rarely enters.
Report Abuse
Report Abuse
Report Abuse
Report Abuse
Report Abuse
Report Abuse
and the wimbledon to eight weeks instead of only four weeks.
if there are four tournaments between the grand slam events
in those eight weeks, let the top players rest, and have the rest
of the atp field pick three out of the four to play in !
Report Abuse
Report Abuse
Report Abuse
Report Abuse
Murray and Federer are playing this week since they have not played since the US Open.
Nadal has the week off, so does Del Potro and Roddick. It seems like he wants the points for the ranking but then is also complaining about the schedule. Roger and Murray sat out the Masters tournament in Shanghai, gave up lots of points and paid the fine. The top guys can afford to pay the fines.
Maybe the ATP will tell Djokovic that they will drop the tournament in Serbia which his family owns/sponsors. I am sure he will turn around this statement and say that it is the player who needs to create a schedule that will suit their needs.
There is no mandatory tournaments for 6 weeks after the AO, for 6 weeks after Wimbledon and 5 weeks after US Open. There is also 5 weeks at the end of the year. I think it would be worse if the players compressed the schedule where they have to play right after the GS and then give them 8-9 weeks at the end of the year. This is why the FO / Wimbledon combination is one of the toughest to win.
1 - 15 of 15