Carlos Alcaraz agreed with Iga Swiatek over the “very tight” WTA and ATP schedule and rules as he pulled out of the Shanghai Masters.
According to Sportskeeda, the world No. 1, Alcaraz, on Tuesday, September 30, beat Taylor Fritz 6-4 6-4 in the final to win Japan Open.
Soon after winning the eighth ATP title of the year in Tokyo, the Spanish tennis professional made the “best decision to rest and recover” and withdrew from the upcoming Shanghai Masters.
During the post-match press conference, the six-time Grand Slam winner was asked about his opinion on world No. 2 Swiatek’s concerns over the “crazy” rules and tough tennis calendar.
The 22-year-old agreed with the Polish player and said, “I think that the schedule is really tight. They have to do something with the schedule. I think there are too many mandatory tournaments, too many in a row. They put in some rules that we have to play Master 1000s, 500 tournaments, whatever it is.”
“But there are too many rules that we as tennis players have to, we are not allowed to have a choice if we have to play or not. To be honest, I have to consider in the future if I have to skip some mandatory tournaments just to maintain my physical condition and good shape. Obviously it's more than the physical condition,” he added.
He also highlighted that the tough schedule not only affects physical health but mental health too, as the players did not get days to rest mentally due to back-to-back tournaments.
Furthermore, taking to social media, Alcaraz explained that he pulled out of the Shanghai Masters due to “physical issues.”
Notably, the Spaniard twisted his left ankle during the Japan Open opening round in Tokyo last week.
