Carlos Alcaraz stands by his “kill us” comment after backlash to his ‘tight’ calendar remarks
Carlos Alcaraz doubled down on views about the ‘tight’ ATP schedule and explained that exhibitions were different from official tournaments.
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Carlos Alcaraz (Image via Imago)
Carlos Alcaraz recently attacked the ATP for their schedule and claimed that it was ‘killing’ players. While he was not the first player to raise his concerns on the issue, his statement did receive some backlash, especially from fans. Many stated that Alcaraz should not sign up for exhibition events if he felt that the tennis calendar was hectic.
Despite all criticism, Alcaraz doubled down on his views and stated that a lot of players agreed with him and that something has to be done about it soon. He said that exhibitions events and official tournaments should not be viewed as the same.
I’ve seen a lot of people talk about my exhibitions this year and complain about the schedule, at the same time putting a lot of exhibition. But I want to say there is different things; we all have to separate the exhibitions and the calendar. It’s about different feelings in every person. I’m talking about myself, that the schedule…it’s been so tight since the first week of January till the last week of November. We have to talk about it ourselves and we have to do something about it.
Carlos Alcaraz said during a press conference (H/T: Tennis365)
Alcaraz has added a few exhibition events to his calendar this year. He played a one-off match against Rafael Nadal in Las Vegas and was most recently in action in the Laver Cup. The Spaniard is also set to take part in the Six Kings Slam in Saudi Arabia next month.
Carlos Alcaraz disagrees with Roger Federer comparison
Carlos Alcaraz made his Laver Cup debut in Berlin and made his mark in the best possible way. Just when it looked like Team Europe was down and out, Alcaraz produced a pair of stunning performances on the final day to help his team complete a thrilling 13-11 comeback victory.
Alcaraz, whose heroics helped Team Europe to take home the Laver Cup, was called ‘Fed05’ by Team World. That is a reference to Roger Federer‘s incredible 2005 season, which is widely considered the greatest season by any player in tennis history. That year, the Swiss maestro clinched two Majors, reached the semifinals of the other two Grand Slams, and won 11 titles.
The 21-year-old, however, dismissed any such comparison. He said that he was far from the level Federer was operating in 2005 and that it is impossible for him to emulate the 20-time Major winner’s feat.
I’m too far away from that level. I hope I’ll reach it one day, but it’s really impossible.
Carlos Alcaraz said (H/T: Stratits Times)
Alcaraz has won three titles on the ATP Tour this season, including the French Open and the Wimbledon Championships. He will be back in action at the China Open, where he is the second seed, and is set to face Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the opening round.
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Anirudh Velamuri
(58 Articles Published)