Jack Draper is the latest player to hit out at the ATP Tour schedule, with Taylor Fritz also agreeing, but Novak Djokovic has called for collective action from the players.
Novak Djokovic has a crystal clear position on what ATP Tour players should do, rather than complaining about their schedule on social media. Jack Draper is the most recent top tennis star to share his thoughts on the issue, with Taylor Fritz also voicing his agreement.
The British number one demanded changes to the calendar just hours after Holger Rune suffered a complete Achilles tendon rupture. Draper insisted players are forcing their bodies beyond their natural limits on the tour.
A post from him on X – was Twitter – read: “Injuries are going to happen… we are pushing our bodies to do things they aren’t supposed to in elite sport. We have so many incredible younger guys on the tour right now, and I’m proud to be a part of that; however, the tour and the calendar have to adapt if any of us are gonna achieve some sort of longevity.”
READ MORE: Jack Draper issues demand to tennis bosses after Novak Djokovic forced to retireREAD MORE: Taylor Fritz says ‘don’t do that to me’ after surprise Novak Djokovic retirement
Fritz responded: “Facts, also seeing more injuries and burn-out now than ever before because balls, courts, and conditions have slowed down a lot, making the weekly grind even more physically demanding and tough on the body.” The American then proceeded to discuss the matter with several users of the social media platform.
Djokovic urged collective action from the players if they wish to witness change during a pre-tournament press conference at the Shanghai Masters. “In the end, as a player and someone who has been playing on the highest level for more than 20 years, I can say the players are not united enough, and players are not participating enough when they should be,” he said.
“So they make the comments, and they complain, and then they go away, and then if something is wrong, after a certain amount of time, they come back again. But you have to invest the time.
“You have to invest the energy yourself, not your agent, not your team, not your parents, not anybody, yourself. To dedicate yourself to understanding how the system works, to understand what things can be done, to be reversed, and to be improved in terms of the players’ interests.
“And for that to happen, you need top players, particularly, to sit down, roll up their sleeves, and really care a bit more about participating and understanding all the whole topics, so to say. Because going out in the media and talking about this and that, okay, this might stir up some energy or some attention, but in the end of the day, it’s not going to change.
“Nothing is going to change, you know? I know that from my personal experience, trust me – so, yeah, it’s quite a complex topic.”
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