The 22-year-old British tennis player, ranked 20th in the ATP rankings, highlighted the little time for rest and preparation they have to prepare for competitions.
British tennis player Jack Draper held nothing back when it came to criticising the ATP Tour schedule. They did so in the Davis Cup, where they were eliminated at the expense of Canada and Argentina.
A phase that occurred just days after his return from New York during the US Open match in which he reached the semi-finals against the Italian Jannik Sinner.
“The calendar is crazy these days. ” he said in a dialogue with the BBC.Many others, in my place, would not have come to play the Davis Cup this week. We have a really complicated schedule, we have no time to rest, but not to work on any aspect of the game either. “There are so many mandatory events that you go from one place to another without any margin for anything,” continued the current 20th player in the ATP rankings.
“Being a tennis player today is a real mental challenge. You go from one surface to another without any time for preparation or recovery on the physical level, you can’t switch off . Many will argue that players of another era used a similar schedule, but the change to the Masters 1000, which lasts two weeks, makes things even more difficult,” he added.
On the other hand, he established that the frequency of tournaments not only causes greater wear and tear on a physical level, risking the appearance of injuries, but also that of tennis players who are beginning to take their first steps in the sport at a professional level, it will be more complicated to succeed, especially because of the mental exhaustion that this entails.
“Since Miami, I have absolutely no time to do anything. I compete week after week without being able to rest or train. Honestly, I don’t think we will have a long career like most veterans today. It’s unsustainable. ” he noted.
Signs of wear at the US Open
Draper reached the semi-finals of the latest version of the US Open, where he lost to Jannik Sinner, and in the duel between the two he showed signs of wear and tear that accompany reaching this stage, to which is added a complication due to anxiety.
“I think it was obviously a very physical match. That’s obviously why Jannik is the number one player in the world, because when you play against the best players, the intensity is different… it’s a step forward. ” he said after the match.
“I think it’s obviously a big opportunity for me. “I definitely felt more excited today, a little bit more nervous,” he admitted.
He then talked about the three times he ended up vomiting on the field.I wasn’t going to give up in the semi-final of a Grand Slam “, said. “I know in the last set there probably wasn’t a good image. But at the end of the day I always try to do my best. “.
“I’m definitely an anxious person. I think when I add that in, sometimes I get a little nauseous on the field, and I feel a little bad when things get tough. I didn’t have any problems before the game, but obviously it just kept building up. ” he added.
Source: Latercera
I’m Rose Brown , a journalist and writer with over 10 years of experience in the news industry. I specialize in covering tennis-related news for Athletistic, a leading sports media website. My writing is highly regarded for its quick turnaround and accuracy, as well as my ability to tell compelling stories about the sport.