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The Advertiser
29-05-2025
- Sport
- The Advertiser
'There's too much tennis': Demon wants shorter schedule
Alex de Minaur has joined the chorus of tennis voices calling for the crowded men's tennis schedule to be shortened, warning that players are in danger of having their careers ended early with physical and mental burn-out. His lament came on the day when he cited his own mental fatigue during his surprise exit at Roland Garros to Alexander Bublik on Thursday, and while his Australian colleague Adam Walton was having to battle with a shoulder injury in his loss to Andrey Rublev. De Minaur then chose the moment to launched a wider broadside about the state of the men's ATP tour program, echoing the complaints kicked off by his Sydney colleague Jordan Thompson earlier in the week. "No-one's got a solution," said de Minaur, admitting the tour grind was affecting him after his 2-6 2-6 6-4 6-3 6-2 loss. "But the solution is simple: you shorten the schedule, right? "What's not normal is that for the last three, four years I've had two days off after the Davis Cup and I've gone straight into pre-season, straight into the new season again," said de Minaur of the gruelling program that kicked off with the United Cup in December, 33 days after the Davis Cup Finals ended. "Once you start, you don't finish until November 24. So it's never-ending. The way it's structured ... I had to deal with that. I'm still dealing with that right now. "The solution is you shorten, because what's going to happen is players' careers are going to get shorter and shorter because they're just going to burn out mentally. There's just too much tennis." Thompson, who has been battling on all season with three injuries which he believes have only been exacerbated by the ceaseless tour grind, had earlier described the ATP schedule as "shit" and "just a joke". Two-time French Open finalist Casper Ruud also picked up the theme after his own injury-hampered defeat to Nuno Borges on Wednesday as he likened the ATP's ranking system to a "rat race" with players feeling compelled to compete in the men's tour's mandatory events even if they are carrying injuries. "You feel you're obligated to play with certain rules that the ATP have set up with the mandatory events. You feel like you lose a lot if you don't show up and play ... the punishments are quite hard, in terms of everyone else will play, gain points, and you won't. "If you don't play a mandatory event, they cut 25 per cent of your year-end bonus. "You're forcing players to show up injured or sick, or whatever, when that's not what I think is very fair." Brisbane's Walton admitted after his straight-sets defeat that he was still battling on with an arm injury "that's not great". "The season's pretty relentless. I don't have the luxury, like some of the top players, in being able to play less. I guess if you're good enough, you don't have to play as much to collect points, right?" said the world No.91. "So in order for me to collect all the points, I've got to play a lot. I don't have a solution, but yes, it is very taxing on the body." Alex de Minaur has joined the chorus of tennis voices calling for the crowded men's tennis schedule to be shortened, warning that players are in danger of having their careers ended early with physical and mental burn-out. His lament came on the day when he cited his own mental fatigue during his surprise exit at Roland Garros to Alexander Bublik on Thursday, and while his Australian colleague Adam Walton was having to battle with a shoulder injury in his loss to Andrey Rublev. De Minaur then chose the moment to launched a wider broadside about the state of the men's ATP tour program, echoing the complaints kicked off by his Sydney colleague Jordan Thompson earlier in the week. "No-one's got a solution," said de Minaur, admitting the tour grind was affecting him after his 2-6 2-6 6-4 6-3 6-2 loss. "But the solution is simple: you shorten the schedule, right? "What's not normal is that for the last three, four years I've had two days off after the Davis Cup and I've gone straight into pre-season, straight into the new season again," said de Minaur of the gruelling program that kicked off with the United Cup in December, 33 days after the Davis Cup Finals ended. "Once you start, you don't finish until November 24. So it's never-ending. The way it's structured ... I had to deal with that. I'm still dealing with that right now. "The solution is you shorten, because what's going to happen is players' careers are going to get shorter and shorter because they're just going to burn out mentally. There's just too much tennis." Thompson, who has been battling on all season with three injuries which he believes have only been exacerbated by the ceaseless tour grind, had earlier described the ATP schedule as "shit" and "just a joke". Two-time French Open finalist Casper Ruud also picked up the theme after his own injury-hampered defeat to Nuno Borges on Wednesday as he likened the ATP's ranking system to a "rat race" with players feeling compelled to compete in the men's tour's mandatory events even if they are carrying injuries. "You feel you're obligated to play with certain rules that the ATP have set up with the mandatory events. You feel like you lose a lot if you don't show up and play ... the punishments are quite hard, in terms of everyone else will play, gain points, and you won't. "If you don't play a mandatory event, they cut 25 per cent of your year-end bonus. "You're forcing players to show up injured or sick, or whatever, when that's not what I think is very fair." Brisbane's Walton admitted after his straight-sets defeat that he was still battling on with an arm injury "that's not great". "The season's pretty relentless. I don't have the luxury, like some of the top players, in being able to play less. I guess if you're good enough, you don't have to play as much to collect points, right?" said the world No.91. "So in order for me to collect all the points, I've got to play a lot. I don't have a solution, but yes, it is very taxing on the body." Alex de Minaur has joined the chorus of tennis voices calling for the crowded men's tennis schedule to be shortened, warning that players are in danger of having their careers ended early with physical and mental burn-out. His lament came on the day when he cited his own mental fatigue during his surprise exit at Roland Garros to Alexander Bublik on Thursday, and while his Australian colleague Adam Walton was having to battle with a shoulder injury in his loss to Andrey Rublev. De Minaur then chose the moment to launched a wider broadside about the state of the men's ATP tour program, echoing the complaints kicked off by his Sydney colleague Jordan Thompson earlier in the week. "No-one's got a solution," said de Minaur, admitting the tour grind was affecting him after his 2-6 2-6 6-4 6-3 6-2 loss. "But the solution is simple: you shorten the schedule, right? "What's not normal is that for the last three, four years I've had two days off after the Davis Cup and I've gone straight into pre-season, straight into the new season again," said de Minaur of the gruelling program that kicked off with the United Cup in December, 33 days after the Davis Cup Finals ended. "Once you start, you don't finish until November 24. So it's never-ending. The way it's structured ... I had to deal with that. I'm still dealing with that right now. "The solution is you shorten, because what's going to happen is players' careers are going to get shorter and shorter because they're just going to burn out mentally. There's just too much tennis." Thompson, who has been battling on all season with three injuries which he believes have only been exacerbated by the ceaseless tour grind, had earlier described the ATP schedule as "shit" and "just a joke". Two-time French Open finalist Casper Ruud also picked up the theme after his own injury-hampered defeat to Nuno Borges on Wednesday as he likened the ATP's ranking system to a "rat race" with players feeling compelled to compete in the men's tour's mandatory events even if they are carrying injuries. "You feel you're obligated to play with certain rules that the ATP have set up with the mandatory events. You feel like you lose a lot if you don't show up and play ... the punishments are quite hard, in terms of everyone else will play, gain points, and you won't. "If you don't play a mandatory event, they cut 25 per cent of your year-end bonus. "You're forcing players to show up injured or sick, or whatever, when that's not what I think is very fair." Brisbane's Walton admitted after his straight-sets defeat that he was still battling on with an arm injury "that's not great". "The season's pretty relentless. I don't have the luxury, like some of the top players, in being able to play less. I guess if you're good enough, you don't have to play as much to collect points, right?" said the world No.91. "So in order for me to collect all the points, I've got to play a lot. I don't have a solution, but yes, it is very taxing on the body." Alex de Minaur has joined the chorus of tennis voices calling for the crowded men's tennis schedule to be shortened, warning that players are in danger of having their careers ended early with physical and mental burn-out. His lament came on the day when he cited his own mental fatigue during his surprise exit at Roland Garros to Alexander Bublik on Thursday, and while his Australian colleague Adam Walton was having to battle with a shoulder injury in his loss to Andrey Rublev. De Minaur then chose the moment to launched a wider broadside about the state of the men's ATP tour program, echoing the complaints kicked off by his Sydney colleague Jordan Thompson earlier in the week. "No-one's got a solution," said de Minaur, admitting the tour grind was affecting him after his 2-6 2-6 6-4 6-3 6-2 loss. "But the solution is simple: you shorten the schedule, right? "What's not normal is that for the last three, four years I've had two days off after the Davis Cup and I've gone straight into pre-season, straight into the new season again," said de Minaur of the gruelling program that kicked off with the United Cup in December, 33 days after the Davis Cup Finals ended. "Once you start, you don't finish until November 24. So it's never-ending. The way it's structured ... I had to deal with that. I'm still dealing with that right now. "The solution is you shorten, because what's going to happen is players' careers are going to get shorter and shorter because they're just going to burn out mentally. There's just too much tennis." Thompson, who has been battling on all season with three injuries which he believes have only been exacerbated by the ceaseless tour grind, had earlier described the ATP schedule as "shit" and "just a joke". Two-time French Open finalist Casper Ruud also picked up the theme after his own injury-hampered defeat to Nuno Borges on Wednesday as he likened the ATP's ranking system to a "rat race" with players feeling compelled to compete in the men's tour's mandatory events even if they are carrying injuries. "You feel you're obligated to play with certain rules that the ATP have set up with the mandatory events. You feel like you lose a lot if you don't show up and play ... the punishments are quite hard, in terms of everyone else will play, gain points, and you won't. "If you don't play a mandatory event, they cut 25 per cent of your year-end bonus. "You're forcing players to show up injured or sick, or whatever, when that's not what I think is very fair." Brisbane's Walton admitted after his straight-sets defeat that he was still battling on with an arm injury "that's not great". "The season's pretty relentless. I don't have the luxury, like some of the top players, in being able to play less. I guess if you're good enough, you don't have to play as much to collect points, right?" said the world No.91. "So in order for me to collect all the points, I've got to play a lot. I don't have a solution, but yes, it is very taxing on the body."
West Australian
29-05-2025
- Sport
- West Australian
'There's too much tennis': Demon wants shorter schedule
Alex de Minaur has joined the chorus of tennis voices calling for the crowded men's tennis schedule to be shortened, warning that players are in danger of having their careers ended early with physical and mental burn-out. His lament came on the day when he cited his own mental fatigue during his surprise exit at Roland Garros to Alexander Bublik on Thursday, and while his Australian colleague Adam Walton was having to battle with a shoulder injury in his loss to Andrey Rublev. De Minaur then chose the moment to launched a wider broadside about the state of the men's ATP tour program, echoing the complaints kicked off by his Sydney colleague Jordan Thompson earlier in the week. "No-one's got a solution," said de Minaur, admitting the tour grind was affecting him after his 2-6 2-6 6-4 6-3 6-2 loss. "But the solution is simple: you shorten the schedule, right? "What's not normal is that for the last three, four years I've had two days off after the Davis Cup and I've gone straight into pre-season, straight into the new season again," said de Minaur of the gruelling program that kicked off with the United Cup in December, 33 days after the Davis Cup Finals ended. "Once you start, you don't finish until November 24. So it's never-ending. The way it's structured ... I had to deal with that. I'm still dealing with that right now. "The solution is you shorten, because what's going to happen is players' careers are going to get shorter and shorter because they're just going to burn out mentally. There's just too much tennis." Thompson, who has been battling on all season with three injuries which he believes have only been exacerbated by the ceaseless tour grind, had earlier described the ATP schedule as "shit" and "just a joke". Two-time French Open finalist Casper Ruud also picked up the theme after his own injury-hampered defeat to Nuno Borges on Wednesday as he likened the ATP's ranking system to a "rat race" with players feeling compelled to compete in the men's tour's mandatory events even if they are carrying injuries. "You feel you're obligated to play with certain rules that the ATP have set up with the mandatory events. You feel like you lose a lot if you don't show up and play ... the punishments are quite hard, in terms of everyone else will play, gain points, and you won't. "If you don't play a mandatory event, they cut 25 per cent of your year-end bonus. "You're forcing players to show up injured or sick, or whatever, when that's not what I think is very fair." Brisbane's Walton admitted after his straight-sets defeat that he was still battling on with an arm injury "that's not great". "The season's pretty relentless. I don't have the luxury, like some of the top players, in being able to play less. I guess if you're good enough, you don't have to play as much to collect points, right?" said the world No.91. "So in order for me to collect all the points, I've got to play a lot. I don't have a solution, but yes, it is very taxing on the body."
Perth Now
29-05-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
'There's too much tennis': Demon wants shorter schedule
Alex de Minaur has joined the chorus of tennis voices calling for the crowded men's tennis schedule to be shortened, warning that players are in danger of having their careers ended early with physical and mental burn-out. His lament came on the day when he cited his own mental fatigue during his surprise exit at Roland Garros to Alexander Bublik on Thursday, and while his Australian colleague Adam Walton was having to battle with a shoulder injury in his loss to Andrey Rublev. De Minaur then chose the moment to launched a wider broadside about the state of the men's ATP tour program, echoing the complaints kicked off by his Sydney colleague Jordan Thompson earlier in the week. "No-one's got a solution," said de Minaur, admitting the tour grind was affecting him after his 2-6 2-6 6-4 6-3 6-2 loss. "But the solution is simple: you shorten the schedule, right? "What's not normal is that for the last three, four years I've had two days off after the Davis Cup and I've gone straight into pre-season, straight into the new season again," said de Minaur of the gruelling program that kicked off with the United Cup in December, 33 days after the Davis Cup Finals ended. "Once you start, you don't finish until November 24. So it's never-ending. The way it's structured ... I had to deal with that. I'm still dealing with that right now. "The solution is you shorten, because what's going to happen is players' careers are going to get shorter and shorter because they're just going to burn out mentally. There's just too much tennis." Thompson, who has been battling on all season with three injuries which he believes have only been exacerbated by the ceaseless tour grind, had earlier described the ATP schedule as "shit" and "just a joke". Two-time French Open finalist Casper Ruud also picked up the theme after his own injury-hampered defeat to Nuno Borges on Wednesday as he likened the ATP's ranking system to a "rat race" with players feeling compelled to compete in the men's tour's mandatory events even if they are carrying injuries. "You feel you're obligated to play with certain rules that the ATP have set up with the mandatory events. You feel like you lose a lot if you don't show up and play ... the punishments are quite hard, in terms of everyone else will play, gain points, and you won't. "If you don't play a mandatory event, they cut 25 per cent of your year-end bonus. "You're forcing players to show up injured or sick, or whatever, when that's not what I think is very fair." Brisbane's Walton admitted after his straight-sets defeat that he was still battling on with an arm injury "that's not great". "The season's pretty relentless. I don't have the luxury, like some of the top players, in being able to play less. I guess if you're good enough, you don't have to play as much to collect points, right?" said the world No.91. "So in order for me to collect all the points, I've got to play a lot. I don't have a solution, but yes, it is very taxing on the body."
Kuwait Times
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Kuwait Times
Roland Garros pays ‘unforgettable' tribute to ‘King of Clay' Nadal
PARIS: Rafael Nadal was given a rousing reception as the 'King of Clay' stepped onto Court Philippe Chatrier for the final time on Sunday in an 'unforgettable' ceremony to celebrate his career at the French Open. The 38-year-old, who retired from tennis last November, was serenaded by the Roland Garros crowd, with spectators wearing different colored t-shirts to create the message '14 RG, Rafa'. Nadal dominated the French Open after winning on debut as a teenager in 2005, lifting the trophy a record-breaking 14 times. The Spaniard finished with a remarkable 112-4 win-loss record at the clay-court Grand Slam. He last won the title in 2022 and played his final match on the Paris clay last year when he was defeated by Alexander Zverev in the first round. 'I don't know how to start... I've been playing on this court for 20 years. I suffered, I won, I lost. I have lived many emotions here on this court,' an emotional Nadal told the crowd after watching a video of his career highlights at Roland Garros. Nadal's family and friends watched from the player's box, along with many of his former coaching staff, including his uncle Toni. 'It has been unforgettable, plenty of emotions for a guy like me that doesn't love these kind of things because I'm still a little bit shy for all this stuff,' Nadal told reporters. 'I don't like a lot to be the center of attention for these things. It was enough when I was playing tennis. But I enjoyed it, honestly. I suffered a little bit with the emotions, but I enjoyed a lot.' Old rivals pay tribute Nadal's long-time rivals Novak Djokovic, fresh from winning his 100th ATP title on Saturday, Roger Federer and Andy Murray all joined him on the main Chatrier court. The trio walked out after Nadal's speech to greet their fellow former world number one, to a deafening roar from the fans. 'To have my three biggest rivals there on the court with me meant a lot,' Nadal said of the other members of the 'Big Four'. 'At the same time, it's a great message for the world, I think, that best rivals, the toughest rivals probably in the history of our sport are able to be good colleagues, to respect each other. 'You don't need to hate the opponent to try to beat him with all your force. And that's the message that I think we showed people, we showed the new generations, and in some way that's our legacy.' Nadal hung up his racquet following the 2024 Davis Cup Finals in Malaga, initially denying him an opportunity to wave goodbye to his adoring fans in Paris. His tally of 14 victories at a single Grand Slam appears unlikely to be beaten, with Margaret Court's 11 Australian Open titles second on the all-time list. Nadal was presented with a special trophy commemorating his French Open record, with a mark of his footprint carved into the clay. 'I didn't know anything about the ceremony,' Nadal said. 'Only thing that I knew before going there was going to be video when I go on, then gonna be my speech, and then gonna be a couple of surprises. 'Then when I see that, I thought it was going to be just for this year. Knowing that's going to be forever there, it's a present that I can't describe in words.' The 22-time Grand Slam champion received a send-off after his final match at the Davis Cup, but French tennis federation chief Gilles Moretton said earlier this year that 'the tribute was not, in my opinion, what it should have been'. He said he had gone to visit Nadal at his home in December along with Roland Garros tournament director Amelie Mauresmo to discuss plans for Sunday's ceremony. – AFP
The Star
27-05-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Rafael Nadal's legacy forever etched into Roland Garros' red clay
AFP | Published 54 minutes ago Rafael Nadal was given a rousing reception as the 'King of Clay' stepped onto Court Philippe Chatrier for the final time on Sunday in an "unforgettable" ceremony to celebrate his career at the French Open. The 38-year-old, who retired from tennis last November, was serenaded by the Roland Garros crowd, with spectators wearing different coloured t-shirts to create the message "14 RG, Rafa". Nadal dominated the French Open after winning on debut as a teenager in 2005, lifting the trophy a record-breaking 14 times. The Spaniard finished with a remarkable 112-4 win-loss record at the clay-court Grand Slam. He last won the title in 2022 and played his final match on the Paris clay last year when he was defeated by Alexander Zverev in the first round. "I don't know how to start... I've been playing on this court for 20 years. I suffered, I won, I lost. I have lived many emotions here on this court," an emotional Nadal told the crowd after watching a video of his career highlights at Roland Garros. Nadal's family and friends watched from the player's box, along with many of his former coaching staff, including his uncle Toni. "It has been unforgettable, plenty of emotions for a guy like me that doesn't love these kind of things because I'm still a little bit shy for all this stuff," Nadal told reporters. "I don't like a lot to be the centre of attention for these things. It was enough when I was playing tennis. But I enjoyed it, honestly. I suffered a little bit with the emotions, but I enjoyed a lot." Old rivals pay tribute Nadal's long-time rivals Novak Djokovic, fresh from winning his 100th ATP title on Saturday, Roger Federer and Andy Murray all joined him on the main Chatrier court. The trio walked out after Nadal's speech to greet their fellow former world number one, to a deafening roar from the fans. "To have my three biggest rivals there on the court with me meant a lot," Nadal said of the other members of the 'Big Four'. "At the same time, it's a great message for the world, I think, that best rivals, the toughest rivals probably in the history of our sport are able to be good colleagues, to respect each other. "You don't need to hate the opponent to try to beat him with all your force. And that's the message that I think we showed people, we showed the new generations, and in some way that's our legacy." Nadal hung up his racquet following the 2024 Davis Cup Finals in Malaga, initially denying him an opportunity to wave goodbye to his adoring fans in Paris. His tally of 14 victories at a single Grand Slam appears unlikely to be beaten, with Margaret Court's 11 Australian Open titles second on the all-time list. Nadal was presented with a special trophy commemorating his French Open record, with a mark of his footprint carved into the clay. "I didn't know anything about the ceremony," Nadal said. "Only thing that I knew before going there was going to be video when I go on, then gonna be my speech, and then gonna be a couple of surprises. "Then when I see that, I thought it was going to be just for this year. Knowing that's going to be forever there, it's a present that I can't describe in words." The 22-time Grand Slam champion received a send-off after his final match at the Davis Cup, but French tennis federation chief Gilles Moretton said earlier this year that "the tribute was not, in my opinion, what it should have been". He said he had gone to visit Nadal at his home in December along with Roland Garros tournament director Amelie Mauresmo to discuss plans for Sunday's ceremony. AFP
