Zverev is furious: “It’s complete madness”

World number two Alexander Zverev has clearly criticized the high workload in the discussion about the tennis season being too long.

16 November 2024

From: dpa

"What we are doing here with our tour is complete madness," said the 27-year-old from Hamburg after reaching the semifinals of the ATP Finals in Turin. "Perhaps other players see it differently, but I think that a lot of things have gone in the wrong direction in the last few years."

It might be nice for the fans to be able to watch tennis for eleven months - too much for the athletes. "We are all over the world - for eleven months. I don't think I've spent more than three days at a time at home this year," said Zverev, referring to the short breaks between tournaments.

Not three days at home in a row

"For me, a day off is when I sleep at home in my own bed, can spend time with my daughter and am with my dogs. For me, that is a day off that I can enjoy," Zverev explained. He does not consider a day off from playing, which he spends on long journeys to training in Shanghai, for example, to be a day off.

Alexander Zverev wants to spend more time with his daughter. © ANSA / Alessandro Di Marco

For Zverev, the season ends at the latest after the final of the end-of-year tournament of the best tennis professionals of the season on Sunday. The season then continues next week with the final round of the Davis Cup in Malaga, which Zverev is skipping. It all starts again for him at the end of the year, when he competes with the German team in the United Cup in Australia from December 27th to January 5th. This year, Zverev announced, he will fly to Australia on December 19th. "We don't have a single holiday off with the family anymore," he complained.