Jack Draper raised concerns over the demanding tennis schedule after booking his spot in the Madrid Open semi-final. Earlier in his career, Draper was dogged by physical setbacks, and so far, this is only his second full season on the tour with no big injury breaks.
The Brit has now guaranteed that he will make his top-five debut when the rankings update on Monday. But he’s still concerned with the relentless nature of the professional circuit and hopes the ATP can sort things out; otherwise, the future is a “scary proposition.”
The Madrid Open has been an unusual tournament on the men’s side. Some big names have skipped , while former champions like Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev suffered shock early exits.
At No. 6 in the world, Draper is the highest-ranked man left in the draw and the only one who has already lifted a Masters 1000 title. But the 23-year-old thinks the top players’ lack of consistency is down to the demanding tennis schedule.
Seven of the nine Masters tournaments are now staged over two weeks, and players are also required to compete in at least four ATP 500 events, as well as the Grand Slams.
As Draper explained, it means there are fewer gaps in the season to allow for rest or training blocks.
“I think the way the tour is at the moment and these two-week events and less weeks to be at home, less weeks to train, it just seems like you’re on a constant rabbit wheel, and there’s no way off it,” the current world No. 6 said.
“I think that’s scary to think about as a player. You know, to think that, look, I know we’re earning good money, and we’re playing in front of great crowds, and something I love to do, but it’s mentally very, very taxing.”
Draper is only 23 and could have a long career ahead of him, but if he wants to continue, he’s hoping the ATP will step in to take another look at the calendar.
“[It’s] something that I hope that potentially the ATP and the tours come together at some point and, I don’t know, clean it up a little bit, I suppose, to make it so that there is a bit more space to train and to work on our bodies,” he added.
The three-time title winner has also blamed the never-ending season for some of the big names’ poor performances.
Draper continued: “I think for me, the big thing is, I think the quality can suffer a little bit. I think there’s a lot of top players who are in and out with their performances, and it’s just purely because it’s just overplaying.
“People look on TV and they think, ‘Oh, that was a bad performance’ and stuff. It is mentally difficult every day to show up and to give it a hundred percent. And, you know, we have lives as well, there’s things going on off the court all the time. We’re not robots.”
However, the British No. 1 has already admitted that he doesn’t know how long he will play for, and he is aware he can end his career whenever he wants.
“I think it is a scary proposition what’s ahead, you know, the fact that it is a long career. But then again, you know, I don’t have to play until I’m 35, I can do everything and get the best out of myself, and I’ll stop when I feel like I’m ready,” he concluded.
Content Source: www.express.co.uk