Scandal at the Masters in Paris. The top tennis player could not stand it and withdrew

In world tennis, a serious conflict is brewing between players and tournament organizers. The first ones complain that due to their busy schedule they do not have time to rest properly. The latter don’t seem to care about the outrage.

Players are already rioting!

Little time to recover

The situation became tense after the match at the Masters in Paris. Fourth seeded Jannik Sinner played Mackenzie MacDonald in his first match. As a result, the Italian defeated the unyielding American after more than two hours – 6:7 (6:8), 7:5, 6:1.

Jannik Sinner / Photo: © Jean Catuffe / Contributor / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru

The match began on November 1 at 23:50 Paris time and ended only at three o’clock in the morning. It seemed that after such a load, Sinner should have a good rest and prepare for the next game.

But the organizers of the Masters did not take these arguments into account. The third round match with Australian Alex de Minaur was scheduled for 17:00 on November 2. Yannick was given just over 14 hours to recover. At a press conference after the match with MacDonald, the Italian admitted that it would not be easy for him in the second game in less than 24 hours. But he didn’t swear at the organizers.

Lack of care

But Sinner’s colleagues brought down their anger on the management of Masters. The eighth racket of the world, Norwegian Casper Ruud, reacted ironically to the situation.

— Bravo, ATP! You found a great way to help one of the world’s best tennis players recover after he finished his previous match at 2:37 am. 14.5 hours to recover? This is just ridiculous,” Ruud wrote on social networks.

Kasper’s indignation was supported by Stanislas Wawrinka. He knows from himself what it’s like to play at night: at the same Masters, the Swiss finished his match in the third hour. In the comments to Ruud’s post, Stan called the situation crazy and noted that it does not change from year to year.

Sinner’s coaching staff also didn’t understand the point of such a busy schedule. In particular, Darren Cahill, who works with the Italian, publicly stated the lack of care on the part of the ATP.

“The right decision for yourself”

At the same time, the organizers themselves did not see anything bad in the situation. Tournament director Cedric Piolin noted that regular matches are part of the life of a professional tennis player.

— Sometimes fatigue occurs, as Sinner mentioned. We respect his position. In the end, the easiest way is to blame everything on the organization,” France Info quotes Piolin.

But Yannick didn’t want to risk his health and play while tired. On the afternoon of November 2, he announced that he was giving up the fight. Alex de Minaur entered the third round without a game, and Sinner went home.

“I finished the match at almost three in the morning and went to bed only a few hours later. I had less than 12 hours to rest. “I had to make the right decision for myself,” the Italian wrote.

Sinner still has the ATP Final Tournament and the final part of the Davis Cup ahead. He will have just over a week to rest.

Refusals will become regular

Tennis players have complained about their overloaded schedule before. Back in 2001, Yevgeny Kafelnikov raised this topic. In 2009, Rafael Nadal complained that he had to play a lot and recover less. Roger Federer, David Nalbandian, and many other top tennis players of different years blamed the calendar for being too full.

Women were also dissatisfied with the conditions created. The Athletic wrote that the tennis players demanded that the WTA management, among other things, reduce the number of mandatory tournaments per season. Polish woman Iga Szwiatek, in particular, claimed that due to her busy schedule she would practically not appear at home. However, these and many other questions were ignored.

Iga Šwiatek / Photo: © Robert Prange / Contributor / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru

Modern tennis is a business, and it is beneficial for tournament organizers to have top players. They will squeeze all the juice out of them so that their income grows as quickly and as high as possible. The number of matches will increase, and the recovery time will decrease. Apparently, this trend is set for many years.

So don’t be surprised if examples of Sinner refusing to play become regular occurrences in the future. Even top-class tennis players remain people who need rest.