Carlos Alcaraz responds to Six Kings Slam critics | Sports News

Before the Six Kings Slam kicked off, Carlos Alcaraz got here to the protection of tennis gamers who compete in exhibition tournaments regardless of ongoing complaints in regards to the packed calendar. Meanwhile, Sinner was left baffled by a weird court docket invader incident during his straight-sets win over Stefanos Tsitsipas during the Six Kings Slam quarter-finals.

Multiple stars within the game have expressed issues concerning the prolonged tennis season. The ATP and WTA tours function tournaments spanning 11 months yearly alongside the ITF’s 4 grand slam occasions – the Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and the US Open.

Criticism of the tennis schedule has grown following the choice to lengthen many of the 9 Masters 1000 occasions to two weeks. Previously, these tournaments lasted seven days, with solely Indian Wells and Miami as exceptions.

Now, Alcaraz weighed in on the selection of quite a few gamers to take part in exhibition occasions such because the Six Kings Slam, regardless of widespread criticism in regards to the tennis season’s length.

The world No. 1 is amongst a number of gamers competing within the $13.5 million occasion in Saudi Arabia this week, becoming a member of Sinner, Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz, and Stefanos Tsitsipas. In the quarter-finals, Fritz defeated Zverev in simply 59 minutes to set up a matchup with Alcaraz — who was given a first-round bye alongside Djokovic — for a spot within the finals at stake. Sinner will face the Serbian legend within the different semi-final after beating Tsitsipas in straight units on Wednesday.

“I think it’s a discussion that a lot of players and a lot of people are talking about with the calendar, how tight it is with a lot of tournaments and the tournaments of two weeks, and then making some, I’m going to say, excuses with exhibitions, how players are complaining about the calendar and then playing some exhibitions,” Alcaraz instructed PA information company.

“All I can say is it’s a really different format, different situation playing exhibitions than the official tournaments, having 15, 16 days in row, having such a high focus and demanding physically.

“That’s why, as a result of we’re simply having enjoyable for one or two days and enjoying some tennis, and I believe that is great, and I believe that is why we select generally the exhibitions.

“Obviously I understand (the criticism), but sometimes the people don’t understand us, our opinions. When I see a lot of people complaining about how we are defending the exhibitions, I don’t understand them because, as I said, it’s not really demanding mentally (compared to) when we’re having such long events like two weeks or two-and-a-half weeks. It’s really tough.”

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Alcaraz has additionally confessed to touring to Saudi Arabia regardless of acknowledging the damage he sustained in Tokyo final month hasn’t fully healed.

The 22-year-old continued: “Everything’s OK. I’ve been recovering the ankle as much and as good as I can.

“I do not really feel, I might say, 100%, the doubts are there fascinated about it a little bit when I’m transferring on court docket, however I believe it improved a lot and I’m going to compete and carry out nicely right here within the Six Kings Slam.”