The debate on the Federer-Nadal rivalry is passé. The latest raging argument in the tennis world is the off-season, or the lack of it. With the ATP Tour comprising 62 events in 32 countries and running from January until the end of November, the big names including Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have been complaining for years about the packed calendar.
As a first step to please the players, the ATP announced last November that the off-season after 2012 will be extended to seven weeks. With the new schedule, players will have an additional two weeks to spend away from the game. Plans are also afoot to shorten the season after 2013.
A former president of the ATP Players’ Council Vijay Amritraj, however, disagrees with the players’ demand. “There is no need for it. Everyone knows that it’s not mandatory to play throughout the season. Only the top players have been asked to play a certain number of mandatory tournaments and that too is very minimal. The good thing about this sport is that you are an individual; you can take off whenever you want to in the 52-week season. Just because there is a tournament, doesn’t mean that you have to play. Instead of complaining they should learn how to plan their calendar properly,” said Amritraj, who is back in his hometown for commentating at the Chennai Open.
Amritraj also said that a shortened season would rob upcoming players of opportunities. “Just because some of the top players think it’s too tight, they shouldn’t rule out the chances for the youngsters who are eager to play,” the former Davis Cupper added.
According to reports, World No. 1 Nadal spent more than 126 hours in the air in 2010, while Novak Djokovic, the No. 3, spent 134 hours on flight. Xavier Malisse, who has been on the Tour for 13 years, says extending the break is the ideal solution. “So that, we can go on a holiday not thinking about tennis. The current offseason is not even enough for recovery. We need at least a month and a half,” said the Belgian.
Malisse said although it’s not mandatory to play throughout the season, skipping tournaments would affect the rankings. “May be top players can afford to sit for a week, but people like me have no other choice,” remarked the World No. 60. The change in the calendar was achieved by removing the free week between the Paris Masters and the year-end World Tour Finals in London. Chennai Open top seed Tomas Berdych welcomed the move, but Janko Tipsarevic was alright with the current calendar.
The Serbian was on the road throughout the season and he was even part of the Davis Cup final in November. “That’s the way it is. Even though it’s just about three weeks, you have to try and get the best out of it. I had a decent rest and even holidayed in Dubai with my wife,” said Tipsarevic.