Sky Sports’ Tim Henman says there is too much “irrelevant tennis” and wants the ATP Tour calendar trimmed for the benefit of fans and players.
Reacting to ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi’s chat with Sky Sports’ Jonathan Overend, in which the Italian spoke about the difficulty of producing a schedule that suits every player’s needs, Henman explained why breaks in action would be a positive move.
British No 1 Jack Draper’s season was ended early via an arm injury, while Denmark’s Holger Rune recently tore his Achilles at an event.
Heman said: “Historically on the ATP Tour there have been 12 tournaments in four weeks in February and what does that mean when you have Jannik Sinner here, Carlos Alcaraz there, Alexander Zverev here and Novak Djokovic there?
Tim Henman says it is important that the best players in the world feature in the same tournaments
“It doesn’t provide a clear narrative for the fan so certain weeks where there is no tennis is a good thing for everybody.
“It gives the players an opportunity to rest and it gives fans the chance to build the excitement about the next event on the calendar.
“F1 is pretty easy to follow. Every couple of weekends there is a race and after 20-odd races you add up the points. You then have gaps in between.
“I think we have great assets in tennis, led by the four Grand Slams.
“The Masters 1000 events are good concepts to get the best players but I think they should be eight or nine days, not 12. Then you can build that product.”
ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi says Novak Djokovic (pictured) is an example for players about how to manage their schedule
ATP chairman: Do fans think there is too much tennis?
When asked by Overend whether the calendar was too bulky, Gaudenzi – who insisted his organisation was looking to increase the length of the off-season – said: “If you are a league – the NBA, the NFL, for example – you are responsible for your players as you decided when they play.
“In tennis, a player can play up and down as they wish. I take [mental and physical wellbeing] very seriously but we don’t fully control their behaviour. You need to be tempted by not the money of exhibitions but your ranking and big titles
“I don’t think you can associate the injuries to the schedule especially. Injuries are inevitable in any sport.
“Were Rafa [Nadal], Roger [Federer] and Novak [Djokovic] injured a lot? Novak especially has been great at saying no. That is a great example.
Jack Draper suffered an arm injury which curtailed the second half of his season
“If you are a top player you should start scheduling the Grand Slams, the Masters and when you need to play, you play down in the 500 and 250 events.
“In tennis, a player could play one day or six or seven matches in the same tournament. You need more tournaments for the players who need more matches but if you go deep and play more matches sometimes you need breaks.
“It’s about balancing week after week and it is difficult to build a perfect calendar. Some will play 80 matches with 15 tournaments, some will play 80 matches with 30 tournaments.
“I would say do fans think there is too much tennis or is it only a player’s perspective?”
Denmark’s Holger Rune said in October that there should be a heat rule for tennis
ATP and WTA working on a ‘heat rule’
Gaudenzi also revealed that the ATP and WTA Tours are working on a heat rule, with more details on that to be announced in due course.
Rune asked, “why doesn’t the ATP have a heat rule? You want a player to die on the court?” at the Shanghai Masters recently amid sweltering temperatures.
The Dane later added in a press conference: “There should be some kind of rule.
“We can handle a certain amount of heat because we are fit, strong and mentally strong but there’s a limit. It’s also important to take care of your health. We need to survive.”
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