'We Play Too Much And Get Injured Often': Fritz Calls For Shorter Tennis Season

Saturday, 18 May 2024 at 02:57

byNurein Ahmed

Taylor Fritz openly suggested that the tennis governing bodies need to act rationally to schedule concerns from players.

The tennis off-season is usually one of the shortest among all sports, lasting about two months, for those lucky enough to complete their regular calendar in October.

Still, with exhibition tournaments being held during that time and early preparation for the new season beginning in mid-December, players don't get to spend the entire two months away from the sport.

Four to five weeks of vacation is probably the most they can afford to utilize when the tour shuts off. And Fritz, who recently spoke to reporters at the Italian Open in a post-match press conference after beating Grigor Dimitrov in the last 16, is far from happy.

The American explained how athletes from other disciplines have so much time during the off-season. He believes some injuries are directly linked to committing their bodies to the hustle for almost a year and can't pursue other interests apart from tennis.

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"Going out and having fun doesn't exist for us, while in other sports, all this is possible because there are break periods. Athletes from other disciplines can go on holiday. I have the impression that only we play too much and get injured often, but that we don't have a life off the court. At this age, it would be nice to have other interests."

The tennis bosses have come under heavy criticism this season regarding expanding additional Masters tournaments into two-week events. Speaking to Sky Sports, Fritz has called for a shorter tennis season to aid players' emotional and physical well-being because their life revolves around the mundane of playing tennis for over ten years.

"We play way too much. I've always said this. The season should be much shorter. For me it's not just a question of injuries. We travel way too much, more than ten months a year, and if we don't travel we train to prepare for the next tournament. From 18 to 30 our lives revolve around tennis."