Carlos Alcaraz might be one of the loudest critics of the tennis calendar, but he also doesn't necessarily act in accordance with that.
Alcaraz has been vocal about not being a fan of the current tennis calendar. Like many of his colleagues on the ATP and WTA Tours, he thinks it's too long and too crowded, making it difficult for tennis players to properly recover.
That argument is, of course, valid since the tennis calendar is one the longest out of all professional sports. However, what doesn't help the debate are the exhibition events.
Throughout a tennis season, there are many exhibition tournaments or matches, trying to attract players with hefty paycheques. One of those this year was the Six Kings Slam, which guaranteed an incredible $6 million to the champion.
One popular exhibition is also the Laver Cup, and after the season, there were also a couple of exhibitions. One of them was held in the Madison Square Garden in New York, and the other in Charlotte Hornets' Spectrum Center.
The problem? Carlos Alcaraz attended all of them. Every. Single. One. He played at the Laver Cup, he competed at the Six Kings Slam, and he played in two back-to-back exhibitions in the United States.
No player has played more exhibition events than the young Spaniard in 2024. Still, he's one of the loudest critics of the calendar. Although some players explained that playing an exhibition and a proper tournament are significantly different, the travel related to playing an exhibition can't be denied as an argument.
On top of that, it also makes an argument about the crowded calendar weaker, which is also something that the ATP Chairman, Andrea Gaudenzi, recently mentioned.
Former ATP World No. 1, Andy Roddick, shares a similar opinion, and he recently expressed it during the latest episode of his "Served with Andy Roddick" tennis podcast.
"I get the criticism of don’t complain [about the tennis schedule] and then go play exhibitions, I’m not going to tell you that’s wrong, because I think it too. An example that pops into my mind and I don’t want to fire strays at this guy because I love him."
Roddick used one specific example. In 2022, Casper Ruud chose to compete in a series of exhibition matches in South America, and in 2023, he had one of the worst seasons of his career, falling out of the Top 10.
During the 2023 season, he mentioned multiple times that he wouldn't do it again, showing how significantly exhibitions can impact a player's season.
"I think he’s phenomenal, I think he’s a responsible citizen, but like Casper [Ruud] went and did that week in South America with Rafa [Nadal], and got off to a slow start."
That's why Roddick isn't a fan of Alcaraz's current approach. He has already played two exhibition matches in December, and he really didn't have a proper time to rest before starting his pre-season preparations.
"Carlos [Alcaraz], let’s say it how it is, he finished December 6, he had a vacation in the Caribbean with some buddies for a week before he played these exhibitions. He’d already done his relaxation, got in some reps, obviously got paid a lot of money."
Of course, Roddick understands that Alcaraz wants to earn money. At the end of the day, his tennis career is also his business. However, the former American player doesn't want to hear Alcaraz use an excuse for not having sufficient preparation when the new season starts.
"What other time would we tell somebody to not do their job for a massive pay check, we’re adults, it’s a business. What I don’t accept is 'Hey, I didn’t have a long enough off-season.' I don’t want to hear about it in Australia if he’s not feeling great, that’s it, I don’t want to hear about it."
While Alcaraz's interest in making more money during his playing days is understandable, the question is whether he truly earns more by playing exhibitions or whether he steals from himself.
If he invested the time and energy spent on the court during exhibitions into rest, recovery, and possibly training, the outcome could be seen during the regular season, possibly bringing him even more in regular prize money and subsequent sponsorships, which could mathematically surpass even his earnings from exhibitions.
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