Nick Kyrgios is one of the most opinionated players in tennis history. His latest view is that the lengthy tennis calendar led to Daniil Medvedev's strange actions in a match at the ATP Finals.
Kyrgios is not the first player to argue that the season is too long. Alexander Zverev spoke particularly bluntly on the topic during September's Laver Cup, saying that the ATP does not care about the players' well-being.
Carlos Alcaraz has also been critical of the calendar. The 21-year-old questioned whether the ATP is trying to kill the players by having so many tournaments and admitted he did not want to travel to some events in 2024 because of feeling burnt out.
However, some have criticized Alcaraz for playing in exhibitions while continuing to criticize the schedule. The Spaniard competed at the Six Kings Slam exhibition in Saudi Arabia and exhibitions in the United States this month against Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe.
Alcaraz and Tiafoe are also scheduled to meet in another exhibition in Puerto Rico. That will take place in March, and local hero Monica Puig has announced she will present at the event.
ATP president Andrea Gaudenzi recently told Alcaraz and other players that they could play in fewer exhibitions if they wanted to rest and prioritize playing in ATP events instead in a strong defense of the governing body.
Medvedev is known for his often humorous outbursts, but the 2021 US Open champion's actions at the ATP Finals against the eventual runner-up Fritz were outrageous even by his standards and received much attention.
The six-time Grand Slam runner-up received a violation for throwing his racket into the air. That led to him throwing the racket several times and letting it fall to the ground each time.
Medvedev then returned Fritz's serve with his racket facing the wrong way. It was a farcical situation, and unsurprisingly, Medvedev went on to lose the match in straight sets since he was not in the right mental state to compete.
Kyrgios argued on the Nothing Major Podcast that someone like Medvedev, who has shown much greater dedication to tennis than Kyrgios throughout his career, having such a meltdown indicates that the calendar is too lengthy and needs to be changed.
"Did you guys see how Medvedev was behaving at the end of the year. Like, someone like that, who's tennis orientated his whole life, and he's just writhe, by the end he was returning with the other side of the racket."
"The tennis schedule is absurd. If you really think about it, and you have guys like Medvedev doing that type of stuff."
Gaudenzi's recent comments do not indicate that a major overhaul of the schedule is coming anytime soon. That would be disappointing to the ATP and WTA players who have criticized the schedule.
Medvedev, who endured one of the most challenging seasons of his career in 2024, has spoken about needing to find a solution to playing with balls that he says do not suit him, but dismissed firing his longtime coach, Gilles Cervara.
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