Carlos Alcaraz's error-strewn US Open exit a byproduct of jam-packed tennis schedule

Tennis is a global sport and one that seemingly runs on liters of energy drinks, kilos of energy bars, and bucketloads of sweat as it goes from New Zealand and Australia at the beginning of the year, through Asia, the Americas, Europe, North America and culminating in Europe once again. There is a professional match taking place somewhere in the world every day for 11 months in a year.

For players, though, there is minimal rest, recovery time, and opportunity to get back from injuries, let alone have a personal life. The scheduling is haphazard and confusing - based less on the logic of least distance travelled and more on the market forces of the biggest tournament bidder.

The overcrowded calendar and players’ gripe with it is not new. Despite some of the biggest names in the world expressing displeasure with the tennis bodies, the ATP (for men) and WTA (for women), the off-season has shortened every season.

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Before the US Open got underway on Monday, World No. 1 Iga Swiatek said athletes are not being heard when they express concerns about potential harm to mental and physical health caused by having more tournaments that run longer and new rules that require participation in more events — and, she added, those athletes are not being consulted enough.

She said, “Our sport is not going in the right direction,” and Swiatek is not alone.

“The tours are not united enough to collaborate without egos and money getting involved. The players are absolutely getting crushed in so many ways — physically, mentally, financially,” said Mackie McDonald, who beat Rafael Nadal at the 2023 Australian Open and lost to Jannik Sinner at the US Open on Tuesday.

“Having a normal life? We’re far from it. And then actually getting what we deserve, especially at the Slams? It’s sad. I’ll put it that way.”

Botic van de Zandschulp just knocked Carlos Alcaraz out of the US Open! pic.twitter.com/QK3ZrkoPgx

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 30, 2024

Carlos Alcaraz, who was bundled out in the second round of the US Open on Thursday, suffering his earliest exit at a Grand Slam since Wimbledon 2021, admitted to being out of steam in New York.

After withdrawing from Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Rome with injury, Alcaraz has played non-stop. He went all the way at the French Open and Wimbledon, reached the final of Paris Olympics singles and teamed up with Rafael Nadal in the doubles where they exited in the quarterfinals.

"He desperately wants to win this match" 👀#CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/QkiDhvNHtw

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) August 16, 2024

In Cincinnati, the Spaniard lost against Gael Monfils and smashed his racket in an unusual collapse. He called that loss, “the worst match I have ever played.”

Against Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp, Alcaraz was equally woeful. The 21-year-old missed routine shots, overcooked plenty of groundstrokes, and looked a shadow of the player that produced one of the greatest shots in US Open history.

Asked if he was coming into it with “less energy than previous year”, the Spaniard agreed.

“Probably. Yeah. The tennis schedule is so tight. I’ve been playing a lot of matches lately. With Roland Garros, Wimbledon, Olympics.. I took a little break after Olympics. I thought it was enough. It was really helpful for me. Probably it wasn’t enough. I came here without as much energy as I thought I was going to come with.

“But I don’t want to use that as an excuse. But it’s so tight. I’m a player who needs more days or more of a break coming into the big tournaments and important ones,” he said after the loss.

Playing more matches and spending more time at tournaments has become a demand rather than a desire for players. Women players need to enter more tournaments this season under new WTA Tour rules. There’s also the understanding, across the board, that the only way to get more rankings points is to play — and, of course, win — with frequency.

In 2024, aside from the four major tournaments - the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open - women must participate in 16 WTA events, up from 10 in 2023. The tour argued players have been averaging about 20 tournaments each per season over the past several years.

For the men, there are eight mandatory Masters 1000 events annually, and players are required to compete at four tournaments at the next level down, called 500s.

Another aspect that is adding to the grind is the increasing number of two-week combined tournaments for women and men at the 1000-level, a tier below the Slams, which reduces the opportunity to get a break.

“We don’t have time to work on stuff or live peacefully," Swiatek said, “because from one tournament we’re going straight to another.”

Holger Rune, who exited from the US Open in the first round, has been dealing with a knee problem and acknowledged he should have taken time off but felt compelled to keep playing.

“We want to be ready and play the best tournaments, but the schedule is so tight. It’s probably the tightest sports schedule that there is, I think. There’s December, when we’re supposed to be off. And then there’s exhibition events and everything," Rune said. “It’s almost ongoing, 24/7.”