Ugo Humbert has become the latest star to hit out at the ATP over the current tennis schedule, accusing them of putting players at risk of injuries due to the physical demands of competing so frequently.
The Frenchman is currently bidding for glory at UTS Frankfurt, cruising to victory in the first round of the competition with a 3-1 success over Denis Shapovalov. Humbert also picked up a point during the All-Star Game to put him in a strong position to qualify for the UTS Grand Final.
If Humbert reaches the semi-finals of the competition then he will secure his spot in London.
The 26-year-old will be confident that he can achieve such a feat, despite a testing past few months. Speaking to Tennis Majors, Humbert recently opened up on how he is unhappy with the ATP’s current scheduling and how it is impacting his performances.
Asked for his views on the ATP’s calendar, he said: “They never go in the players’ direction. I’m sorry, but I think that, already, the biggest bulls*** is to have put the Masters 1000 over two weeks. It’s tiring.
“And they tell us that we earn more money but it’s not true, we have twice as many expenses. There are a lot more guys who get injured too. Even to follow on TV, I think it’s not even worth it, you don’t understand who’s playing when etc. All that, it’s just a question of money, but that’s not all there is to it.
“I had a period, the North American season, where I wasn’t feeling well, I felt tired, exhausted, from the travels, from being away from home all the time. It’s too hard, it’s too hard.
“And now, they’re going in that direction again. Next year, the Masters 1000 in Canada and Cincinnati will also be two weeks apart. I think it’s complete nonsense, the season is much too long. There’s no other sport where you only have one month off. I’m going to finish my season just after Metz and I’m going to leave a month later for the United Cup which starts on December 27. I can’t even celebrate Christmas at home.”
Humbert went on to question world champion Jannik Sinner’s recent comments about how players have the option to skip events when they aren’t towards the top of the rankings.
He concluded: “I hear some, like Jannik Sinner, who say that you can choose not to play. When you are 50th, 60th in the world, you try to play as much as possible to move up the rankings. We need to review the thing, try to condense more, because, in the current state, it is tiring. After a while, it is not possible.”
