Djokovic backs Zverev's 'disgraceful scheduling' comment about the ATP

Novak Djokovic has backed Alexander Zverev when it comes to criticism of the scheduling saying it is not fair to ask a player to compete in a final after their previous match ended in the early hours of the morning.

Zverev hit out at the organizers after his Madrid Open final defeat against Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday, describing the scheduling as “an absolute disgrace” as he revealed that he went to bed at 5:20am after his semi-final win over Stefanos Tsitsipas and had to be back on court a few hours later. Speaking in Rome about it, Djokovic backed Zverev explaining he campaigned for the issue to be addressed years ago:

“You cannot end your semi-final match at 1 am and play the final the following day. I understand that they want to sell more tickets by scheduling a night session on Saturday, but it may cause problems. The organisers should talk to players before making this kind of decision. When I was the President of the Player’s Council several years ago, I tried to solve this issue. But still, nothing changed.”