Ugo Humbert clashes with Jannik Sinner over ATP schedule: "It’s exhausting for most players"

ATP
Saturday, 19 October 2024 at 21:30
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Ugo Humbert opposes Jannik Sinner and adds criticism to the ATP calendar. The world No. 16 has become the latest player to lash out against the calendar and the physical demands of competing so frequently, which puts players at risk of injury.
The Frenchman joined stars like Ben Shelton, Denis Shapovalov, and Gael Monfils while participating in the Ultimate Tennis Showdown in Frankfurt. The exhibition tournament is led by Patrick Mouratoglou, former coach of Serena Williams, who recently began working with Naomi Osaka.

Humbert slams ATP calendar

The 26-year-old is coming off a productive Asian swing, where he reached the final of the ATP 500 Tokyo Open (losing to Arthur Fils) and then made the Round of 32 in the Shanghai Masters before losing to Gael Monfils. Upon his return to Europe, Humbert quickly joined the UTS this weekend and will be part of the draw at the Basel Open starting Monday.
The Frenchman has played 55 matches this season (33-22 record) and still has two tournaments ahead of him. Humbert gave an interview with Tennis Majors, where he opened up about the ATP calendar and the criticism it has generated in recent months. “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 getting 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.
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Ugo Humbert is now ranked world No. 16.
“I had a period during 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,” Humbert added.
“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 way 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 then I’ll leave a month later for the United Cup, which starts on December 27. I can't even celebrate Christmas at home.”
Recently, Jannik Sinner defended the topic of the calendar, saying that despite the mandatory tournaments, players still have room to decide whether to participate in some events, as well as in exhibitions outside the Tour. On this matter, Humbert disagreed with the world No. 1: “I hear some, like Jannik Sinner, say that you can choose not to play,” he said.
“When you're 50th, 60th in the world, you try to play as much as possible to move up the rankings. We need to review the system and try to condense it more because, in its current state, it's exhausting. After a while, it's not possible," Humbert concluded.

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