Paris Masters Sparks More Welfare Woes For Players

The Paris Masters has resembled something of a nightmare before Christmas for players exhausted by a long, hard season. The ATP Tour – and the WTA – are both looking into a schedule that is less exacting on those under their care.

Packing in four singles matches during the day session, and then shoehorning in a couple more in the evening hasn’t worked in Paris. An under-par Carlos Alcaraz was knocked out in the first round; Taylor Fritz withdrew with an abdominal injury after winning his opener; Novak Djokovic squeezed through against Tallon Griekspoor in the last 16 after a medical timeout, and form player of the moment Jannik Sinner pulled out after the third round, citing “fatigue”.

The 22-year-old Italian claimed the China and Vienna Open titles in October, but only finished his second-round match against Mackenzie MacDonald at 2.37 a.m. on Thursday. He subsequently forfeited the match with Alex de Minaur that was scheduled for 5 p.m. on the same day.

“I had less than 12 hours to rest and prepare for the next game. I have to make the right decision for my health and my body. The weeks ahead with the ATP Finals at home and the Davis Cup will be very important, now I focus on preparing for these important events,” Sinner wrote on X. Casper Ruud weighed in with an unsubtle dig at the ATP for treating one of the “best players in the world” in such a manner. Even Sinner’s coach Darren Cahill claimed that there was zero care for player’s welfare.

It added to the surreal nature of the week which has had the vanquished Daniil Medvedev complaining about the Bercy crowd, Andy Murray losing another marathon three-setter and smashing his racquet (again), and three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka weighing in after his Davis Cup criticism, suggesting that the ATP just blindly follow what the tournament wants.

The timing of tennis’s last major event before the elite gather in Turin means that the field has been flogged by ten months of touring. The issue of ‘out of hours’ matches was something that Murray had broached at the Australian Open in January after his match against Thanasi Kokkinakis finished at 4 a.m.

“I don’t know who it’s beneficial for, a match like that……it’s not beneficial for the umpire and the officials. I don’t think it’s amazing for the fans. It’s not good for the players,” said Murray at the time.

“You don’t see it in other sports. It’s clearly wrong. And the reason for it is purely financial, it’s not because the people that are running the events believe that it’s good for the players, they don’t. It’s a financial reason for why they’re doing it,” added the Scot.

Eventual Masters winner Djokovic acknowledged that the organisers are looking for profits by splitting the day session and the night session. He also spoke of a balance that needs to be found. Consistent late-night finishes which incorporate long waits for players to kill the hours during the day are not healthy either.

It is a testing time for tennis organisations as the finale of the main WTA tour in Cancun has been overshadowed by complaints over the venue and facilities. The wider issue is one of welfare across the board. Player power is now driving demands. Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, Marketa Vondrousova and Ons Jabeur are among the 21 signatories to a letter that asks for better pay and conditions.

The letter, as verified by The Athletic, is allegedly asking for guaranteed pay of $500,000 for players in the top 100, $200,000 for players ranked 101 to 175, and US$100,000 for players ranked 175 to 250. In addition, the WTA players reportedly want to receive compensation if they are injured and cannot play or if they take time out of the game for maternity reasons.

The marketing of the women’s game has come under considerable criticism from within. Indeed, the WTA made a loss of over £15million in 2021. Players are feeling the pinch on the ground.

A decade ago, Rafa Nadal claimed that the ATP tour didn’t look after players’ health. Nadal’s assertion at the time was more of a holistic one, about how such an aggressive schedule could hamper the player after their career was over.

Tennis stars “are world-class athletes and it’s our priority to ensure they’re compensated accordingly,” ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi said a year ago with the announcement of record prize money. That’s all very well, but tournaments break the back as well as the bank sometimes.