The atmosphere in the tennis world is currently explosive for reasons one wouldn’t have anticipated. Over the years, we have heard the biggest stars of the game intermittently being vocal about the relentless calendar of tournaments, with names like Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek from the WTA and Carlos Alcaraz from the ATP to quote a few. Hands down, the toll it takes on players is certain. But the ATP’s veteran star player Novak Djokovic believes change can happen only with unity, and not just a few decrepit voices echoing time and again. 

Despite many of the big names citing burnout and fatigue as the season progresses, a handful still end up participating in these exhibition tournaments. Though this is something that the Serbian international doesn’t mind, he still believes that until the players come together, they might as well forget about the changes they painstakingly wish to bring about.

“In the end, as a player and someone that has been playing at the highest level for more than 20 years, I can say that the players are not united enough, and players are not participating enough when they should be,” Novak Djokovic began while speaking to the media ahead of Friday’s Rolex Shanghai Masters round of 64 clash against Croatia’s Marin Cilic.

“They make the comments, complain, and then go away. And if something is wrong after a certain amount of time, they come back again,” added the 24x Grand Slam winner. This kind of inconsistency is something that Djokovic truly condemns. Rather, he urged the importance of investing time, energy, and one’s complete self.

Even relying on and involving agents, teams, or parents wouldn’t work in this fight for change, warned the tennis icon. Instead, they should take matters into their own hands and do it on their own initiative to truly understand how the system works. That will at least help them to recognize what can be reversed or improved in their own interest, further speeding up the process of change they wish to bring. “You need the top players specifically to sit down, roll up their sleeves, and really care,” concluded Djokovic.

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Looks like the message is clear for all the tennis stars who often speak up about schedule congestion, but still do not take the evident steps as one would hope them to. And as far as Djokovic’s role in speaking is concerned, well, he has done his part.

Novak Djokovic knows what’s good for the players!

Who better than The Serbinator to make a plea for all his fellow tennis peers regarding player fatigue and the demanding schedules on both the ATP and WTA Tours? “I was against the extension of the duration of the Masters 1000 events,” said Djokovic, as compiled by Tennisuptodate.com. “Even when I was in the (ATP Players) Council, I think I was at the time president of the council, I was not supportive of that. I think for the players it’s not good.”

Technically, a few players have actually implemented his learnings. Consider Polish star Iga Swiatek, who dropped a bold yet vocal confession of deliberately missing out on a few tournaments just for the sake of her mental health. “Maybe I will have to choose some tournaments and skip them, even though they are mandatory,” she said.

The rest have sadly been caught up in the consequences of these schedules. The curious case of world No.1 Carlos Alcaraz, who was forced off the ongoing Shanghai Masters event after sustaining an injury at the Japan Open. Likewise, Italian tennis ace Jannik Sinner clinched the China Open title on the very day the Shanghai Masters kicked off, leaving him with barely any time to recover.

Whatever the case may be, it’s clear that the problem is chronic, but so far, there has been no definitive solution. Perhaps applying Novak Djokovic’s advice might work out for the best, don’t you think?