Carlos Alcaraz asserts exhibition critics ‘don’t understand’ ahead of Six Kings Slam
Carlos Alcaraz has responded to those who have criticised players for playing exhibitions while also voicing complaints about the tennis schedule.
The world No 1 has expressed concerns about the demands of the tennis season several times, arguing that the calendar does not allow players to have enough rest.
The six-time Grand Slam champion is also one of many stars who has criticised the expanded 12-day Masters 1000 format.
Iga Swiatek recently labelled the schedule “crazy” and “overwhelming” and argued that there are too many mandatory tournaments.
During the Japan Open last month, Alcaraz backed Swiatek when asked about the Pole’s comments.
“I agree with Iga,” Alcaraz said. “I think that the schedule is really tight. They have to do something with the schedule. I think there are too many mandatory tournaments, too many in a row.”
Alcaraz’s stance has sparked accusations of hypocrisy, with some in the tennis world pointing out that the 22-year-old frequently appears at exhibition events.
One such exhibition is the highly-lucrative Six Kings Slam in Saudi Arabia, where Alcaraz is competing with Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz and Stefanos Tsitsipas for a $6million total prize pot.
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Speaking ahead of the Six Kings Slam, Alcaraz asserted that the criticism he has faced does not make sense as exhibitions are less demanding than official tour events.
“I think it’s a discussion that a lot of players and a lot of people are talking about with the calendar,” the Spaniard told the PA news agency.
“How tight it is with a lot of tournaments and the tournaments of two weeks, and then making some, I’m going to say, excuses with exhibitions, how players are complaining about the calendar and then playing some exhibitions.
“All I can say is it’s a really different format, different situation playing exhibitions than the official tournaments, having 15, 16 days in row, having such a high focus and demanding physically.
“That’s why, because we’re just having fun for one or two days and playing some tennis, and I think that’s great, and I think that’s why we choose sometimes the exhibitions.
“Obviously I understand [the criticism], but sometimes the people don’t understand us, our opinions.
“When I see a lot of people complaining about how we are defending the exhibitions, I don’t understand them because, as I said, it’s not really demanding mentally [compared to] when we’re having such long events like two weeks or two-and-a-half weeks. It’s really tough.”
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