Carlos Alcaraz is on a tear, and there’s no sign of him slowing down! Just hours ago, he triumphed over Jannik Sinner at the China Open, clinching his fourth title of the season. But was there any time for celebration? Not quite. The young Spaniard barely had a moment to soak in his victory before he was sprinting out of the stadium, rushing to catch a flight to Shanghai for his next challenge. The hectic pace of the tour is relentless, and Alcaraz has been vocal about it, famously saying, “it’s going to kill us.” So what did he have to say this time in his first press conference at the 2024 Shanghai Masters?

After venting about the grueling demands of the tour, Alcaraz seemed resigned to the reality of it all, attempting to make peace with the whirlwind lifestyle. In Shanghai, he spoke candidly about the chaos that followed his China Open victory—lugging his bags to the stadium, taking just enough time for a press conference and a quick shower before dashing to the airport. He arrived in Shanghai “super late” and admitted he didn’t catch much sleep. Despite it all, Alcaraz remains ready to step back onto the court, preparing to face local favorite Shang Juncheng in his first match at the Shanghai Masters.

However, before stepping onto the courts he shared a few more words on the tennis calendar. “I’ve said it several times, the tennis calendar is very tight, but we have to get used to it. Yesterday we finished around 9:00 p.m. after a 3-hour match, I didn’t have time to do anything else,” said the Spaniard. Alcaraz has time and again cited that the hectic schedules could possibly be one of the major reasons behind the recent surge in injuries among the players and frequent withdrawals from the tournaments. Even he had to play more than 50 matches in this season!

He had earlier mentioned how difficult it becomes for the players to stay motivated in the middle of this tight schedule. “I’ve been feeling this a few times already, that I don’t want to go to that tournament. I want to stay at home with my family and my friends,” Carlos Alcaraz. However, this time during the press conference in Shanghai he was heard stressing the fact, “The calendar is very tight, we travel from tournament to tournament, with only one or two days before it starts. It is complicated, but we have to adapt.” 

Even his opponent in the final of the China Open, Jannik Sinner had to travel to Shanghai after that match. Renowned tennis journalist, Jose Morgado was also recently spotted criticizing ATP’s tight scheduling. He wrote, “Both Carlos Alcaraz (vs. Shang!) and Jannik Sinner (Daniel) will have to play their first matches in Shanghai… in less than 48 hours… That’s unhealthy and actually almost pathetic for tennis as an organization.” Clearly, this scheduling issue has now become a hot topic in the tennis world. 

What is Carlos Alcaraz’s fiercest rival’s take on the ongoing debate of “tight” tennis scheduling?

After winning the 2024 US Open, Jannik Sinner took a little break and stayed out of competitions like the Davis Cup and the Laver Cup. However, he came back strongly at the China Open and reached the finals. Over there he was defeated by Carlos Alcaraz for the third time in this season. Did the intense scheduling in the racquet sport play a role in his recent defeat? We don’t know, however, Sinner did share a few words on this issue during the China Open.

Jannik Sinner has played 68 matches this season so far and that’s 16 more than what Alcaraz had played in 2024. According to Sinner, “The schedule is quite long these years. But as players, we can still choose what to play and what not to play…You don’t have to play in a tournament. If you want, you can play. If not, you don’t play.” Earlier we saw Carlos Alcaraz getting heavily criticized by a few fans for complaining about tennis schedules on one side and then continuing his participation in the exhibition matches on the other.

However, he clarified after that, saying exhibitions are different from official tournaments, still, we can see there could be a difference in opinions in the tennis world. Be it for on-court actions or off-court statements, fans crave a bit of rivalry between these two. Jannik Sinner will face Japan’s Taro Daniel in his first match in Shanghai, and guess what? There is a high chance of Alcaraz facing Sinner in the SF of the 2024 Shanghai Masters! How excited are you to see them cross their roads yet again this season?