“We don’t have the time to work on stuff or live peacefully,” Iga Swiatek led the voice against the persistent scheduling problem in tennis a few days ago. The WTA World No. 1’s consecutive clay court titles might have impressed us all, but post that, Swiatek’s struggle to earn a title has raised concern. Echoing a similar sentiment, Carlos Alcaraz, who exited the US Open in the third round, has now opened up about the exhausting reality of life at the top of tennis.

For Alcaraz, clinching back-to-back titles in France and then at Wimbledon seemed to be a piece of cake. But the Olympics finalist’s New York campaign came crashing down against Botic Van de Zandschulp at 1-6, 5-7, 4-6, leaving him to ponder the true cost of his relentless success earlier in this season. In a post-match conference, an interviewer asked him, “Looking back at the schedule of Roland Garros, Wimbledon, Olympics.. as busy as it was.. do you feel like you came into this tournament with less energy than you might’ve in previous years?“

“Probably. Yeah. The tennis schedule is so tight. I’ve been playing a lot of matches lately. With Roland Garros, Wimbledon, Olympics.. I took a little break after the Olympics. I thought it was enough. It was really helpful for me. Probably it wasn’t enough,” the 21-year-old confessed. However, in a testament to his professionalism and dedication, Alcaraz refused to use fatigue as an excuse for his loss.

Instead, he took ownership of his “tight” schedule and vowed to learn from the experience, saying, “I’m a player who needs more days or more of a break coming into the big tournaments and important ones. I have to think about it and learn about it. Let’s see.”

Alcaraz’s WTA peer, Swiatek, has posed a similar criticism of the demanding and “brutal” schedule, pointing out how it is detrimental to a player’s physical and mental well-being. The Pole, who is onto her third round at the US Open, pointed out how there’s hardly any time for a player to take a break before embarking on their next tournament again, concluding it to be “very unhealthy.”  Coming back to another top player, Alcaraz. The loss had a deep impact on his mind, as he revealed how, at one point, it became more than just a fight against an opponent.

Carlos Alcaraz on “fighting” against his own “mind”

Carlos Alcaraz’s 15-match winning streak in Grand Slams came to a screeching halt at the US Open, where he reigned supreme in 2022. However, for World No. 3, who has not lost before the quarterfinals in his three appearances in New York, the defeat was a hard pill to swallow. “It was a fight against myself, in my mind, during the match,” the Spaniard said. He further added how tennis players generally come with the mindset of defeating the opponent by staying calm and focused. 

But for him, the scenario was different in the match. “Today I was playing against the opponent, and I was playing against myself, in my mind. A lot of emotions that I couldn’t control,“ the former World No. 1 assessed his performance.

Carlos Alcaraz’s honest admission highlights the challenges faced by modern tennis players, who must navigate a packed schedule to compete at the highest level. As the sport continues to evolve, it will be interesting to see how players like Alcaraz and Swiatek adapt and prioritize their well-being to achieve success.