“Going to kill us,” Carlos Alcaraz said while speaking about the hectic scheduling of the tournaments, although with a chuckle. And the Spaniard is not alone who has made concerning remarks about the schedule, there have been several players who have complained about the grueling season that is taking a toll on their physical and mental health. Top players across the globe have to play for almost 11 months non-stop in order to be among the best players of the lot. As a result, Alcaraz cited a huge concern. However, renowned journalist, Jon Wertheim, has some advice for Alcaraz.

In the Served With Andy Roddick podcast released yesterday, Wertheim flashed back to the times when Rafael Nadal was at his peak. The Spanish legend used to play non-stop tennis which eventually took a toll on his body and he went on to suffer numerous injury setbacks. As a result, drawing similarities to him, Wertheim advised caution for Alcaraz and urged him to take it easy in order to not suffer injury setbacks like Nadal.

Wertheim said, “Carlos Alcaraz, young kid needs to pace himself. And this is a little bit reminiscent of Rafa at this age, where just the wheels come off by late August. And we just need to work on the assumption that this guy is an eight-month-a-year player, and for him to come back from that US Open terrible defeat. And I don’t you remember his remarks in the press conference at conference afterwards where he basically said, you know, I’ve disappointed myself with how weak I’ve been mentally. And you sort of said, Oh, this guy should go to a beach.”

For the record, Alcaraz has already played more than 50 matches this year and won 3 titles, including the French Open and the Wimbledon Championships. Interestingly, while Alcaraz openly spoke against the grueling schedule, Jannik Sinner has countering thoughts on this matter.

Jannik Sinner counters Carlos Alcaraz: ‘We can still choose what to play’

While talking about the hectic scheduling of the tournaments, Alcaraz revealed that he has heard many complaints from his fellow players about the grueling tennis calendar. However, Sinner had a completely different opinion in this regard. While Alcaraz played at the Laver Cup, Sinner gave that event a miss.

In the aftermath of his US Open win, the Italian star said, “The schedule is quite long obviously these years. But we players, we can still choose what to play and what not to play.” However, Alcaraz countered Sinner’s claim, saying, “It’s about different feelings in every person. So I’m talking about myself, that the schedule, it’s been so tight since the first week of January till the last week of November.”

While little can be done about the scheduling of the tournaments, Alcaraz should follow the advice given by Wertheim and take cautious steps going forward. Otherwise, who knows, the Spaniard might suffer the same fate as his countryman Nadal as far as injury setbacks are concerned.