Iga Swiatek, Carlos Alcaraz backed by former world No 3 in scheduling row – ‘bad thing’
Former world No 3 and 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens has become the latest player to criticise the ATP and WTA amid controversy concerning scheduling in tennis.
The demands of the tennis calendar has been under the microscope in recent months, with Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz leading criticism.
The two major champions and former world No 1’s have received strong support from several other players and US star Stephens is among the latest to speak out on the issue.
Speaking on Caroline Garcia’s Tennis Insider Club podcast, the 31-year-old claimed mandatory rules were one of the “bad things” about the sport.
She said: “I never pushed myself to be like ‘I am going to stick it out for another three weeks just because I need my ranking.’ I feel like a lot of players just do that in general.
“You are just there because you don’t want to pay the fine, or you’re supposed to be, you entered the tournament and you don’t want to have any more withdrawals. You are like I’m present but mentally I’m not here.
“I feel like that is one of the bad things about both tours, ATP and WTA, is that you are forced to play even when you are probably not in the best mental capacity or physical shape, or you might be injured and you just arrive because that’s what you are supposed to do.”
