• ATP Tour

Djokovic echoes calls for shorter season

ESPN.co.uk
January 12, 2010
Novak Djokovic vows to "fight for players' rights" © Getty Images
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Novak Djokovic has reignited the long-standing debate over the length of the tennis schedule, calling for a shorter season.

The world No.3 played 97 matches in 2009, more than any other player on the tour, and has reiterated Rafael Nadal's comments that players do not have enough time off at the end of the season. Djokovic begins his 2010 season at the Kooyong Classic in Melbourne this week, keen to improve on his start to last season, when, as the Australian Open defending champion, he retired from his quarter-final match against Andy Roddick with heat exhaustion.

"Listening to the top players, you get the fair point," said Djokovic. "[The season] is just too long. And definitely, having five weeks, four weeks before the start of the new season is so, so little. We have to have at least two months and that's the minimum, I mean, considering the season that we are playing and the amount of matches and the level we are playing."

The debate rolls on, with tour officials refusing to back down, trying to keep sponsors and promoters happy in the packed tennis calendar. However, Djokovic, who was elected to the ATP Players' Council in 2008, said player representatives would meet officials in Australia to discuss their demands.

World No.9 Fernando Verdasco echoed Djokovic's sentiments. He said: "I think every player would like to have at least two weeks off and then have more time also to prepare, you know. Not to be in a rush."

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