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6/23/09 1:17 PM | Johan Lindahl
Defeated James Blake says the knee injury drama of Rafael Nadal can likely be laid at the feet of the killer calendar of the non-stop ATP circuit.
Blake was speaking in the wake of the injury withdrawal at the weekend of the Spanish defending champion Rafael Nadal, ordered to rest his tendinitis-plagued knees.
And he said that the forced march aroudn the world had taken a toll even on a prime physical specimen like the muscular Nadal. "He's only 23, but he's basically been on tour since he was about 16 years old. I'm probably not supposed to say anything about the schedule or about the ATP in that way, but it's just tough for guys".
"There are not really not many ways to mess with the schedule, to take tournaments away - but it would definitely help the players' careers be a little bit longer.
"I've been on the Player Council. I know how difficult those meetings are, how much the tournaments want to hold on to their spots. But for the players' longevity, something should be done".
Blake was crushed in the first round little more than a week after playing the Queen's final against Andy Murray.
"Fewer Masters, possibly", said the American when asked if cutting the number of required Tour elite events could be a solution on the men's side. "I know how important those tournaments are to the Tour.
But I think (we need) possibly fewer tournaments and a real off season".
"You look at how all the other sports, the major sports, they get months off, not one month".
"In a sport where you need to be training, there's no real pre-season", said the American team sports fan. "We're at a Slam three weeks into the year (Australian Open), so you can't warm up into a year. You don't have 20 or 30 games of pre-season like in baseball".
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He's right, of course. As much as I'd like to see tennis 11 or even 12 months per year, the players deserves a real off season to get the much needed rest.
EinarBerg , 6/23/09 8:34 PM
Unless the Establishment take not, they will wear the players down thereby killing the goose that lays the golden egg. To have someone like Rafa pull out of a tournament like Wimbledon as defending champion, must take the shine off the whole thing, and they need the star players to compete, otherwise they will turn people away.
Players hardly have time to even take a holiday, they just fly around the world week in week out punishing their bodies. It's not fair!
carrie , 6/23/09 9:39 PM
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I agree!!!!
MonaLisa , 6/23/09 7:32 PM