Hey, I work long hours and 6 days a week with very few holidays a year... I should get a "shorter season". Main difference is I need to work that much to pay for living expenses. With Roddick and the top guys, they are financially well off and they have time to take breaks throughout the year. Take Federer's lead and take time off if you need to.

hmm cable, i never thought of it like that! i guess anyone with a job that involves physical labor could be complaining about the same!

i was on rafa/roddick's side all this while coz i did think they played a lot, but now im beginning to see it in a different light!

Well, Blake, Murray, and a few other top ten players, in addition to Roddick and Nadal, complained about the length of the season. Unfortunately, the players can't just take off for no reason, they have to find a legit one or else they'll be penalized -- it's not as easy as saying they need a rest and just stop playing. In Federer's case, he had to receive his doctors' affirmation that he was worn out, or else he would have had to pay substantial fines. Additionally, when they don't play, the tournaments are still on-going and valuable ranking points are lost = a drop in their ranking. If Murray were playing at the present time, I'm sure he wouldn't have lost his ranking. Nor would nadal have lost his when he couldn't defend Wimby. also, roddick lost a ton of ranking points last year when he became injured at Rome. He was plagued with back and shoulder problems for the second half of '08, and struggled at the USO.

In the past, I've stated that some of them could just re-arrange their schedules and theirs is not a 9 to 5 job. However, on second thoughts, theirs is an even tougher job, as they have to travel from one event to the other, dealing with time zone changes, disruption in sleep, and eating schedules, and the worst of all, jet lag. Not to mention the many viruses that are air borne in the aircraft and it's one of the reasons so many of them become sick apart from injuries. If we were to have their schedules, i'm sure many of us would become very tired of it. who wants to wake up in a different city every week? Also, who needs to pack and unpack, living out of a suitcase? I dont.

In sum, the players need to be cut some more slack by ATP. They are forced to play when they are tired and their hearts are not in playing. It's one of the reasons they just show up, and leave/retire. Their hearts are not in playing when they are being pressured to do so. ATP is now more of money-making cash cow than for protecting the players' rights.

Von, just a slight correction. Murray lost his ranking only because until today (and when he became #2), he was carrying double points for Madrid. Even if Murray had played Tokyo or Beijing, he would have to reach the finals to not lose his rank (coz Djokovic won the tournament), so there is a good chance that he would be #4 now even without the injury time out.

roddick's appeal seems to have found fertile soil in british media.