It’s very simple. Carlos Alcaraz was asked about Jannik Sinner pulling out for the rest of the season, and he used the occasion to send the ATP another message about the calendar. I said it back in January. Well, in January I was talking about something else, but the calendar was already in the sentence.
I’m quoting the lad, because nobody quotes me: “Things are heading in a bad direction.” And also: “they must take a bit more account of what is happening on the tour, in collaboration with the players.” That is exactly what I’ve been repeating for years at the Léopold, between two interclubs (Belgium’s weekend team league) matches, nobody listens to me.
He wishes “simply good luck to Jannik for these coming months, so that he is in shape for next season”. Elegant. A bit late, though. Me, I’d have sent the message in March. Or in August. Anyway, at the right moment, the one I would have picked.
Let me remind you that Alcaraz is a seven-time Grand Slam champion and that he is regularly very critical of the calendar. Me, I talk about the calendar in ninety per cent of my sentences at the club, and I’m being kind. Careful, I’m not saying he’s wrong. I’m saying he’s right after me.
Me, in Kitzbühel, in ’92, I had three tournaments in four weeks. Or four in three, the archives don’t agree with each other. I wrote to the federation. The letter never arrived, which proves the system was already overloaded, eh.
Silly question, but did you actually post the letter?
Detail. The spirit was there. And the RTBF (the French-language public broadcaster) still hasn’t called me to talk about it, all right?
It’s true, we checked: We Love Tennis.
