‘They are going to kill us’ – Alcaraz criticises schedule

World number three Carlos Alcaraz has criticised the congested tennis calendar, saying “they are going to kill us in some way”.

The 21-year-old spoke about the issue after beating American Ben Shelton in the Laver Cup, which is the Spaniard’s 14th tournament of the year.

Alcaraz has claimed two Grand Slams this year, winning the French Open and Wimbledon, while he also earned a silver medal at the Olympics in Paris this summer.

He suffered a shock second-round loss to Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp at the US Open in August, losing in straight sets.

“Probably they are going to kill us in some way,” said Alcaraz.

“Right now a lot of good players are going to miss a lot of tournaments because of that [injury].”

The Laver Cup is contested between Team Europe and Team World, with this year’s contest taking place in Berlin.

Alcaraz had played 50 singles matches in 2024 before the event, winning 41 and losing nine.

The four-time Grand Slam winner said that he sometimes struggles to motivate himself because of the the amount of tennis in his schedule.

“Sometimes, you don’t want to go to a tournament,” he said. “I’m not going to lie – I have felt this way a few times already.

“Sometimes I don’t feel motivated at all. But as I’ve said many, many times, I play my best tennis when I smile and enjoy it on court. That’s the best option to keep motivating (myself).”