Wimbledon finalist calls out ATP Tour over ‘dangerous and crazy’ decision | Tennis | Sport
One-time Wimbledon finalist Marin Cilic has called out the ATP Tour over the ‘dangerous and crazy’ conditions at the Hangzhou Open. The 36-year-old is the reigning champion at the ATP 250 event, which is set to begin on Wednesday and take place over seven days. He will return to defend his title as he looks to secure back-to-back triumphs at the week-long tournament.
Despite being yet to play his first match, Cilic is already unhappy with one aspect of the Hangzhou Open. Extremely hot weather is forecast for the opening day, with temperatures expected to reach 37 degrees Celsius. It has led Cilic to issue a public request to the ATP Tour, urging them to act in the interests of player welfare and take measures to combat the blistering heat.
On his Instagram story, Cilic wrote: “Heat rule in place? [Fingers crossed] everyone stays healthy next two days. All matches should be played under the roof in the stadium with AC – this is dangerous and crazy.”
It remains to be seen if there will be any issues with the heat at the Hangzhou Open, with the extreme weather set to ease off on Thursday. Temperatures will drop to around 29 degrees Celsius, which is still hot enough to cause problems for players.
Cilic, who reached the Wimbledon final in 2017, will face stiff competition from the likes of Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev for the title.
The big-hitting Croatian is not the only player to have called out the ATP Tour in recent weeks. Zverev recently hit out at the Masters 1000 format, revealing that he is yet to meet a player who is on board with the new system.
Seven of the nine Masters events have been extended to a longer format, with Zverev insisting the new schedule has left players with not enough time for rest and practice.
Asked whether he would consider playing a schedule of 15 to 18 tournaments to stay fresher for Grand Slams, Zverev said: “The thing is I would love to. But with how the ATP has done the tournament nowadays, it’s impossible to.
“How are you going to do that? You have the nine Masters 1000 events, which are mandatory. Most of them are two-week long events nowadays, except Monte Carlo and Paris Bercy, which I think are the best two weeks nowadays.
“I think for a fan and for every tennis player, like, Paris Bercy was awesome last year. I won it, which was even more awesome for me. You kind of get there, you play your five matches, and you get out of there.
“You don’t have to stick around. You don’t have to practice in between matches. You don’t have to do all those things. That’s how Masters events used to be. I think all the players loved it.”
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