"It's a little contradictory" - Novak Djokovic calls out players' lack of unity, addresses Alcaraz, Gauff & Swiatek's complaints about tennis calendar

Novak Djokovic recently weighed in on the criticism about the busy tennis schedule. As Grand Slam champions like Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz hit out at the packed tournament calendar, the Serb called out the players' lack of unity when fighting for change.

The ATP and WTA calendars currently begin in January and last all the way till November, with players getting a brief off-season during December. Men's tennis players are required to compete in four Grand Slam, eight ATP Masters 1000, and four ATP 500 events. Meanwhile, women's stars must compete in the four Grand Slams as well as four WTA 1000 events.

As of late many top players, including Iga Swiatek, Carlos Alcaraz, and Coco Gauff, have spoken out against this packed calendar. Recently, Novak Djokovic weighed in on their complaints during a press conference for the Shanghai Masters, saying,

“It's an individual sport, so there are choices to be made. In the end of the day you can still make choices. I see some players maybe say there are rules imposed and etcetera. But there are rules imposed for bonus. So you can miss the bonus, but it's the choice that you are willing to make if you want to play less. But then there are exhibitions as well that players are signing up for, so it's a little bit contradictory.”

Djokovic went on to emphasize that players need to unite more often, explaining,

“In the end, as a player and someone that has been playing on the highest level for more than 20 years, I can say that the players are not united enough. You have to invest the time, you have to invest energy yourself, not your agent, not your team, not your parents, not anybody, yourself, to dedicate yourself to understand how the system works, to understand what are the things that can be done to be reversed, to be improved in terms of the players' interest.”

Over the years, Djokovic himself has been critical about the length of the ATP Masters 1000 events.

Novak Djokovic to kick off Shanghai Masters campaign against Marin Cilic

Djokovic at the 2025 US Open (Image Source: Getty)

Novak Djokovic is currently competing at the Shanghai Masters that is taking place between October 1st and 12th. The Serb was given a bye for his opening round match and will be taking on Marin Cilic for his round of 64 encounter.

Up next, the 38-year-old will likely run into Frances Tiafoe for his round of 32 match, with the likes of Andrey Rublev and Flavio Cobolli awaiting him in the round of 16.

Novak Djokovic’s quarterfinals match could see him take on Ben Shelton or Casper Ruud, while a potential clash against Jannik Sinner awaits in the semifinals.