Carlos Alcaraz doubles down on criticism of 'tight' ATP scheduling after hurriedly arriving at Shanghai Masters short on sleep and free time

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner both arrived at the Shanghai Masters venue late on Thursday, just hours after having played a three-set marathon in the final at the China Open in Beijing. The Spaniard prevailed 6-7(6), 6-4, 7-6(3).

There was very little rest for the two as they caught a flight to Shanghai to play at the Masters 1000 event. Speaking to the media during the pre-tournament press conference, Alcaraz addressed the busy Tour schedule.

The China Open winner said that players have to get used to the tight schedule, but was quick to note that he had no time to do anything after the final as he had to travel to a different city altogether. The youngster had earlier spoken about arriving in Shanghai after having had very few hours of sleep.

"Well, I said so many times, the tennis schedule is so tight, but we have to get used to it, or I guess we have to," Carlos Alcaraz said. "Yeah, yesterday we finished 8.30 pm, 9 pm, three-hours match, and then I had no time to do anything else."

"I just went to the club before the final with all the bags, because I knew that we had to run after the finals to take the flight to come here," he added.

Alcaraz said he tried to get some sleep in Shanghai, get used to playing conditions and be ready for his first match. The travel and very decreasing gap between tournaments, he said, can take a toll. He also noted that players have to get used to the pace.

"We arrive at 4 am, just to be ready or just to have some sleep here in Shanghai, and woke up here in Shanghai, as I said, to get used to the conditions here and try to be ready for my first match," Carlos Alcaraz said.

"The tennis schedule is so, so tight. We are traveling, you know, from tournament to tournament, with just one or two days before the tournament begins, so it is difficult, but we have to get used to it."

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Carlos Alcaraz rues lost sleep after arriving for Shanghai Masters

Carlos Alcaraz at the 2024 China Open. (Source: Getty)

Carlos Alcaraz, upon his arrival in Shanghai, was asked about his trip by the tournament executives, whom he had met for a quick interaction.

On being questioned about the amount of sleep he had managed to get given his late-night finish to the China Open final, Alcaraz jokingly replied “not too much.”

“How much sleep did you get?" the executive asked.

“Not too much, not what I wanted," Alcaraz replied.

Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev, and Jannik Sinner will lead the field at this year’s Shanghai Masters in the absence of defending champion Hubert Hukracz. The Pole had earlier withdrawn from the tournament due to an injury.