“It was enough to make me stop a tennis match … beyond that I don’t know, that’s not my profession,” the 27-year-old Roddick said of his left knee injury.
…
“Trust me, as frustrated as (the Chinese fans) are that we’re not here, I promise you we’re more frustrated,” added Roddick.
(Yahoo! Sports)
And with that, A-Rod’s penultimate stab at banking some invaluable ranking points, and strengthening his bid for London, comes to an end.
This a mere two days after his and Rafa’s (double handed) swipe at the lengthy season.
Every year this argument is doled out with unfailing regularity, and every year it always seems to outlast the season that is it’s subject.
While Nadal abides by the "jock code" and doesn't attribute defeat to injury, it's clear he is playing hurt. (The stats don't lie either: He had zero aces and lost the majority of points on his serve against Cilic. That's saying something.) When one of the sport's most magnetic figures -- a supreme athlete and consummate professional -- simply cannot make it through a season abiding by the entry rules as currently written, think it might be time to rethink the schedule?
-- John Wertheim, SI.com
Agreed.
The season is monstrous in terms of both length and intensity.
Only, talk of restructuring opens up that can of worms in which tournament organisers will be required to cede either their position in the calendar, or their standing from a rankings standpoint.
It’s easy to say the ATP should step in, but do they really want their offices teaming with Hamburg-styled litigation once again?
I don’t believe the ATP can ever fulfil the combined player-tournament charter once envisioned for it: a conflict of interest, if ever I saw one.
A-Rod abides by the “Jock Code” too; but there’s a reason neither Federer nor Murray are here this week.
Something’s gotta give; maybe it’s the ATP, and not the Calendar that needs restructuring.
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