"I don't understand the tennis players, we didn't have an association that could defend us"

Carlos Navarro | 10 Dec 2025 | 17.12

Marcos Baghdatis in his last Grand Slam, Wimbledon 2019. Source: Getty

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The well-worn debate about the length of the calendar and the physical demands of the ATP circuit always have room for new chapters. Pages written in the media ultimately reaching the main actors: players, who demand a change finding the current pace unbearable, and also the leaders of the ATP who do not want their flagship product to suffer. However, some criticisms are stronger than others, and the one from Marcos Baghdatis, who was once an Australian Open finalist, top-10 player, and a prominent figure of the last decade and a half, has been truly ruthless.

And it's not because the Cypriot has decided to dismiss even an iota of reason from the complaints of names like Carlos Alcaraz or Iga Swiatek. In fact, Marcos agrees with them: yes, tennis has evolved in such a way that the physical effort is practically insane, and the rest and preparation time between seasons and tours is not enough to fully recharge the batteries. He admits it himself, he describes it as a "problem"... but he understands, of course, that the course of action taken by the world's best is far from being adequate.

"Yes, I truly think that the calendar is a problem. It has been for some time, but I hate that players complain about it," he asserted emphatically in an interview with Tennis365. The statement, which might seem odd, is explained moments later. "The reason I can't stand their complaints is not because of the complaints themselves, but because they have a union, an association, currently the PTPA, that is there and fighting for them. The players' voices are very strong, and that's why they can go to the PTPA, talk to them, and find ways to improve things," Baghdatis stated convincingly.

Baghdatis doesn't understand players' stance and asks for more action from names like Alcaraz or Sinner

So far, many of the decisions made by the top players have been reduced to jointly signed letters that, until now, have hardly received a positive response. The joint statement from the men's and women's top-10 demanding a redistribution of earnings from the Grand Slams was highly publicized, with a negative response from the major tournaments. Aware of this sequence of events, Baghdatis advocates for a strong PTPA to serve as a counterbalance to the current governing bodies.

"In our time, we didn't have that association: we could have complained as much as we wanted, and no one would listen to us. Now, however, they have it. That's where I don't understand the players. They have a union created by some players, names like Novak Djokovic or Vasek Pospisil, and through them, the possibility to negotiate with tournaments. However, they don't use it, they just complain through the press, through interviews and all that. I find it strange. When a player complains, I think, 'Okay, you can change things. It's in your hands. It's not in the hands of the tournaments or the circuit, but yours. Why don't you do it?' That's what I think," the Cypriot pointed out emphatically. Will these statements stir things up? Are times of change on the horizon for a calendar that seems to be constantly shifting? Only time will tell.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, "No entiendo a los tenistas, nosotros no teníamos a una asociación que pudiera defendernos"