Macci approves Alcaraz's decisions: "It's the smartest thing he can do"

Carlos Alcaraz found himself in the spotlight again after his harsh criticism of the ATP calendar. However, the Spaniard, who missed four and a half months of competition due to an injury to his right wrist during the clay-court season, has often been questioned for lamenting the lack of rest in the ATP tour, while simultaneously participating in some exhibitions throughout the year.

Still, the 7-time Grand Slam champion continues to defend that the calendar needs more rest for players to avoid injuries like his or the one that Jannik Sinner suffered in his right knee, which will prevent him from participating in this final stretch of the season.

"One of the reasons we see so many players getting injured is that we are being pushed too far, sometimes even crossing the line. We play numerous tournaments, countless matches, and I think things are going in the wrong direction," said the Murcian upon his arrival at the Masters 1000 in Shanghai.

As expected, many have criticized his participation in the Laver Cup after the US Open or in the Six King Slam, which was set to take place next week and has now been postponed to the end of the year due to the bombings in Riyadh, the city where the exhibition tournament was to be held. This includes several exhibitions in the United States in December.

Alcaraz receives equal parts support and criticism after his decision to participate in exhibition tournaments

However, he has found public support from Rick Macci, the renowned coach and former coach of Serena Williams and Venus Williams, among others. The American wrote on his X account (formerly Twitter) a plea in defense of the Spaniard: “Alcaraz needs matches and real combat, so playing exhibitions is the smartest decision he can make.”

Macci continued to argue that in these exhibitions “he can work on his game and improve; he will adapt well to ATP events, but exhibitions are managed more quickly, and the time management aspect makes more sense for him. When Carlos talked about the regular calendar, the conversation completely changed, with many more variables and logistical aspects. He is thinking long-term to ensure his career lasts a long time,” concluded the former coach.

Alcaraz needs match play and live combat so playing exhibitions is the Smartest Decision ever. Besides the cheddar he can work on his game and get better. He will blend in ATP EVENTS but exhibitions are controlled quicker and the time management element for the Magician just makes more sense.When Carlos chirped about the regular calendar that is a different discussion with so many more variables and logistics.He is playing the LONG GAME so when his career lasts A LONG TIME.@carlosalcaraz @atptour @Nike

— Rick Macci (@RickMacci) October 19, 2026

However, he has also received criticism from former tennis player Mark Phillippoussis. The Australian stated in an interview with Clay that “tennis, as we know, never stops, and balancing the calendar is very difficult. You have to see what is best for oneself. But at the same time, there is a lot of money at stake. The weeks when they can rest are usually the ones where they receive a lot of money from exhibitions. So they want the free weeks, but at the same time, they are earning a lot of money playing those tournaments, so they don’t say no. It depends on them.”

He also took the opportunity to use the example of the Big 3 regarding these exhibition tournaments: “You see Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic saying no because they have a bigger vision, which is the Grand Slams. Then at some point, you get there and say: I’m going to turn down a six-figure check because that’s my goal,” stated Mark Phillipoussis, who does not completely agree with Carlos Alcaraz, even though he has the support of Rick Macci.
 

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Macci aprueba las decisiones de Alcaraz: "Es lo más inteligente que puede hacer"