Alcaraz responded to Djokovic

"Some people think that we are 'making excuses' when we complain about the competition schedule and participate in performance tournaments," Alcaraz told PA on October 15, when attending the Six Kings Slam in Saudi Arabia. "But I want to say that the competitions have a completely different format and nature. We don't have to compete for 15, 16 days continuously, we don't have to maintain high concentration or be under great physical pressure. "

Earlier this month, Djokovic said that the generation of juniors like Alcaraz only knows how to "talk" instead of taking action to protect the interests of players in the face of increasing competition schedules. Specifically, he said: "Some players complain that there are mandatory regulations and have no choice but to follow them. But those regulations are directly related to their bonuses and financial benefits. They have the right to refuse these bonuses if they want to play less. Not to mention, the players also participate in exhibition matches, so saying that is somewhat contradictory. "

Alcaraz, who once said that the ATP Tour schedule is too much. tension, withdrew from the Shanghai Masters last week right after winning the ATP 500 in Tokyo. Therefore, he was given more than 10 days off to compete in the Six Kings Slam, an "expensive" performance tournament in Saudi Arabia with a total prize money of 13.5 million USD.

"We just played for fun for a day or two and played a few tennis matches, " Alcaraz said about attending the tournament in Saudi Arabia. "In my opinion, that's great. That's why sometimes we choose to compete in exhibition tournaments. I completely understand the criticism, but sometimes people don't really understand us. "

Djokovic and Alcaraz this year were selected to go directly to the semi-finals of the Six Kings Slam due to possessing the most Grand Slams among the participating players. Alcaraz's opponent in the semi-finals is Taylor Fritz, who beat Alexander Zverev 6-3, 6-4. Djokovic met defending champion Jannik Sinner, who defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-2, 6-3 in the quarterfinals..

"When I see so many opinions criticizing us for 'protecting' the performances, I really don't understand them ", Alcaraz added. "Because as I said, the exhibition matches are not as mentally demanding as the official tournaments, which last about two weeks. Very harsh. "

This year is the second time the Six Kings Slam is held, with a total of 6 matches, including a match for third place, taking place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from October 15-18. Due to ATP regulations that do not allow players to compete for three consecutive days in a friendly tournament, the event will be closed on October 17.

Each player participating in the tournament will receive 1.5 million USD. The champion pocketed $6 million, with the crown equivalent to $4.5 million. The figure of 4.5 million is much higher than the singles champion at the Australian Open, Roland Garros and Wimbledon, only 500,000 USD less than the prize money for the player crowned in the singles event of the US Open. Last week, Shanghai Masters champion Valentin Vacherot "only" received $1.1 million.