Zverev trainer slams ‘absurd’ schedule

Alexander Zverev’s fitness trainer Jez Green has hit out at the “absurd” demands on tennis players due to the hectic schedule. The 22-year-old German is currently seventh in the world rankings after reaching the quarter-finals of the French Open earlier in 2019. Zverev’s high point to date was winning the ATP Tour Finals last November and he has again qualified for the end-of-season event at London’s O2 Arena. He will then round off his year with several exhibition matches against Roger Federer in South America. Zverev will get a couple of weeks off before having to start preparations for the 2020 season, with the Australian Open taking place in late January. Green spoke out to suggest the demands placed on top players is too much, especially with the Davis Cup now also being played late in the year. He told Tennishead: “Tennis must be the most physically demanding of all sports. The top players are on the road competing for up to 35 weeks of the year, playing several matches every week and having to switch between different surfaces, different climates and different time zones. “The off-season now is almost non-existent. Staging the Davis Cup Finals at the end of November means the players won’t be able to start their off-seasons until deep into December. By the first week of January most of them will be competing again. “It’s absurd. On top of it all, the players have trainers like me demanding physical work from them throughout the year. The training is continuous, particularly for the guys who tend to go deep in almost every tournament.”