Norway’s Casper Ruud has criticised the ATP’s rating system by describing it as “like a rat race” which forces gamers to compete with accidents.
Ruud, a two-time runner-up on the French Open, suffered a second-round exit on Wednesday, dropping 2-6 6-4 6-1 6-0 to Portugal’s Nuno Borges.
The seventh seed received the primary set comfortably, however struggled in direction of the tip of the match with a knee damage that he has been carrying since April.
“It has been with me truly the entire clay season on and off,” he mentioned.
“As we all know, it is a hectic clay season, and I made a decision to form of push by means of it doing a little anti-inflammatory drugs and painkillers to attempt to do away with it, which has helped to a sure diploma however not sufficient.
“I’ll have some extra time now to let it heal and relaxation for a very long time.”
Ruud mentioned it’s tough to take day without work on the ATP Tour to permit an damage to heal.
“It is form of like a rat race on the subject of the rankings as nicely,” he mentioned.
“You are feeling you are obligated to play with sure guidelines that the ATP have arrange with the obligatory occasions.”
BBC Sport have approached the ATP for remark.
The ATP and the ladies’s WTA Tour have obligatory necessities, which means gamers should seem at a set variety of tournaments every season.
The highest-ranked ATP gamers are required to take part in eight of the 9 obligatory Masters 1,000 occasions every year, with Monte Carlo the one exception.
Ruud missed Monte Carlo – the primary massive clay-court occasion of the season – however he performed on the Italian Open in Rome after winning his first ATP Masters title in Madrid.
The world quantity eight additionally feared that he would miss out on defending rating factors, that are used to determine the place a participant is seeded and whether or not or not they’ll acquire direct entry right into a event.
“You are feeling such as you lose loads when you do not present up and play, each economically, point-wise, ranking-wise and opportunity-wise,” Ruud added.
“It is a questionable system as a result of on one hand you do not wish to present up injured, and also you possibly give the spot to a different one.”
