Fabio Fognini is on the side of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz

Fabio Fognini knows the ins and outs of the tour like the back of his hand. The former tennis player spent more than 20 years competing at the highest level, playing in an endless series of tournaments. Having retired about a year ago, he is well aware of the challenges faced by tennis players, particularly the world’s best.

Being Jannik Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz means having to play as many prestigious tournaments as possible (in addition to the four Grand Slam events). Achieving this is by no means easy, especially maintaining peak intensity at every single event of the season.

It’s no coincidence that both the Italian and, more recently, the Spaniard have begun to “manage themselves better.” A few more withdrawals to better conserve their energy (both physical and mental) and, above all, minimize the risk of injury—which is the real dilemma for every tennis player.

Carlos Alcaraz recently stated that he’ll try to take a few more breaks. It’s a decision that Fabio Fognini fully appreciates and supports: “What Carlos says makes sense: if you want to do well, maybe you have to do a little less,” he told Sky Insider. In short, the feeling is that we really do play too much, and as a result, we need to learn to choose which tournaments to enter and which, reluctantly, to avoid for the sake of our physical well-being.