Carlos Alcaraz: Players were “misunderstood” by criticism of the exhibition

World number one Carlos Alcaraz said players are misunderstood when they want to play exhibition tournaments alongside a demanding tennis calendar.

Alcaraz (22 years old) was among those critical of the work pressure in Asia, where some players suffered physically, with the Spaniard saying he would consider skipping mandatory events to prioritize his health.

He is the top seed in this week’s lucrative Six Kings Slam in Saudi Arabia, a six-man tournament from October 15-18 that also includes Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz and Stefanos Tsitsipas.

There are reports that there is $4.5 million (£3.4 million) in prize money on offer at the show, and it is also possible that some players received seven-figure sums for appearing.

Reports say the winner could take home up to $6 million (£4.5 million).

But Alcaraz feels that shorter format events like the Six Kings Slam are less brutal than touring competitions, and thus place fewer demands on players.

He said: “A lot of players talk about the calendar, and how tight it is with so many tournaments, two-week tournaments, and then they make excuses at exhibitions.

“It’s a different format, a different state of playing in exhibitions compared to official tournaments, 15 or 16 days in a row, with high concentration and physical effort.

“We just have fun for a day or two and play some tennis, which is great, which is why we choose exhibitions.

“I understand [the criticism]But sometimes people don’t understand our opinions. It’s not really mentally demanding [compared with] “When we face such long events, like two weeks or two and a half weeks.”

Alcaraz won his eighth title this season in Tokyo last month, despite suffering an ankle injury in his opening match that forced him to withdraw from the Shanghai Masters Championship.

He will play in Saudi Arabia even though the injury has not fully healed. “Everything is fine,” Alcaraz said. “I recovered the ankle as much as I could.

“I don’t feel 100% – there are doubts when I step onto the court, but the situation has improved a lot and I will compete and do well at the Six Kings Slam.”

Alcaraz exited the semi-finals of the tournament, which will be broadcast on Netflix, where he will face Fritz on Thursday after the American defeated Zverev 6-3, 6-4.

In another quarter-final match on Wednesday, Sinner, ranked second in the world, defeated Tsitsipas 6-2, 6-3, and will face Djokovic in the semi-finals.