The holidays of the players of the ATP circuit

The month of december He is possibly the calmest in the tennis world. In a year in which the World Cup, as if that were not enough, has dominated all the headlines and news, this feeling of calm is accentuated. Beyond the typical exhibits in middle Eastexhibitions that seduce a good part of the noble zone of the circuit, it is a time in which many take the opportunity to do everything that they are not allowed to do during the rest of the year. Disconnect, visit unknown placesdaring with activities and sports that go beyond tennis… is this really so? What do the players do once the curtain falls on the season? The ATP He has brought them together in a fun video to find out to what extent they are capable of relaxing.

First clue: they don’t even agree on the time they should get up. One would think that vacations are made to disconnect and be able to make the most of the hours of sleep… but a certain Grigor Dimitrov he wants to challenge that maxim. “My ideal off-season day would start getting up at 6AM. I usually get up very, very early.”. This is something, of course, that other circuit names disagree with: Jannik Sinner, Jack Draper o Karen Khachanov they make it very clear that on their ideal day, getting up early is not an option they contemplate. Of course, there is much more to discover and the interests of each player are varied.

“My ideal day would be based on getting up, going to the beach, enjoying the sun, swimming for a while. And one of the most important things in life, guys: quality food”says one Matthew Berrettini that extols gastronomy as an aspect to take into account. “I would get up quite late, because as a tennis player you are used to getting up very early most of the time. I would also definitely go out at night, something like that, basically try to forget about tennis completely“, Draper makes clear. It seems that there is a consensus among the players: leave the sport of the racket completely aside. Khachanov, for example, places being with the family as his ideal plan, while Hurkacz values ​​driving or going to a circuit and Shapovalov insists on I have a jacuzzi as an essential part of the vacation.

We talk about routines, what to do when tennis is not the priority, but… where to carry out all this? What is the favorite place for players to disconnect? The answers are curious, although they all seem to emphasize that ‘feel at home’ is the most important thing. “Going home to the Bahamas (her current residence) is amazing. It’s paradise, you kind of live an island lifestyle. It’s great to be able to go there to reset, reorganize.”, highlights Shapovalov. From the beach we go to the mountains hand in hand with Sinner: “I love spending my holidays in my hometown, because I don’t go there much anymore and I love skiing. There is usually a lot of snow during the pre-season”. As we said, coming home is what many are looking for, including Draper: “I love being home on vacation. We travel all year long, so being with your loved ones… I don’t want to be anywhere else.”

There are also slightly more exotic options, because the holidays are not to be missed: “We are thinking of going to thailandI have never been there. I really want to visit that country one day”disputes Berrettini. “My favorite places were Iceland and Africa. I know that both are diametrically different, but I remember both as if they were yesterday. They are unique, different places”says an experienced traveler Dimitrov. “I would recommend to people that during the holidays they do something that they do not usually do during the rest of the year. To change completely”advise Tommy Paulsomething that is seconded by Shapovalov who even goes further: “I would tell people stay away from mobile phonethat simply enjoy the present”. “I like to go to the gym, keep fit, but vacations are for resting and disconnecting. Maybe a couple of beers or two, but it’s a time to enjoy life”Berrettini wisely advises.

WHICH PLAYER WOULD YOU CHOOSE TO GO ON VACATION?

We suppose that things could get a little more complicated in these answers, but there are several names that turn out to be a popular choice… among them, although it may surprise many people, Hubert Hurkacz. “I would go on vacation with the great ‘Hubi’ (laughs). I can ‘spend’ with him verbally the whole trip”Dimitrov makes it clear that he was not the only one to choose the Pole. “I would choose Hubi. We are very good friends. I know he likes cars, like me, so maybe we could go to a circuit.”says Sinner. Another tennis player who gets several votes is Reilly Opelka, personal choice of Sinner and Tommy Paul. Of course, who is truly clear is Shapovalov: “I would not choose any player to go on vacation with them. Only my girlfriend (laughs).”