"That's where I found my joy of life and the pleasure of playing tennis again": mid-season breaks, a saving grace for many players facing the hellish schedule

"This break was extremely important, I needed it. I took time for myself and that happens very rarely. Today, I am happy to play tennis again." At first glance, these few words from Alexander Zverev upon his arrival in Canada take on their full meaning when we remember the state of the German a month earlier, after his defeat in the first round of Wimbledon (against Arthur Rinderknech). "I have never felt so empty. I feel no joy in anything I do, even when I win," admitted a world number 3 at the bottom of the hole.

Victims of a schedule as intense as it is hellish, players have long been reluctant to take breaks during the season, as much for fear of being left behind in the rankings as of missing out on big paychecks. However, in recent months, several of the circuit's top players seem to have become aware of the need to take better care of their bodies and minds.

After a completely botched Roland-Garros (defeat in the second round), Alex De Minaur sounded the alarm. "I'm mentally tired, burned out, " the Australian admitted. "Players' careers are going to get shorter and shorter because they're going to get exhausted. It's too much tennis."

"I knew that in the state I was in, I had to change something. What I was experiencing on a daily basis was not sustainable."

Despite the need to prepare for the grass-court season as quickly as possible, De Minaur decided to take a break from tennis. "I knew that in the state I was in, I had to change something. What I was experiencing on a daily basis was unsustainable," the world number 8 confided this Sunday in Toronto after qualifying for the quarter-finals, barely a week after winning the tenth title of his career in Washington. "I took some time for myself and decided not to defend my title in 's-Hertogenbosch, even though I knew it would affect my ranking and seeding at Wimbledon. The idea was to focus a little more on myself, and in the end, I managed to find the right balance. I know that if I play a tournament mentally and physically ready, I will be able to play my best tennis. The last two weeks are the perfect example of that."

While Arthur Fils, back in action in Canada after two months off the circuit, appeared all week more cheerful and relaxed than ever, others, like Taylor Fritz, believe they are benefiting today from breaks that came earlier in the season. "Sometimes you arrive at a tournament, you feel flat and there's not much to do," judges the American. In some tournaments, this is the case for a lot of players, like in Paris (Bercy) at the end of the year, where some are already ready to end their season. When you arrive at these tournaments motivated and ready to play, it's a huge advantage. That's the case for me today, and it's largely due to the fact that I was injured at the beginning of the year (in my abdominal muscles) . From the outside, people may not have seen it because I was playing tournaments, but between tournaments I wasn't training in order to prioritize my health, so I had more time to take a break from tennis compared to previous years. "

Under these conditions, and despite the immense disappointment of Canadian fans, it's hard to blame Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz for their absence in Ontario. Especially since the Spaniard's latest Roland Garros victory may have largely been due to a life-saving vacation in Mexico. "After my defeat in Miami, I received so much hate from people who said, 'Why is this guy, who just lost in the first round, going on vacation to Cancun instead of going back to training?'" explained the world number 2 a few weeks ago. "Actually, taking five or six days off with my family without picking up a racquet was the key; that's when I rediscovered my joy of living and the pleasure of playing tennis. And when I came back, I won Monte Carlo, Rome, and Roland Garros..."