Alexander Zverev is set to feature at the Laver Cup for the sixth time in the hope of helping Team Europe defend the title.
The German helped guide the side to victory in last season’s edition of the annual event, in which Carlos Alcaraz sealed the win in the decisive singles tie with Taylor Fritz.
This year, Team Europe’s longtime captain, Bjorn Borg, has been replaced by former Roland Garros champion Yannick Noah, who will be accompanied by vice captain Tim Henman.
The Laver Cup marks yet another event in an already packed tennis calendar, which Zverev touched on in his press conference ahead of the competition.
Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images for Laver CupAlexander Zverev calls for a change on the ATP Tour
When asked about the relentlessness of the ATP Tour schedule, the 28-year-old said: “It’s an ongoing discussion. Nothing has changed over the last few months.
“I think we’ve all said it. It feels like we’re playing more and more, and our schedule is more dense than ever.
“I’ve personally always felt like tennis deserves a proper offseason. Tennis deserves a proper vacation after the season is done and a proper training time, which we don’t really have.
“I always take the example of Alex de Minaur. He played his last match in Davis Cup last year, I think the 27th of November and played the first match at the United Cup the 27th of December.
Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images for Laver Cup
“So you don’t really have time to go for a two-week vacation and then to not play tennis, to build your body for the following season, and then to build the tennis base for the Australian Open.
“For me, it’s just too dense, too much from start to finish, because we’re starting the season with a Grand Slam, and we are finishing the season with the World Tour Finals.
“You can’t really say I’m taking the first month of this season off, I’m taking the last month of the season off.
“That’s my opinion. I don’t know how everybody else feels, but I would just wish for everybody, especially for the young guys here, who will be on tour for the next 15 years, that they’re going to get proper rest time at the end of the year. That’s my thought on it.”
His Team Europe teammate, Holger Rune, said: “Totally agree.”
The short-lived offseason on the ATP Tour
For the majority of players on the tour, the last event of the 2025 season is the Moselle Open in France, which ends on the eighth of November.
However, for the eight stars who reach the year-end ATP Finals, their season does not finish until the 16th of November.
Additionally, those competing in the Davis Cup Finals will do so from the 18th of November until the 23rd, while the ‘Next Gen ATP Finals’, featuring the best young players in the world, takes place in mid-December.
With the first tour-level event in 2026 beginning on the fifth of January in Brisbane, the likes of Zverev will only have around a month and a half of offseason.