Petchey also reflects on Andy Murray's ongoing comeback from hip surgery and the challenges facing British No 1 Kyle Edmund
Wednesday 15 August 2018 23:15, UK
The presence of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal on the ATP Tour in their mid-30s should be "celebrated" and scheduling critics should have a "different perspective", says Mark Petchey.
Injuries to leading figures of the game including Federer and Nadal along with fellow multiple major champions Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka over the past two years have led to renewed questions over demands on players.
Djokovic overcame a series of troubling defeats earlier in the year, including losing to Marco Cecchinato at the French Open, to win his 13th major title at Wimbledon last month but Murray and Wawrinka have struggled on their respective comebacks.
Murray, the former world No 1, admitted after his defeat to Lucas Pouille in Cincinnati he "didn't feel great" during a number of his comeback matches from hip surgery while Wawrinka, a three-time Grand Slam champion, has won only eight of his 20 matches all year following knee surgery.
"They are actually playing longer. It was almost inevitable the players were going to start getting injuries," Petchey told Sky Sports News.
"You have got the 'big four' [Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, Murray], who are now all in their 30s, so it is unsurprising.
Most people had Rafa done before he was 30. He is still out there and likely to be the year-end world No 1 so I think people have got to take a whole different perspective on where these players are actually at in their careers.
"The fact that they are in their 30s means it should be more celebrated that the tour, with some of the changes they have made, have actually kept these players on tour more.
"Previously we played five sets in the Masters 1000, the players played a lot more doubles of course because they were trying to manage making enough money.
"I actually think a lot of people are making a big deal about it rather than focusing on the fact that Roger is still out there.
"Most people had Rafa done before he was 30. He is still out there and likely to be the year-end world No 1 so I think people have got to take a whole different perspective on where these players are actually at in their careers."
Murray, now ranked world No 375, competed in only his fourth event since his comeback this week and is expected to make his comeback to Grand Slam tennis at the US Open later this month but Petchey, Murray's former coach, urges caution on expectations for the remainder of the campaign.
There were always going to be some severe speed bumps in this comeback because the hip historically has never been a great joint for anybody to recover from.
"He needed to come back. When I watch him play, physically he looks like he can be on the court and it would be far too soul destroying to just hit balls on a practice court for this long without playing matches," he said.
"It was always going to be tricky. There were always going to be some severe speed bumps in this comeback because the hip historically has never been a great joint for anybody to recover from.
"We all just need to accept this is going to take a fair bit of time for Andy to work out how best he can play his game. I do think he is going to have to adapt to some degree his game to manage his hip as well."
There was further disappointment for British tennis with the defeat for Kyle Edmund against Denis Shapovalov.
The British No 1, who reached the Australian Open semi-final in January, suffered from tonsillitis after Wimbledon and has since managed only one victory from three tournament appearances.
Petchey said: "Since Wimbledon he hasn't really been able to practice and put in the hard yards away from the cameras therefore when he has got in front of the cameras he has not been ideally prepared for these tournaments. I am not entirely surprised by the results.
"He will probably feel marginally encouraged he got as close in the couple of sets. He has got a tournament coming up in Winston Salem next week before the US Open so he has still got time to get a couple more matches under his belt.
"He started the year strongly, was potentially going to make the World Tour Finals but he is a long way off that now."
Petchey insists Edmund was ready to impress on the Grand Slam stage but says expectations are likely to be difficult to fulfil bearing in mind the success Murray has enjoyed.
There will be very few if any that come through that are as good as Andy going forward. Kyle is going to have to deal with that pressure.
"He is going to get measured up to Andy's greatness and it is an unfair comparison," he added.
"There will be very few if any that come through that are as good as Andy going forward. Kyle is going to have to deal with that pressure. Was it too soon? No I don't think it was, he was ready.
"His coach Fredrik Rosengren did a magnificent job. The off-season that he had was perfect which is in stark contrast to what he has had in the North American summer."
Watch continued coverage of the Cincinnati Masters, live on Sky Sports Arena from 4pm on Thursday.
