ATP gives players more rest

The men’s ATP World Tour tennis is to have an extended seven-week off-season from 2012, giving its players more time to rest.

The calendar change was achieved by removing a free week between the Masters 1000 in Paris and the ATP World Tour Finals in London and rescheduling four late-season events to earlier in the year.

“The health and wellbeing of our players is a tour-wide issue and preserving and extending the playing careers of our top players is critical for the long-term good of the game,” said ATP World Tour executive chairman and president Adam Helfant.

“I think it’s good to have a longer off-season. I definitely think it’s a step in the right direction,” added world number two Roger Federer.

However, the Davis Cup finals are still scheduled for after the ATP finals, meaning players involved will have six rather than seven weeks’ rest.