Rune suggests top players only compete in the second week of Masters events; Hungarian female player receives pre-match death threat.

Recently, Rune, who is sidelined due to an Achilles tendon rupture, has not been idle. In an interview with French media, he proposed a bold solution regarding the currently controversial ATP 1000 Masters tournament format—a system exempting top players for one week.

“I don’t have a magical solution, but we could consider having top players participate only in the second week of Masters tournaments, so they would have a full week for recovery and training.” The 22-year-old Dane believes that although extending Masters events to 12 days and expanding to 96-player draws increases opportunities for lower-ranked players, it severely neglects the survival space of top stars.

“The new Masters format is very beneficial for lower-ranked players, allowing them to compete in the most important tournaments, but unfortunately, top players are not considered.” Rune emphasized, “Apart from the economic aspect, they should also benefit from this new format, but currently that hasn’t been achieved.”

Rune’s complaint is not unfounded. In today’s crowded calendar, which includes four Grand Slams, nine Masters events, 16 ATP 500 tournaments, and numerous cup competitions, top players must participate in at least 19 mandatory events each year. Extending a originally one-week schedule to nearly 20 days of fatigue makes Rune bluntly state that it is “extremely difficult physically and mentally.”

However, this young player, sidelined due to an Achilles tendon rupture, also stated that he will not force a comeback, but if everything goes smoothly, he will return to competition in the near future.

If Rune’s complaint concerns players’ “quality of life,” then what happened in Antalya directly concerns players’ “survival safety.”

After Italian player Stefannini disclosed receiving death threats a few days ago, recently, Hungarian player Panna Udvardy, ranked 95th, also experienced similar terror before the WTA 125 event in Antalya.

This Hungarian female player, who just stopped in the quarter-finals, disclosed chilling details on social media. At midnight, her private WhatsApp received “multiple extremely disturbing messages” from an unknown number.

“That person told me that if I didn’t lose the match, she would harm my family. They said they knew where my family lived, what car they drove, and had their phone numbers. They even sent photos of my family and a picture of a gun.” Udvardy wrote in her statement. It was revealed that the threatener even directly shouted the names of her mother and grandmother, claiming that two teams were ready nearby in Hungary.

Udvardy immediately contacted the WTA tournament supervisor and reported to the police. The Hungarian consulate responded quickly, sending three police officers to escort her throughout her match, and the police also went to her parents’ residence for protection. However, what truly chilled the entire tennis world was the WTA’s response to this incident.

“I immediately contacted the WTA tournament supervisor and sent screenshots. I also notified my family, who promptly contacted the local consulate. The WTA tournament supervisor told me that other female players also received similar threats.” Udvardy relayed, “They suspect personal data was leaked from the database and said an investigation is underway.”

Udvardy ultimately lost to Kalinina 6-7, 5-7. After the match, physically and mentally exhausted, she left the court accompanied by three police officers. But for this Hungarian player, the loss in the match was far less heavy than the fear for survival.

“I really hope they take action on this. It’s very terrifying. If the WTA and ATP database leak is true, it’s somewhat alarming.” Udvardy angrily emphasized in her statement that the whole incident is “not normal”: “Even as athletes or public figures, receiving threats against our families, especially on private numbers with photos of guns, is unacceptable. We must not normalize such abusive behavior in sports.”

German player Eva Lys also expressed shock on social media: “This is too terrible. What the hell?”

Whether ATP will adjust based on Rune’s “second-week proposal” remains unknown; and regarding the accusation of WTA database leakage, what response will WTA give? Let’s wait and see.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Lu Xiaotian)