Murray refuses to rule out prospect of strike action
BRITISH No1 Andy Murray claims he would give serious consideration to taking strike action should calls for a change in the scheduling of the sport fall on deaf ears.
Leading players have voiced their concerns over a punishing schedule which, for example, last week saw world No2 Rafael Nadal asked to play three matches at the US Open on consecutive days.
The Spaniard was granted a day off before his four hour epic in the final against Novak Djokovic, but just four days later he was back in Davis Cup action for his country.
Murray revealed he and some of his fellow players are to meet in Shanghai next month to discuss their next move and refused to rule out the threat of going on strike.
He said: “It’s a possibility. I know from speaking to some players they’re not afraid of doing that [striking]. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that but I’m sure the players will consider it.”
Asked whether the subject of a strike or boycott will be mentioned during the meeting in China, he continued: “Yes I think so. We just want things to change, really small things.”
The president of the International Tennis Federation, Francesco Ricci Bitti, maintained last week that complaints by Nadal over the Davis cup scheduling were “inconsistent”, recalling that players voted for the current dates, against the ITF’s wishes, back in 2009.