Murray, Nadal say meeting not imminent

SHANGHAI (AP):

Just weeks after raising the possibility of a strike in protest of the crowded tennis calendar, Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal acknowledged yesterday that bringing the top players together to formulate a plan might be difficult.

Last month, Murray said a meeting might take place during this week's Shanghai Masters, but the withdrawals of Roger Federer and top-ranked Novak Djokovic from the tournament made that unlikely.

Murray said yesterday that coordinating players' schedules wasn't easy.

"Whether it happens or not, it's quite a tough thing to do because there's a lot of players to coordinate and sometimes guys don't go to the same tournaments," Murray said. "Tennis players aren't always the easiest people to get hold of when they're not at tournaments."

Timing wasn't right

Second-ranked Nadal said the timing wasn't right to have a discussion about a possible next step.

"There is something there, but is not the right moment to talk about it," he said yesterday. "Always is better talk about the things when you know exactly what's going to happen and when you know exactly what we are going to do."

Murray, Nadal and Andy Roddick have been among the most vocal in urging changes to the packed tennis calendar and the number of events the top players are required to enter each year.

Last November, the ATP decided to extend the tennis offseason from five to seven weeks in response to years of complaints from players about the length of the season and the toll it takes on their bodies.

But other issues came to a head during the rain-soaked US Open, when Nadal, Murray and Roddick voiced concerns about the conditions of the courts and the schedule that forced Nadal to play three matches in three days.