John McEnroe and Carlos Alcaraz are seemingly in agreement that the Davis Cup should be played once every two years. It comes after Alcaraz withdrew from the prestigious competition earlier this week as a result of leg edema.

The Spaniard picked up a thigh injury during Sunday's ATP Final championship match against Jannik Sinner on Sunday, adding to his problems after he lost the match 7-6 7-5 to the World No2. And despite travelling to Bologna for the team-centred Davis Cup, he opted to pull out of the competition after undergoing leg scans from the Spanish Tennis Federation doctor. Speaking about his devastation, the 22-year-old said: "I'm absolutely gutted to announce that I'm not going to be able to play with Spain in the Davis Cup in Bologna.

"I have an edema in the hamstring of my right leg, and the medical recommendation is not to compete. I've always said that playing for Spain is the greatest thing there is, and I was so excited to be able to help fight for the Salad Bowl. I'm heading home feeling heartbroken."

Alcaraz's withdrawal comes just days after he called for a major change with regard to the team event, criticising how the Davis Cup takes place every year. He said: "I agree that they got to do something in this event, because I think playing every year, I mean, it is not as good as it might be if you're playing every two or three years.

"I think if the tournament is played like every two years or every three years, the players, the commitment of the players, it's going to be even more because it's unique, it's different. You're not able to play every year."

It's not a new stance held by players in the world of tennis, however, with seven-time singles Grand Slam winner McEnroe sharing a similar stance back in 2010. At the time, the American said: "I think at the very least I would advocate they don't play Davis Cup in Olympic year - and perhaps it should be played every other year."

It's not the first time that Alcaraz has called for reduced events on the ATP calendar as of late. The six-time Grand Slam champion was heard calling for a drastic overhaul of the schedule last month, joining the likes of Aryna Sabalenka, Jack Draper and Iga Swiatek - who have already voiced their concerns.

He said: "Well, I don't have an exact amount of matches that we should play. I mean, I can't answer with an exact number. But obviously they have to do something with the calendar.

"The amount of tournaments that we have to play I think is too high. We don't have such good period of time that we can practice, we can rest. Even during the season, I think it's week after week after week and we don't have the chance to have a week just to prepare pretty well the tournaments or what we have ahead in the season.

"But, you know, I will think about the amount of matches that we should play, and I'm gonna comment later."