Stefanos Tsitsipas has backed Andy Roddick’s appraisal of the “s***” ATP Masters 1000 format, noting a drop in quality.
This year, several Masters 1000 events were extended from one week to two, with Roddick criticising the move this week.
The former world No 1 and US Open champion addressed the longer events on his Served podcast, saying: “They’re so stupid, they’re so dumb, it’s the worst.
“I feel like more people got injured, because you can’t do the work on off-weeks to build your body up physically […] The players are saying this.
“The feedback has been s***. Maybe you shouldn’t have committed the calendar to a long-term vision of something that is not proven.”
And on Thursday (7 November), world No 12 Tsitsipas took to X to echo Roddick’s sentiment.
“The two-week Masters 1000s have turned into a drag,” wrote the Greek. “The quality has definitely dropped. Players aren’t getting the recovery or training time they need, with constant matches and no space for the intense work off the court.
“It’s ironic that the @atptour committed to this format without knowing if it could actually improve the schedule, but the quality likewise.
“Paris got it right, done in a week. Exciting and easy to follow. Just how it’s supposed to be.
The two-week Masters 1000s have turned into a drag. The quality has definitely dropped. Players aren’t getting the recovery or training time they need, with constant matches and no space for the intense work off the court.
It’s ironic that the @atptour committed to this format… https://t.co/DrvgODppzJ
— Stefanos Tsitsipas (@steftsitsipas) November 7, 2024
“If the goal was to ease the calendar, extending every 1000 to two weeks is a backwards move. Sometimes, it feels like they’re fixing what wasn’t broken.”
Tsitsipas is a three-time Masters 1000 champion, having won each of those titles in Monte Carlo. The 26-year-old even triumphed at the tournament this season, as it played out over the course of one week.
This year, the ATP’s Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid, Rome and Shanghai Masters were played across two weeks. Bar the Shanghai tournament, all of those events also took place on the WTA Tour.
