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Expanding some ATP Masters 1000 events into two-week tournaments isn’t good news for everyone, says Novak Djokovic, who admits some players could be tired for the Grand Slams if they don’t get their schedules right.
ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi announced in June last year that five Masters 1000 tournaments would be moved to a two-week format over the next few years leading to the Sunshine Doubles – the Indian Wells Open and the Miami Open – being played over 14 days. The last few years.
This year, the Madrid Open, Italian Open and Shanghai Masters are growing to a 96-player draw, with the Canadian Open and Cincinnati Masters to follow in 2025, with only one-week schedules to be followed by the Monte Carlo Masters and Paris Masters.
However, there were many complaints about the lack of activity in the first week of the recently concluded Madrid Open, and Rome had similar complaints last week, with poor attendance on match days and high ticket prices.
Asked for his thoughts on the matter, 22-time Grand Slam winner Djokovic replied: “It really depends on which way you look at it. I mean, I’m not a fan of that personally because I feel like we have four Grand Slams a year, so it ends up being two plus one week. She only spends 10 to 12 weeks at Grand Slams.
«Now eight out of nine 1000 events will be the same for next year: a two-week event.»
«Like I said, it depends on how you look at it. If you’re a fan, it’s a great day to see more great players because you’ve got a lot of tennis in your city. I get it from that point of view.»
In the year By the end of 2025, seven ATP Masters 1000 events and four Grand Slams will be played within two weeks, giving players more rest days between matches, but also extending their playing schedule.
Djokovic added: «He mentioned it could be useful because of his recovery. Yes, it can be in a given competition. But if you play all the big events on clay, for example, you play Indian Wells and Miami, which is a month for two events, then you go to Monte Carlo, Barcelona, then to Rome and Madrid, if you play really well and go all the way, you might not be too new to Roland Garros. .
“It really depends on what you prefer as a player, what your goals are. For me, Roland Garros on clay is, for sure, the most important event. I’m trying to do everything in terms of the program to set it up so I can play my best out there.
“It’s not a guarantee that I will, but I have some experience over the years and I know what I need to do with my team and my preparation to be at the top at the Slams because those are the most important tournaments for me.
“I don’t want to get into financial matters, that’s a whole different discussion. We could spend all day talking about it, but it really matters from which point of view you look at it. The upside is that you are giving more players a chance to be in the main draw.
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