"I just don't understand it" - Andy Roddick echoes Eugenie Bouchard's sentiment; pair bemoan Wimbledon and grasscourt season's 'rush' and shortness

Andy Roddick and Eugenie Bouchard recently complained about Wimbledon not having a big tournament in its lead-up. The grasscourt season is currently allotted only three weeks on the ATP and WTA Tour calendars, which means players don't have enough time to get used to the surface.

Roddick and Bouchard were recently invited for a live segment by Tennis Channel host Steve Weissman. The trio discussed the lack of 1000-level events on grass, with the Canadian, who finished runner-up at SW19 in 2014, insisting that a big tournament on grass would give "more importance to the surface".

"I personally would love a longer grasscourt season. I think it's so special," Eugenie Bouchard said on TC Live. "I think it shows the tradition in the history of tennis, so I would love to see a longer season and bigger events. I think it would add lots of intrigue to the rankings by having a Masters 1000 on the surface. It would give more importance to the surface."

Andy Roddick agreed with the former World No. 5 while alluding to how the French Open had at least seven weeks of tune-up events, including three ATP Masters 1000 tournaments. Moreover, he claimed that grasscourt specialists were hard-done by the lack of Masters-level events on the surface.

"There are three Masters 1000s going into Roland Garros spread out over the course of six weeks. You can play seven or eight weeks of claycourt tennis leading into Roland Garros, and then our biggest, most prestigious event, we rush everything," Andy Roddick said. "I just don't understand it. Obviously, grass needs to be grown. It's a sensitive surface, but just on merit, it needs to be fair on different playing styles. I think grasscourt specialists have been underserved for a long time."

---

ATP chairman on the prospect of a Masters 1000 before Wimbledon: "I like the idea... this is something I proposed to the office"

Carlos Alcaraz celebrates during Wimbledon 2023 final

For those unaware, ATP boss Andrea Gaudenzi spoke positively in 2021 about the prospect of organizing a Masters-level event prior to Wimbledon. He inferred that either the Halle Open or the Queen's Club Championships — both of which are 500-level events — could potentially be upgraded.

"Personally, I like the idea of having a Masters 1000 on grass during the Queen's and Halle week," Andrea Gaudenzi told The Times. "This is something I proposed to the ATP office. I like the concept of a big Masters 1000 leading up to Wimbledon."

The fact that Wimbledon, tennis' oldest Major tournament, doesn't have enough tournaments in its lead-up is well-documented. Last year, just a meager 11.6% of the ATP Tour events were held on grass, as opposed to 57.5% and 30.9% being played on hardcourts and clay, respectively.