"Rafael Nadal had an off, players at ATP Finals didn't"- Andy Roddick bemoans potential Saudi Arabia Masters tournament leading to scheduling conflict

Rafael Nadal flying to Brisbane in late December last year and the top ATP players ending their grueling season at the ATP Finals were on Andy Roddick's mind on Tuesday (February 13), as he weighed in on Saudi Arabia potentially hosting a Masters-level tournament in January 2025.

According to the grapevine, the ATP and the Saudi Tennis Federation (STF) are currently in the midst of talks for a Masters 1000-level tournament in Saudi Arabia in 2025. The potential big event will reportedly begin a few weeks before the Australian Open in January.

Former World No. 1 Andy Roddick expressed his displeasure about the above developments on his podcast, inviting tennis journalist Jon Wertheim to discuss the scheduling consequences for the ATP tour if the move goes through.

Roddick was told by Wertheim during their interaction that the annual tour season can be so punishing that Rafael Nadal had to fly for the 2024 Brisbane International on December 25. That being the case, the former US Open winner felt that unlike the top ATP pros who ended their 2023 season last November, the Spaniard was well-rested for nearly a year due to his injury lay-off.

"You mentioned Rafael Nadal leaving on 25th December, but also that's different," Andy Roddick argued on his podcast (23:50).

"He hadn't played since forever... he had an off the entire time, not as extreme as someone who burnt it till the end — the eight singles players at World Tour finals, and then you're gonna have him turn around three weeks later, have a Masters 1000? Just to start the year? That's impossible, that is so incredibly short-sighted," he added.

---

"Not only is the sport non-stop... but you're asking players to leave on Christmas day?" - Jon Wertheim on Rafael Nadal flying early for Brisbane International 2024

Rafael Nadal hits a forehand at the 2024 Brisbane International

Tennis journalist Jon Wertheim also critiqued the ATP's already-packed season on the same podcast, alluding to how Rafael Nadal flew early for the Brisbane International, which began on December 31.

"You said December 25th... that is the date Nadal left for Australia, how crazy is this? Not only is the sport non-stop... but you're asking players to leave on Christmas day?" Jon Wertheim said (22:45). "We should step back and ponder how absurd that is. And yeah, you're totally right. You (a player) can say, 'Yeah, we're gonna charter jets... shower in the cabin,' but you know what... it still doesn't change the jet lag."

Meanwhile, Andy Roddick believes that adding a Saudi Arabian Masters-level tournament to the ATP tour calendar will make the top players' off-season "an absolute nightmare".

"This deal would make scheduling for the off-season an absolute nightmare for the top players," Roddick said (22:00). "You're gonna have to pull out of something, you cannot play until December 7th and then turn around and leave your home to go to another event on December 25th. There is no time for training, there's going to be an uptick in injuries, you kind of have to set your body."