Stefanos Tsitsipas lashes out at ATP over decline in quality of 2-week Masters events: "They're fixing what wasn't broken”

Stefanos Tsitsipas has criticized the ATP over the decline in quality at two-week Masters events. The Greek star supported Andy Roddick’s claim that the scheduling is poor and has contributed to more player injuries.

During the 2024 season, Masters 1000 tournaments at Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid, Rome, and Shanghai were extended to two weeks. And from next season, the Canadian Open and Cincinnati Open will also adopt this longer format. Only the Monte Carlo Open and Paris Masters will remain as one-week Masters tournaments.

On Thursday, Tsitsipas responded to a video from Roddick's podcast, Served with Andy Roddick, posted on X (formerly Twitter), in which the former World No.1 criticized the ATP’s two-week Masters 1000 schedule.

Tsitsipas said that the extended format has lowered the events' quality and left players with inadequate recovery time. He questioned the ATP’s decision to adopt this format without evidence it would improve the schedule.

“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 without knowing if it could actually improve the schedule, but the quality likewise,” Stefanos Tsitsipas said.

Tsitsipas praised the organizers of the Paris Masters for maintaining a one-week format and stated that extending other Masters events to two weeks is a step backward.

“Paris got it right, done in a week. Exciting and easy to follow. Just how it’s supposed to be. 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,” he added.

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A brief look at how Stefanos Tsitsipas performed at ATP Masters 1000 tournaments this season

Stefanos Tsitsipas at the Rolex Paris Masters 2024 - Day 5 - Source: Getty

Stefanos Tsitsipas’ first Masters tournament of the season was the Indian Wells Masters, where he was knocked out in the round of 16 by Jiri Lehecka. He then moved on to the Miami Open, where he was unexpectedly eliminated in the first round by Denis Shapovalov.

The Greek won his first and only title of the season at the Monte Carlo Masters in April, defeating Casper Ruud in the final. It marked his third Monte Carlo title in four years.

Tsitsipas also competed in the Madrid Open, where he was eliminated in the first round by Thiago Monteiro. At the Italian Open, his run ended in the quarterfinals against Nicolas Jarry.

During the North American swing, Tsitsipas faced early exits, falling to Kei Nishikori in the first round of the Canadian Open and to Jack Draper in the second round of the Cincinnati Open.

In his eighth ATP Masters tournament of the season, Tsitsipas was outclassed by Daniil Medvedev in the fourth round. His final Masters event was the Paris Masters, where he fell to Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals.