Top tennis stars: Too much play, too lengthy tournaments

More competition days, more tickets sold, more TV time, more money.

For tennis organizers, the expansion of tournaments in Madrid and Rome from eight days to nearly two weeks has been highly profitable.

But the players? They aren’t as thrilled.

With Madrid and Rome joining the ranks of extended tournaments like Indian Wells and Miami, many top-ranked players who frequently reach the finals are feeling the strain of spending so much more time traveling.

“You have to be some kind of superhero to consistently perform well in back-to-back 10-day events,” said recent Monte Carlo champion Stefanos Tsitsipas in Rome.

The top players are frustrated that these Masters-level tournaments are modeled after the prestigious Grand Slams—the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open—without holding the same prestige. Essentially, Madrid and Rome are just warmups for Roland Garros.

“We wanted more drama and then stretched it too far, turning it into a ‘telenova’ with too many seasons,” said former No. 1 Victoria Azarenka. “Hopefully, we’ll make some adjustments because it’s too long.”

Next year, the Cincinnati Open—a warmup for the U.S. Open—will also extend to a two-week format, increasing the player draw from 64 to 96.

“People want to see top players compete regularly, and there’s a market for that, but we must ensure we take care of our players,” Azarenka said.

In the expanded events, the top 32 seeds receive byes to the second round, and all players get days off between matches—a change from the old format.

“The two-week Masters 1000 events benefit players ranked between 50 and 100 because they get a chance to play in a main-draw Masters 1000 event. But it’s not great for top-10 players,” said fifth-ranked Alexander Zverev.

“Yes, you get told you have a day off between matches, but that isn’t real rest. Resting means being at home, sleeping in your own bed, maybe with your family, your dogs, or your kids if you have them. A day off between matches in a different place isn’t resting. If you’re aiming for semifinals or finals in every event, you’re away much longer and have to work much harder.”

The schedule has been a hot topic recently due to injuries to the men’s tour’s two top young players, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, even if their injuries might not be directly caused by the longer tournaments.

Sinner (hip injury) and Alcaraz (right forearm) both withdrew from Rome.

But injuries to top players are nothing new.

“I like this two-week format,” said fourth-ranked Daniil Medvedev. “I like having a day off. I don’t think injuries result from this format.”

Twenty-two-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal added, “In the end, players want to make money, and tournaments want to make money. It’s a cycle that comes together, and we accept that role.”