"Sometimes they're taking decisions without asking anyone": Andrey Rublev latest to question new two week Masters format

Andrey Rublev will face Taylor Fritz tomorrow in the semi-final of the 2024 Madrid Open and when they finish this week in Spain, it will be a shift over to Rome then Roland Garros almost straight away. This has been questioned by multiple players including Rublev.

Introduced for this season, the aim is to basically have all of the Masters 1000 tournaments last two weeks. Madrid and Rome are those on the clay court calendar that will last the prolonged distance with Elena Rybakina for instance slamming the rules in place surrounding mandatories and believing that players will have shorter careers as a result.

Asked in his press conference after defeating Carlos Alcaraz, Rublev was handed a question about it after Alexander Zverev said that the new format for ATP Masters 1000 is only good for 50 and below players. He said that this is because top 10 stars really compete to win the title so have less rest and recovery time.

“It depends. It's a bit of a tough question, because it's true that some tournaments it looks like they are longer and we have more days to rest, but then you end up, let's say maybe before we had Madrid and Rome, and in two weeks we were playing these two tournaments, and then you had two weeks more at home," said Rublev.

"Now looks like we are having more rest between matches but it takes us four weeks. And of course mentally it's a bit tougher, and then you don't spend that much time home because you spend less time and you have less time to recover.

"I guess that's what he wanted to mend. I can understand this. But it's a tough question, because here there is a lot of inside details, and it's not easy to say which option is good, which option is not good. I guess it should be more about how all the players are thinking, the average of the players, and then also what’s better for spectators. Then, depending of most of the players' opinion and depending of how it goes with the spectators, then to do those decisions, because sometimes they're taking decisions without asking anyone. Then some players like it, some players don't like it.”