They're fixing what wasn't broken: Tsitsipas calls out ATP's two-week Masters

Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas has lambasted the ATP for dragging the 1000 events to two weeks. Current and former players have criticized the length of the ATP1000 events. Former world number one Andy Roddick was also very critical of the move in recent times.

Tsitsipas, who recently participated in the ATP 1000 event in Paris, has joined the list of players who lambasted ATP for extending the length of the events. The world number 11 was of the opinion that by doing this, ATP tried to fix something that was not broken.

"The two-week Masters 1000s have turned into a drag," he wrote. "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. 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."

Tsitsipas’ journey in the Paris Masters ended as he lost to world number two Germany’s Alexander Zverev in straight sets with a score of 7-5, 6-4. That defeat ended the season for the Athens-born star, who would not have been too pleased with his performances. Overall, Tsitsipas played 63 matches this year, winning 42 and suffering defeat on 21 occasions. It is the fourth consecutive year where Tsitsipas’ win percentage has decreased, which must be a cause of concern for the two-time Grand Slam winner. His best outing this year came at the Monte-Carlo Masters, where he lifted the trophy. He defeated Norway’s Casper Ruud in the final in straight sets with a score of 6-1, 6-4.