The tennis community seems to be having a huge issue with the calendar becoming increasingly hectic due to organizers stuffing events or extending the duration of certain tournaments. Andy Roddick has supported the players on this matter and chimed in with another passionate rant condemning the WTA and ATP.
The US Open 2003 winner used the extension of the ATP Masters 1000 and the WTA 1000 events to two weeks as one example to back his claim.
“The two-week 1000s are so stupid, they’re so stupid, they’re so dumb… Feel like more people got injured because you can’t do the work on off-weeks to build your body up physically if you’re playing every other day you can’t go and do the intense work. The players are saying this. The feedback has been sh*t… Paris was great, we finished in a week,” Roddick said on his “Served” podcast.
Several players displayed their appreciation to Roddick for acting as a spokesperson for them by liking the podcast channel’s Instagram reel. These prominent figures include Ben Shelton, Alex Michelsen, and Shelby Rogers.
American players agreed with Andy Roddick’s take on those Masters 1000 tournaments which take 2 weeks to complete. pic.twitter.com/rBh0hUEoy3
— Wide World of Tennis (@tennisfan_dkr) November 7, 2024
Roddick is spot-on in venting his frustrations. Instead of taking any actions to help the players, the ATP has made it compulsory for top-ranked individuals to participate for at least 30 weeks.
Top-ranked players will have an even more hectic schedule from 2025
The Cincinnati Open, the Canadian Open, and the Shanghai Open are joining the list of Masters 1000 events to be extended to two weeks from the 2025 season onwards. Now, the Monte-Carlo Masters and the Rolex Paris Masters will be the only ATP Masters 1000 events lasting a week. A player making deep runs in these events will play a total of 16 weeks.
Barring any injury, every player looks forward to the Grand Slams. Four majors that are scheduled over a fortnight result in another eight weeks of tennis. Finally, the top-ranked players are expected to partake in at least six 500 events – a total of six weeks.
Adding tournaments such as the year-end finals or international events like the Davis Cup or the United Cup is only going to make this even more hectic. Next year, fans can expect more players to withdraw from tournaments compared to the current season.
