"For me, it’s better for tennis": Carlos Alcaraz becomes latest high-profile player to question two-week-long ATP 1000 events

Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz has become the latest high-profile player to criticise the two-week-long format of the ATP 1000 events. There are nine Masters events organised every year in men’s tennis, and nearly every competition is now being organised in the two-week-long format.

Previously, most of those tournaments were being organised in a one-week-long format. Ever since the format has been changed, few players have raised their concerns and criticised the move. Last year, Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas, after taking part in the Paris Masters, questioned the motives of the ATP behind taking such a move.

“Players aren’t getting the recovery or training time they need, with constant matches and no space for the intense work off the court,” he wrote in a post on his official account on the social media platform X — previously known as Twitter. “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.”

The reigning world number two, Alcaraz, has become the latest high-profile player to criticise the move. The four-time Grand Slam winner, who is currently taking part in the Barcelona Open and has already cemented his spot in the semifinal after beating Australia’s Alex de Minaur in straight sets with a score of 7-5, 6-3, stated that the two-week tournament is not helping the players.

“The one week ones are better. Some will think that in two weeks there are days of rest, but that is not the case,” he said as quoted by Tennis 365. “You train, you have to mentally prepare for the game, prepare for it… you’re not resting, really. It’s two full weeks. That’s why I prefer the one-week Masters 1000. For me, it’s better for tennis.”