The head of the ATP Tour has defended the decision to expand the length of Masters 1000 tournaments by arguing that there are more positives than negatives.
Andrea Gaudenzi has been at the forefront of a recent move to expand the length of Masters 1000 tournaments from eight days to 12 days with the draw size increasing from 56 to 96 players. The move is part of the ATP’s ‘OneVision’ strategic plan which they say is designed to take tennis to a new height.
Indian Wells and Miami have already been held over two weeks for a few years. This season has also seen Rome and Madrid get extended during the clay swing. Meanwhile, this week’s Shanghai Masters is taking place under the new schedule for the first time.
The move has been met with a mixed response from some players on the Tour. Earlier this year, former world No.1 Andy Murray argued that there is now less downtime between tournaments for him and his peers. Meanwhile, Cameron Norrie points out that it could potentially result in fewer playing opportunities for lower-ranked players who lose in the early round of Masters events.
However, this criticism has been brushed aside by Gaudenzi who is currently in Shanghai to mark 25 years of professional tennis being held in the region.
“I strongly believe that players will get adjusted to it. Yes, it is longer, but it is longer for the players who get to the end of the tournaments because if you lose first, second, or third round, ultimately, it would be a similar amount of days.” Gaudenzi argues.
“I believe is important is now players can have a day off in between matches, and that in the long-term, I think decreases the chances of injuries.”
Gaudenzi, who is a former professional player himself, acknowledges that as a result of these changes players scheduling will be affected. He also admits that some will also face ‘more days on the road.’ Tennis is known for its demanding calendar that begins in January and ends around November time. Then during the off-season, there are a series of exhibition events and from next year it is understood that the NextGen Finals in Saudi Arabia will take place during December.
“They obviously have to adjust their schedule and probably take a few more breaks in between tournaments to spend a few more weeks home because there are potentially more days on the road,” Gaudenzi continued.
“But from a mental health and physical health standpoint, I think having 96-player draw played over 12 days is a lot better than having to play six matches in seven days back-to-back because this is really where the injuries come up. So time will tell, but I think we’re very confident it will work out.”
Gaudenzi refers to Masters events as the ‘premium products’ of the ATP Tour that need further elevation to help the sport’s future growth. Adding that to achieve this aim it is important to have such an event in China. In the past couple of years, no ATP tournaments were held in the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The WTA also didn’t stage any of their competitions in the past two years but that was due to concerns over the welfare of former player Peng Shuai. Shuai accused a former government official of sexual assault and there are concerns that she is being censored by authorities.
“I think having a premium event of this size and relevance is really, really important, also to get more kids to play tennis, more fans to engage and try to engage a global audience, which is never easy,” Gaudenzi commented.
“We are one of the few truly global sports, and we’re proud of that. You cannot be a truly global sport without a presence in China, so that’s important.”
The ATP intends to upgrade the size of Masters events in Canada and Cincinnati from 2025 onwards.
