Posted by Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Monday May 13, 2024
Stefanos Tsitsipas believes that expanding the current calendar to make several Masters 1000 tournaments into two-week tournaments is hurting players. The Greek, who reached the round of 16 in Rome with a 6-2, 7-6(1) win over Cameron Norrie on Monday at the Foro Italico, says it is sad that the sport has lost its top players in Rome, adding that he believes we will see more of the same, thanks to the new weekly format. two of these events.
Tsitsipas says that this match is missed if players like Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz cannot enter the draw due to injuries.
“Without them, the program is not the same,” he said. “Obviously you have guys behind them. These types of tournaments deserve names like these to play, to be active, to have the opportunity to play in front of these big stadiums and crowds.”
Tsitsipas added that he believes the tour program, as currently formatted, leads to more injuries.
“I have talked about how the program has a great impact on our bodies,” he said. “It starts with the mental side, and then the physical side. The extension of days in the Masters 1000s plays a big role and has a big impact on these players getting injured.”
The No. 8 Greek says turning Madrid and Rome into 12-day events is taking a toll on the players. Many believe that changing the format, and adding a rest day between players’ matches, would help, but players like Tsitsipas feel the opposite is true.
“Maybe it was already a lot like it used to be with the seven-day events,” said Tsitsipas. days in each topic, we come to its conclusion. It’s not a very easy thing to do. Some people need to try it first to get an understanding of what it’s like to pull it off. Then they have to make decisions based on that.
“If these types of things continue with the same system that isn’t optimized or customized to the needs of the players, we could see more of these things happening in the future.”
Swiatek: I can sympathize with both views
This topic has been hotly debated in recent weeks, by players and mathematicians. It’s hard to be sure if Tsitsipas’ theory holds water, but he makes a good point about mental stress possibly leading to greater physical stress in players.
World No.1 Iga Swiatek, who won the title in Madrid and reached the quarterfinals in Rome, says he can see it both ways.
“Actually, it’s hard to say, because I can sympathize with both of these views,” said Pole. “There are definitely times when it feels like we have a break these days and it would be nice to finish early. If we have, for example, like a week off before the Grand Slam, then maybe we can have a little longer and go home a little bit. But yeah, we’re in that situation on the tour where we’re going to be away from home for, like, more than two, three months, and we need to get used to that. “
Swiatek admits it helps him to have an extra day off between games to get physically ready.
“On the other hand, it helps a lot if you have a rest day to prepare for the next game, so I can say that physically it is easier to recover during tournaments, but mentally you have to be ready for these long tournaments. without really having days off, because even if we have days off, we often come here to train and see the courts, we see these faces, you know, we eat the same food. So it’s not like you can turn it off completely. So, yes, on the one hand it is physically easy, but on the other hand mentally it is sometimes difficult. ”
