Andy Murray isn't really a fan of the new two-week format for the ATP Masters 1000 tournaments.
The 35-year-old voiced his concerns over the new two-week format for certain ATP Masters 1000 events, including the Madrid Open and the Italian Open. The former world number one shared his thoughts on the change, which he believes might not necessarily be beneficial for the players.
After losing in the first round of the 2023 Madrid Open, Murray was asked about his opinion on the longer duration of the tournament and he admitted that he was not a big fan of the change for a few reasons.
"I'm not a massive fan of it. I mean, but I'm also open to change and trying new things and seeing how it works out for the ATP and for the players and stuff. Like if I think back to like before when I did really well in these tournaments, like for the seeded players and for, you know, for the top players, you know, you'd be arriving on like the Thursday, Friday before the event, and it was two-and-a-half weeks from when you might arrive here till the final in Rome."
Murray explained that under the previous format, seeded players would arrive a few days before the event, and the period between the Madrid Open and the Italian Open final would span two-and-a-half weeks. With the new format, this time has now increased to four weeks. This change results in less downtime for the players and more time spent on the road at events.
"Now that is four weeks. Quite a long, quite a big change for players. Just, yeah, maybe a little bit less down time. The extra down time they do have with the more days at the tournaments is on the road, at the events, and just in terms of like time to switch off and everything, I think it just reduces that a little bit."
The three-time Grand Slam champion also expressed concerns about the ability of players to switch off and relax, as the extended format may lead to an increased amount of time at tournaments and on the road. He acknowledged that it remains to be seen if this change will prove beneficial for the tour in the coming years.
"But we'll see, I guess, whether it's a beneficial thing for the tour in years to come. I'm just aware, I have heard a lot of players just over the years, I don't mean recently, but just over the years about the tennis season being very long and everything. I don't think that this necessarily shortens it for the players. It's just a little bit more time at tournaments, a little bit more time on the road. So, yeah, I'm not sure about it."
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