Three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray says he ‘is not a massive fan’ of the move by the ATP to increase the length of Masters 1000 tournaments in Madrid and Rome to 12 days.
Last summer the governing body of men’s tennis confirmed that from 2023 the two European clay-court events will have their sizes increase from eight-day, 56-player draws to 12-day, 96-player draw tournaments. The move is part of the ATP’s ‘OneVision’ strategic plan which they say is designed to take tennis to a new height.
This year the Shanghai Masters will also be extended followed by events in Cincinnati and Canada from 2025. Indian Wells and Miami already operate on a two-week schedule. Supporters of the plan say this will provide more playing opportunities for the lower-ranked players to participate in this category of events.
However, Murray still has his reservations about the new format. Speaking to reporters following his loss to Andrea Vavassori in the first round of the Madrid Open, the former world No.1 says top players now have less time to unwind during what is already a packed calendar that begins in January and ends in November.
“I’m not a massive fan of it but I’m also open to change and trying new things and seeing how it works out for the ATP and for the players,” said Murray.
“If I think back to before when I did really well in these tournaments, for the top players 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 (in Madrid) till the final in Rome.’
“Now that is four weeks. Quite a long and big change for players. In terms of like time to switch off and everything, I think it just reduces that a little bit.”
35-year-old Murray has played in more than 100 Masters 1000 main draw events in his career, winning a total of 14 titles. He has beaten every member of the Big Three at least once in the final of these events.
“We’ll see whether it’s a beneficial thing for the tour in years to come,” he continued about the 12-day format.
“I have heard (from) a lot of players 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. I’m not sure about it.”
Murray is currently on a four-match losing streak and is yet to register a win on the clay this season. A frustrating situation for the Brit who started 2023 in encouraging form with runs to the third round of the Australian Open and the final in Doha.
He is yet to confirm his palms for the upcoming French Open which begins at the end of May. Murray has only played at the Grand Slam only once since 2018. Whilst he may have doubts over his abilities on the clay, when it comes to the grass it is the opposite.
“I would like to play (at the French Open) purely because I don’t know if I’ll get another opportunity to play again. Whilst I feel fit and healthy, I would like to give it a go,” he said.
“But I also have ambitions of competing for Wimbledon titles. I know that sitting here today that probably doesn’t sound realistic, but I do believe that that’s a possibility. I obviously want to do the right thing there.”
