Aryna Sabalenka disagrees with what Carlos Alcaraz has recently said about Masters 1000 tournaments

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Aryna Sabalenka and Carlos Alcaraz will both be hoping to get their hands on the Madrid Open title again.

Sabalenka lost to Jelena Ostapenko last week in the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix final, as she finished runner-up in Stuttgart for a fourth time.

The world number one was not the only player that finished just short of a title last week, with Alcaraz losing the Barcelona Open final to Holger Rune.

Alcaraz suffered an injury scare in Barcelona, leaving his participation at the 2025 Madrid Open is now in doubt.

Now Sabalenka has taken a different stance to Alcaraz on Masters 1000 tournaments like the Madrid Open.

Aryna Sabalenka disagrees with what Carlos Alcaraz said about Masters 1000 tournaments

Last week en route to Barcelona Open final, Alcaraz was asked about two Masters 1000 tournaments.

The week prior Alcaraz had won the Monte Carlo Masters, which took place over just one week, something that is becoming more of a rarity on both the ATP and WTA Tours.

When asked about the differing tournaments, Alcaraz claimed that the one week tournaments are much better for 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.

“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.”

Suggesting that they may have different approaches to these events, Sabalenka has now given her verdict on these tournaments and revealed that she actually prefers two week tournaments.

“I prefer two-week tournaments because having a day off between matches allows you to relax more, go out to dinner with your team, and explore the city,” Sabalenka said in her pre-Madrid Open press conference.

“Maybe in a few years I won’t be so interested in that and prefer to spend more time at home, but right now, that’s my mentality.”

While Sabalenka is currently in favor of them, Alcaraz is not on his own in people who have criticised two week Masters 1000 tournaments.

How many ATP/WTA 1000 tournaments are two weeks in 2025?

Despite Alcaraz’s plea, two week Masters 1000 tournaments are becoming more and more frequent.

Seven out of the nine ATP Masters 1000 tournaments will take place over 12 days in 2025, with the Canadian Open and the Cincinnati Open also being extended this year.

This leaves just the Monte Carlo Masters and the Paris Masters as the remaining one week events, while the WTA Tour just has the Dubai Tennis Championships, Qatar Open and the Wuhan Open.

The current Masters 1000 tournament is the Madrid Open, where both Alcaraz and Sabalenka are two-time champions.