The Madrid Open is approaching its business end, with two mouthwatering singles finals set up.
Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka will play out their 10th career meeting for the Madrid Open title, while Jack Draper and Casper Ruud will clash for the first time in the final.
The Madrid Open, the fourth Masters 1000 tournament of the 2025 season, was extended to a 12-day event in 2023 by the ATP Tour, along with the Shanghai Masters.
Since then, the Canadian Open and the Cincinnati Open Masters series have also been made into two-week tournaments.
The expansion of top-tier events on the tour has caused some controversy among players, fans, and pundits, including former professional American player John Isner, who had his say recently.
John Isner says the two-week Masters series format makes it hard for fans to pay attention
Speaking on the Nothing Major Podcast, Isner said: “I think the majority of the players don’t love these events being so long. Most importantly, I think the fans don’t like it as well. The fans in Madrid, the fans back here in the States – it’s so hard to follow.”
“When a tournament starts on a Wednesday, it’s just so abnormal. Your tennis rhythm is just completely out of whack when a tournament starts on a Wednesday.”
“The tournaments are getting four more days of revenue, but it’s hard to pay attention, even for us, we’re confused as to what round is going on and who’s playing on what day. Like it’s Monday and they’re in the round of 16 – what is that?”
“And I don’t think the prize money is being reflected with four more days of revenue. It’s up a little bit – a few percent. It should be up more”
What players have said about the expansion of Masters 1000 tournaments
John Isner is not alone in his opinion on the matter. Casper Ruud took a moment to comment on the scheduling issues after his Madrid Open quarter-final victory over Daniil Medvedev.
The Norweigen said: “There are obviously days and times where I wish the season was a bit shorter and that we had more time to really, really calm down and not think about tennis for a longer period. But we don’t. The schedule is the way it is.”
He added: “There are some things which players start to feel that it is getting a bit too much. I can’t speak for everyone but for myself I have definitely felt it.”
Carlos Alcaraz also weighed in on the topic during his Barcelona Open campaign, saying: “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.”
Stefanos Tsitsipas has also been on record before calling the two-week format a “drag”.
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