Stefanos Tsitsipas speaks again after seeing Stan Wawrinka’s response to his criticism of the tennis schedule

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Stefanos Tsitsipas endured a tough year on the ATP Tour as he fell out of the world’s top ten.

With the 2024 season all wrapped up, the 26-year-old will no doubt be looking back upon what was a frustrating year on the ATP Tour.

The Greek began his season with a tough result, as Tsitsipas lost in the fourth round of the Australian Open, where he had reached the final in 2023.

It looked as if he had turned things around, however, when Tsitsipas won the Monte-Carlo Masters for the third time in his career.

He then reached the quarter-finals of both the French Open and the Olympic games at Roland Garros before his poor form returned for the second half of the season.

The 26-year-old was knocked out of Wimbledon in the second round, before Tsitsipas fell to defeat in his opening match at the US Open, bringing to a close a disappointing 2024 Grand Slam campaign.

Tsitsipas described his year as exhausting, citing the busy tennis schedule as a major reason for his fatigue.

Complaints that saw one of his fellow ATP stars, speak out.

Stefanos Tsitsipas clarifies his comments on the tennis schedule after Stan Wawrinka backlash

Two-week Masters 1000 tournaments were a big topic of discussion in 2024, and Tsitsipas made his thoughts clear as he took to social media recently.

“The two-week Masters 1000s have turned into a drag,” he said.

“The quality has definitely dropped.

“Players aren’t getting the recovery or training time they need, with constant matches and no space for the intense work off the court.”

In response to his social media post, Stan Wawrinka simply reposted an old video, in which Tsitsipas showcased his support for the proposed two-week events.

Now, in an exclusive Q&A with his fans on Instagram, Tsitsipas has clarified his position on the tennis schedule.

“I saw a tweet from Stan Wawrinka regarding my opinion on it when Andrea Gaudenzi spoke to me about to me it in Rome I did agree to the idea of the two weeks and I did kind of support it at the time,” he said.

“Stan is in a way right, what he said makes sense, I did go with the idea.

“Actually having tried the whole concept and playing two weeks on the tour I came to the realization that it really isn’t for me, players spend too much time on the tour.

“I think it’s completely unnecessary.”

Tsitsipas went on to explain that the two-week Masters 1000s are starting to feel like Grand Slam tournaments, which he really dislikes.

“Extending the Masters 1000’s, being there for almost three weeks, you have to get there to acclimatize for certain tournaments 5 days before the tournament starts, you almost spend an entire month playing two tournaments that is insane,” he said.

“That much commitment for just one Masters 1000, I’d understand it with a Grand Slam, I’ve never been against that, in that case it’s a very different conversation.

“Masters 1000s can not be compared to Grand Slams, they will never be Grand Slams, they should never be at the same level.

“There needs to be a new strategy, that serves the players rather than the profits.”

Which Masters 1000 events will be two-weeks long in 2025?

Tsitsipas and many of his ATP colleagues are unhappy with the move to two-week Masters 1000 events, but things aren’t going to get any easier in 2025.

The plan is for two further events to be extended by a week next year.

Just Monte-Carlo and Paris will be left as one-week events in 2025, as two further North American Masters 1000 events will be extended.

The Greek will however be happy to know that his most successful event, in Monte-Carlo, will remain a one week tournament as he looks to defend his title next year.

Tsitsipas is set to return to ATP action at the United Cup which begins on December 27.