The ATP and WTA tours have wasted no time in moving on from Indian Wells, with the Miami Open already into its latter stages.
Jack Sock thinks players care more about Indian Wells than the Miami Open, both of which are 1000 events.
Such tournaments continue next month for the men’s players, with the ATP Tour moving on to the Monte-Carlo Masters and the Madrid Open.
The WTA Tour meanwhile just has Madrid in April, having played out the Qatar Open and Dubai Tennis Championships last month.
Having won at Indian Wells, Jack Draper was eyeing Sunshine Double success, but the Briton lost his very first match.
Rennae Stubbs slams tennis chiefs for Indian Wells and Miami Open schedule
His fellow Indian Wells champion Mirra Andreeva also suffered an early exit in Miami, falling after just two matches.
Such defeats were essentially referenced by former professional Rennae Stubbs in her evaluation of the schedule, with the Australian saying on The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast: “A lot has happened. Can we talk about the carnage?
“Everyone who did well at Indian Wells c—— out completely in Miami. Just done. I can give you two reasons for that.
“Complete exhaustion which is why it is a terrible idea to have back-to-back tier ones. Back-to-back 1000s is a terrible idea.
“It also dilutes the product but whatever, what do I know? And especially going from Indian Wells to Miami.
“Conditions are completely different. The court was a little faster in Miami. The balls are different, it was Wilson balls in Indian Wells, it is Dunlop in Miami.
“You have humidity and different conditions. It was quite cool in Miami actually, there were days where it was hot and humid, a lot more than Indian Wells.
“And then Indian Wells was dry and desert conditions. That is why it’s really hard to do the Sunshine Double, because it’s such different conditions.
“I always joke just ask Lindsay Davenport who won Indian Wells five or six times but could never win Miami. We saw that at its peak again at this tournament, it is really hard to go back-to-back.”
Busy ATP and WTA schedules pave way for new winners
A busy schedule has been an issue that has caused plenty of debate for some time now, with many players simply not happy about it.
But whether or not the criticism and the calls for change will be heard remains to be seen, with the schedule roaring on as it always has.
The likes of Draper and Andreeva were undoubtedly fatigued by the time they arrived in Miami, not only because of their efforts in California but also because of the travel and quick turnaround.
Their dropouts have, however, opened the door for new champions, particularly on the WTA Tour, although world number one Aryna Sabalenka is going strong at the Miami Open.
Jannik Sinner, her fellow serial winner on the ATP Tour, is absent due to his suspension, but usual suspect Novak Djokovic remains in contention.
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