Diego Schwartzman unloaded on the ATP calendar in a recent interview by stating that “the wear and tear” on the players’ bodies is becoming terrible, while also ripping the two-week Masters idea as “a serious mistake.”
Over the past few seasons, a couple of more tournaments from the 1000 category switched from a one-week to a two-week format. So in 2025, only two events from that category are one-week events – Monte Carlo and Paris.
While some players welcomed the idea by arguing that it gives them more time to rest between matches, some think that Masters events are now taking “too long” to finish. Those opposed to the idea, have also frequently argued that it is making a loaded schedule even more demanding.
Schwartzman on two-week Masters tournaments: A serious mistake
The former world No. 8, who ended his tennis career during last month’s tournament in Buenos Aires, gave several reasons why he believes having the 1000-category tournaments take place for two weeks is a very bad idea.
“It was a serious mistake. The tournaments asked for that so they could have more revenue and distribute it among more players,” the 2020 Rome Masters runner-up told Septimo Game.
“But in the end, if you think about where in the world the Masters 1000s are played, and forcing a player to not be able to play anything other than a Challenger in between, and not an ATP, the tours that have two 1000s in a row, which are many, is a month. If a player has a bad tour, not even losing both times in the first round, making the second, that’s four matches in 28 days.”
In the same interview, Schwartzman also warned the tennis authorities that they can only except for the quality to drop because the schedule is too demanding and leaves players often tired and exhausted, as well as injured.
While the 2020 French Open semifinalist may have a point about the length of the calendar, reducing the schedule would also lead to less revenue so all the chances are that there won’t be major changes regarding the calendar.
Tennis World USA