Russian tennis star Daniil Medvedev has shared his views on the current Masters format which has received criticism from some top players on the tour like Elena Rybakina , Andrey Rublev , and Alexander Zverev . Medvedev has said that he personally likes the current format.
As the likes of Rybakina and Rublev complain about scheduling two-week-long Masters tournaments one after the other, Medvedev says he is fine with the current format. The Russian ace highlighted that while the Masters tournaments are being played over two weeks, it is actually only a week and a half.
Medvedev said that he enjoys the free day he gets in between his matches. The World No. 4 also talked about the significance of having two-week Masters tournaments. He claims that in such a scenario, not a lot of tournaments can be added to the tour.
Personally, I like this format. It's not really two weeks, it's one and a half. I like it for, let's call it personal reasons, I like it when there is a free day. If you want to do well on the tour, you have to play these tournaments and you have to choose well, because if you play the 2-week Masters, you can't add many more tournaments. So, personally, I like it. Daniil Medvedev said after his exit from the Madrid Open.
Daniil Medvedev refuses to blame scheduling for injuries for players
Daniil Medvedev was also asked about the frequent injuries to players and if it has to do something with the change in the format. The Russian ace refused to blame the schedule for injuries. Medvedev said that injuries are part of the game and will happen as long as the players compete on the tour.
The 2021 US Open champion also talked about the need for adaptability between different surfaces. Medvedev said that players need to quickly adapt to conditions as he cited the Miami Open and Monte Carlo Masters examples.
Injuries are part of the sport. For sure the better you play, the more matches you play, the more risk you have of getting tired in your body, and when you get tired, having injuries. The turnarounds between surfaces is fast. If you play good in Miami, you have maybe four, five days before Monte-Carlo to practice on clay. Daniil Medvedev said to Ubitennis.
It is worth mentioning that many top players on the tour including Medvedev have been affected by injuries. While the Russian himself had to retire midway through his quarterfinal match against Jiri Lehecka at the Madrid Open, Jannik Sinner also pulled out of the tournament over issues with his hip. Carlos Alcaraz is also battling a forearm injury.
While many have raised questions over the reckless scheduling and feel that players are not getting enough time to recover, Medvedev is not of the same opinion. This has turned the debate around the changes in schedule in an interesting direction.
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