"The most exhausting year I've had" - Stefanos Tsitsipas doubles down on criticism of ATP calendar after 2-week Masters drama

Stefanos Tsitsipas was recently asked about the several conflicts that he faced in managing his schedule and physical conditioning this year. Tsitsipas didn't mince his words in his response, claiming that his 2024 ATP Tour campaign was the most draining season of his career thus far.

Tsitsipas is currently in Turin, where he is serving as the second alternate for this week's ATP Finals. The 2019 champion recently spoke to Sky Sports in an off-court interview, a primary topic during which was the impact that the jam-packed calendar had on his training and performance.

Stefanos Tsitsipas reiterated his criticism of the new two-week format at the ATP Masters 1000 tournaments (employed at six of the nine events this year), asserting that it led to mental and physical exhaustion. The former World No. 3 was also possibly aware of the mixed reception to his previous critique of the two-week Masters-level events, as he claimed that he was "willing to express" his opinions no matter how strong they came off as.

"It's been exhausting and this year was perhaps the most exhausting year that I have had on the tour. It did take a mental toll on me to be at certain tournaments more than what I typically expected to be," Stefanos Tsitsipas told Sky Sports Tennis. "The Masters 1000 new concept hasn't been great, and I haven't really been a huge fan of it. And I'm willing to express it. I don't mind because that's my opinion."

The 26-year-old then inferred that the current ATP calendar made little sense in terms of its structure.

"I really want to make it actually better for the rest of us, to have a solid schedule, to have days that make sense in terms of competition," he added. "And I guess my position in that is also to try and help tennis on its own, and give my own opinions as a tennis player who is facing those challenges but also has to play these weekly tournaments, and make it as efficient and as good as possible for the rest of us."

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Stefanos Tsitsipas: "The two-week ATP Masters 1000 events have turned into a drag"

Stefanos Tsitsipas looks on at Paris Masters 2024 (Source: Getty)

Earlier in November, Stefanos Tsitsipas took to his X handle to slam the concept of two-week ATP Masters 1000 tournaments. The World No. 11 asserted that the quality of the matches had dropped since the change in the duration of these events. He also claimed that the top pros were now unable to properly recover and set aside enough time to practice for their next event.

"The two-week Masters 1000s have turned into a drag. 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," Stefanos Tsitsipas wrote in a long post on his X account last Thursday. "It’s ironic that the @atptour committed to this format without knowing if it could actually improve the schedule, but the quality likewise."

Tsitsipas, meanwhile, endured a tough season on the ATP Tour in 2024, accumulating a 45-22 win/loss record and winning just one title - at the Monte Carlo Masters in April. The Greek also ended the year outside the men's top 10 rankings for the first time since 2018.