Tennis chiefs accused of ruining the sport as Alcaraz, Nadal, Djokovic and Sinner struggle

Stefanos Tsitsipas made a strong argument as he addressed concerns over the fitness and form of Carlos Alcaraz, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner.

Stefanos Tsitsipas has warned those in charge that they are “hurting” the sport by running the longer, two-week Masters tournaments. It comes as Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal suffered early exits at the Italian Open, while Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner were forced to pull out injured ahead of the tournament. And the world No. 8 believes that this isn’t the last time players will struggle physically with the demands of the extended schedule.

There has been plenty of debate surrounding the longer Masters 1000s in recent weeks, as it now takes almost a month to wrap up the mixed ATP and WTA events in Madrid and Rome. They are two of several bigger tournaments that now last 12-to-13 days after extending their draws and format.

Tsitsipas has now raised another argument, claiming the new format was taking a toll on players’ bodies. Asked whether it felt like an opportunity to win both Rome and the French Open with Djokovic and Nadal losing early and Alcaraz and Sinner injured, the 25-year-old decided to make a different point.

“Well, it is the way it is now. It’s a type of thing that hurt the sport a little bit, to have these type of things happen to the highest of the players. Without them, the show is not kind of the same,” he said after reaching the last 16.