Zverev claims to return to one-week Masters 1000: "This situation is sad"
The German was emphatic in his criticism of the current competition format in the Masters 1000, spoke about the economic distribution of these tournaments, and referred to Djokovic's future.
Alexander Zverev has had time to reflect a lot after his early elimination in Montreal and is now ready for the assault on the ATP Masters 1000 Cincinnati 2026. In his press conference on Media Day, he addressed one of the most pressing issues, which is the duration of the Masters 1000.
Everything has become distorted. That is the feeling from the outside and the fear that the ATP is squeezing the golden goose and may end up killing it with success. Television audiences and attendance at tournaments are growing, but the length of the Masters 1000 is already having harmful effects on fans and players.
A testament to this are the complaints from Alexander Zverev in Cincinnati, which invite reflection on whether this competition model is responsible for the absence of important players in these events and whether this is sustainable.
Alexander Zverev criticizes the ATP calendar in Cincinnati
Zverev analyzes the absence of Sinner and Alcaraz in Cincinnati
"It definitely changes the situation a bit, especially since Jannik won't be there. This season he has won all the Masters he has played. At the same time, for me, it doesn't change much: I still want to compete against the best and show my best tennis."
"I want to play better than in Canada, where I didn't feel good on the court. We'll see how far I can go."
"It's quite a difficult surface change for me. On hard courts, the ball bounces much higher. And on grass, I have never played as much as this season. Before this year's successes, I had never gotten so used to the green. There are some adjustments I have had to make."
Zverev's rant on the duration of the Masters 1000
More and more authoritative voices in the tennis world are warning about the negative impact that 7 of the 9 Masters 1000 on the calendar lasting almost two weeks have on players. Sascha explained well the reasoning behind this line of thought.
"This is what events of two weeks are doing now. Unfortunately, especially if there is a Grand Slam afterwards. If you are a top player, in the end, you spend seven weeks in North America, and that's a long time."
"That's why some top players decide not to play in Canada for several consecutive years. Unfortunately, that is the sad reality. How to solve it? By going back to how it was before, making us stay here fewer weeks."
"As it has always been. Very simple. We should stay here for two weeks, not seven. In the case of the Masters, it's two weeks for both tournaments, and I think there is a fairly simple solution regarding the participation of the best players."
Zverev questions the increase in prize money at the Masters 1000
The German also questioned whether the expansion of the Masters 1000 has necessarily resulted in an economic improvement for players who make it to the later rounds. To explain this, he compared his prize money for winning Rome in 2017 and 2024.
"We have already talked about this. The money that tournaments are spending more than a few years ago is obviously going to the earlier rounds. There are more players to pay."
"But if you win the tournament, I can compare it because I won the Masters in Rome in 2017 and I think I received around one million euros back then."
"And then I won it seven years later, in 2024, and got 900,000 dollars. So, in reality, I earned less money for winning the same tournament seven years later than seven years before. That's why I don't think necessarily less money is earned if the weeks are shorter."
Complete admiration for Djokovic from Zverev
"If he wanted, Novak could easily be in the top 5 for another two or three years. If he played a full schedule, he would remain in those positions simply because of how good his tennis is."
"However, at some point... Even at Wimbledon, he admitted how difficult it is to play consecutive matches best of five sets against the best players. And that's completely normal."
"Being on the court for five hours and fifteen minutes, which is an incredible effort, and having to play again a few days later against the number one in the world is difficult for someone who is 39 years old. But it would also be difficult for everyone else."
It is clear what Alexander Zverev's stance is and the debate it will generate within the locker room, adding more pressure on the ATP to make decisions. It seems senseless to have so many Masters 1000 lasting two weeks, especially when it does not economically benefit the players, saturating the calendar and complicating many logistical aspects.
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Zverev reclama que se vuelva a los Masters 1000 de una semana: "Esta situación es triste"