Andy Murray on the Masters 1000: "With a longer duration, it will be harder to achieve the same things as the Big 4"
Retired since the 2024 Olympics, Murray didn’t take long to return to tennis-related activities, surprisingly becoming the coach of his rival Djokovic. A three-time Grand Slam winner, the Brit also boasts 14 Masters 1000 titles in his career.
On the topic of extending these tournaments, the former world No. 1 shared his thoughts in an interview with Tennis Majors:
"I think because the tournaments are longer now, it will be harder to replicate what happened with the Big 4. Before, having a good ranking meant you got a bye, so you’d play your first match on Wednesday.
Between Madrid and Rome, for example, you could arrive on Saturday and have four days to train. Now, things are different. I think it was much better before. The one-week Masters 1000s were fantastic and delivered high-quality matches every day.
Now, they’ve changed the rules. You get less rest now, so I prefer the old format. You played more matches in a short time, but then you had more days to recover and rest."
Davis Cup: between reforms, criticism and national culture 
The paradox dividing tennis: exhausted players and a saturated calendar, yet ever more exhibitions 
Training future champions: spotlight on the decline of the French public model facing private academies 
Is padel threatening tennis? Inside the revolution shaking up the established order 
