"As a tennis fan, I'm not excited," Querrey criticizes Toronto tournament and new Masters 1000 format

The Toronto Masters 1000 began last weekend and will conclude next Thursday, August 7—just under a week from now. This is an unprecedented situation for this category of tournaments, which changed its format several months ago.

Like the Grand Slams, 128 players compete in these events, but the key difference from the Majors is that seeded players receive a first-round bye in the Masters 1000.

This format hasn’t been universally embraced by players, with many criticizing the increasingly packed season schedule. Sam Querrey shares this sentiment.

The former American pro, who reached the Wimbledon semifinals in 2017 and peaked at world No. 11 in 2018, isn’t particularly fond of the current situation and made his feelings clear in a recent episode of the *Nothing Major Podcast*.

"Players don’t like it, fans don’t like it, and now, especially in Toronto, with Carlos (Alcaraz), Novak (Djokovic), Jannik (Sinner), and others withdrawing, we have a tournament with little excitement.

There’s no buzz for Toronto. As a tennis fan, I’m not excited. I’m sure the players aren’t either. Maybe guys like Zverev, Fritz, Musetti, and Shelton are thinking, ‘I can win, maybe this is my year.’

But this situation will keep dragging on. Cincinnati will start while Toronto is still going. Plus, Toronto only had one round of qualifying, which is unheard of," Querrey told *Tennis World Italia*.