Baghdatis discusses the calendar: "It's problematic, but I hate that players complain about it"

Between extended Masters 1000 events, new tournaments, and accumulated fatigue, the ATP Tour is out of breath. According to Marcos Baghdatis, players have the means to shift the lines thanks to the PTPA, but prefer to complain.

© AFP

Adrien Guyot

le 11/12/2025 à 07h48

2 min to read

Baghdatis Marcos

Debates about an overloaded calendar are becoming increasingly intense on the ATP Tour. To make matters worse, almost all Masters 1000 events now take place over twelve days, rather than a week as was the case before.

In 2028, a tenth tournament in this category will also be launched in Saudi Arabia. Among ongoing discussions, Andrea Gaudenzi, chairman of the ATP, stated in recent weeks that he plans to eliminate some ATP 250 events, as they are too numerous in the season in the eyes of the Italian executive.

On the other hand, most players participate in a number of exhibition matches during the year, like Carlos Alcaraz. The current world number one has publicly stated on several occasions that there needs to be, among other things, a longer off-season and more recovery time between major tournaments.

Baghdatis doesn't understand why players don't use the PTPA

Former professional player who reached the final of the 2006 Australian Open and world number 8, Marcos Baghdatis, spoke on the subject. The 40-year-old understands the situation, but he struggles to analyze why players do not make more use of the PTPA, the association that defends players' interests.

The Cypriot believes it is a powerful tool that did not exist a few years ago and can allow all parties to find common ground.

"I genuinely think the calendar is problematic. It has been for a long time, but I hate that players complain about it. The reason I can't stand their complaints isn't because of the complaints themselves, but because they have a union, an association, which is currently the PTPA.

It is there and fighting for them. The players have a very strong voice, and that's why they can turn to the PTPA, discuss with them, and find ways to improve things.

"Players just complain in the press"

In our time, we didn't have this association: we could have complained as much as we wanted, no one would have listened to us. Today, however, they have it.

That's where I don't understand the players. They have a union created by some tennis players, names like Novak Djokovic or Vasek Pospisil, and thanks to them, the possibility to negotiate with tournaments. However, they don't use it, they just complain in the press, in interviews, and all that.

I find that strange. When a player complains, I think: 'Okay, you can change things. It's not in the hands of the tournaments or the tour, but in yours. Why don't you do it?' That's what I think," assured Baghdatis to Tennis365.