It's the best thing for the players, the fans, and the growth of our sport," Montreal director responds to criticism about the new format

In a lengthy interview with Tennis.com, Valérie Tétreault, former Canadian player and director of the WTA 1000 in Montreal, addressed the many topics currently stirring the ATP and WTA circuit.

"There were many things to consider, starting with the schedule, working with the circuit and with the Cincinnati tournament. What we were trying to do was create two 12-day main draws, so 24, and fit them into three weeks. It was a big challenge, but I'm happy with the way we managed it.

I think there will be a lot of things to learn for us and also for the players. If we look more closely, we are probably the only tournament in the world to feature the final in the middle of the week, on Thursday night. I think we will need to analyze this year before we can assess if adjustments are necessary.

Regarding the sequence with Cincinnati, we have always had a good relationship with them, and that continues to be the case. We have set up a system so that players who reach the final have a private jet to get to Cincinnati.

We worked together on the schedule to make sure it made sense for the players to participate in both events. It's quite unfortunate to see so many withdrawals, but this year, there were only two weeks between the end of Wimbledon and the start of our event. Next year, we will return to three weeks, and I think that will make a difference.

Players are used to playing two Masters 1000 before a Grand Slam. I think most of us are convinced that it's the best thing for the players, the tournaments, the fans, and the growth of our sport.

Let's not forget that longer tournaments create additional opportunities for players to enjoy the tournament and watch tennis. I think we should take a few years to make changes here and there, but I think we have something that can work very well.