Why the Madrid Open may be the worst ATP Masters tournament of the year
The debate over extended ATP Masters and WTA 1000 tournaments always hits a peak when the Madrid Masters is underway and there may be a reason for that.
These tournaments were traditionally played within one-week slots in the tennis year, but ATP and WTA chiefs were keen to squeeze more out of their marquee events and have extended them over almost two weeks, if you include qualifying.
Not for the first time, the Madrid Open has been beset by problems this year and here are a handful of reasons why it may be the least appealing of the showpiece tournaments in the tennis year.
Explaining the change to longer tournaments
Having bigger draws is important to bring lower-ranked players into the mix, but the higher-profile players almost feel as if they are playing in a different tournament, as a lot of players have already been eliminated by the time they have finished their opening match.
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A two-week tournament for Grand Slams is necessary as players compete over five sets and may not be ready to play again the next day if they have been involved in an epic five-hour contest.
Yet top-ranked players are having long breaks in between matches that they have won with ease in double quick time.
Where are the fans?
Matches on the opening days of the Madrid Open tend to be played in front of tiny crowds, with the lack of atmosphere adding to the feeling that this event is only of interest to the locals when one of their homegrown heroes is on court.
Alexander Zverev’s match against Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina was played in front of a raucous crowd on Sunday, but that vibe has not been evident in too many matches.
This is nothing new, as Madrid Open matches have been played in front of small crowds in the opening days, with spectators clearly picking their moment to buy tickets for the extended event.
Lighting issues
The Caja Mágica site in Madrid was hailed as an innovative design when it was opened in 2009, but the designers did not consider the lighting issues that are hard to ignore for TV viewers.
Coco Gauff’s match against Belinda Bencic was another example of a spectacle that was almost impossible to watch, with a quarter of the court showered in sunshine and the rest shaded.
Gauff was emerging and out of the light on the deuce side of the court and was virtually invisible on camera when she was at that end of the court.
It may be easier to watch the action on site in Madrid, but it’s a disaster for TV viewers.
Big name exits
Ahh yes Madrid, just how I like to watch my tennis pic.twitter.com/j4w23DStau
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) April 28, 2025
Madrid Open officials cannot control this problem, but their tournament seems to be beset by big-name exits early in the competition every year.
The unusual conditions for clay court tennis at altitude in Madrid is one of the big issues, but it is hard to sell the event in the final few days when all the big names are out.
Carlos Alcaraz withdrew with an injury before the event started, with Novak Djokovic, Jessica Pegula, Holger Rune and Jasmine Paolini among those who have crashed out.
Felix Auger-Aliassime reached last year’s Madrid final after a series of injuries to his opponents and we can expect surprise finalists in the men’s event again this year.
Lights out
The 2025 edition of the Madrid Open has been beset by complaints over the electronic line-calling system and then the event was struck by the electrical shutdown in Madrid on Monday.
The longer event will help organisers catch up on the schedule after most of the order of play was cancelled on Monday, but it was another blow to an event that has struggled to catch fire once again.
What they say
Novak Djokovic: “I’m personally overall not a fan of that because I feel like we already have four Grand Slams a year that take two plus one week, eventually if you go all the way with training. You spend 10 to 12 weeks only in Grand Slams.”
Andy Roddick: “The two-week 1000s are so stupid, they are so dumb. They are the worst,” said Roddick on his Served podcast. “I feel like more people got injured. You can do the work in the off-season to build your body up physically if you are playing every other day. The players are saying this. Maybe you shouldn’t have committed the calendar to a long-term vision of something that is not proven.”
Stefanos Tsitsipas: “The two-week Masters 1000s have turned into a drag. The quality has definitely dropped. Players aren’t getting the recovery or training time they need, with constant matches and no space for the intense work off the court. It’s ironic that the ATP Tour committed to this format without knowing if it could actually improve the schedule, but the quality likewise. Paris got it right, done in a week. Exciting and easy to follow. Just how it’s supposed to be. If the goal was to ease the calendar, extending every 1000 to two weeks is a backwards move. Sometimes, it feels like they’re fixing what wasn’t broken.”