Hitman
Bionic Poster
This year is the big change in the masters, with Madrid, Rome and Shanghai joining Indian Wells and Miami as 96 player draws to take place over a 12 day period.
My issue with such long durations of masters events is that in the second week, you basically only have 7 best of 3 matches taking place over a period of 5 days, with no more than two matches from the second Wednesday onwards, and a day completely without tennis. Basically it dries up pretty quickly after the first few days of great action.
Now, in one way it is good that players will get a chance to rest, but the winners of today's quarters will play one more best of three before Sunday.
In slams this sort of set up works, the matches are best of five throughout the event, so there is on average significantly a lot more tennis that is played. Clearly 96 player draws is the way we are heading now, but I do feel that we need to now return all 96 player draws to best of five. The reason being it is VERY likely the two players in the final will be seeded in top 32 and will receive a bye in the next event, and essentially not having to play until Friday or Saturday, allowing for a four to five day break, that compounded by the fact the previous event they get plenty of rest in the second week, there is no reason for anyone to be too tired.
The biggest reason why best of five were removed was because of Nadal mainly and then also Federer, with those Rome 2005 and 2006 classic finals. Nadal was too exhausted to start playing again so soon, and so was Federer in 2006, this impacted Hamburg, so they made the changes. But if we are now making Madrid and Rome both the same as sunshine double, it means they have plenty of time of rest and we as fans get a bigger final after a fairly sparse second week relatively to the first. Shanghai should certainly have a best of five, as that is the big match to end the Asian swing, and with 96 players it makes sense.
Keep Canada and Cincinnati as they are for obvious reason, but the rest need a change.
The Indian Wells finals Alcaraz destruction of Medvedev was a little anti-climactic due to the big build up, it needed that best of five format.
Anyways, rant over.
My issue with such long durations of masters events is that in the second week, you basically only have 7 best of 3 matches taking place over a period of 5 days, with no more than two matches from the second Wednesday onwards, and a day completely without tennis. Basically it dries up pretty quickly after the first few days of great action.
Now, in one way it is good that players will get a chance to rest, but the winners of today's quarters will play one more best of three before Sunday.
In slams this sort of set up works, the matches are best of five throughout the event, so there is on average significantly a lot more tennis that is played. Clearly 96 player draws is the way we are heading now, but I do feel that we need to now return all 96 player draws to best of five. The reason being it is VERY likely the two players in the final will be seeded in top 32 and will receive a bye in the next event, and essentially not having to play until Friday or Saturday, allowing for a four to five day break, that compounded by the fact the previous event they get plenty of rest in the second week, there is no reason for anyone to be too tired.
The biggest reason why best of five were removed was because of Nadal mainly and then also Federer, with those Rome 2005 and 2006 classic finals. Nadal was too exhausted to start playing again so soon, and so was Federer in 2006, this impacted Hamburg, so they made the changes. But if we are now making Madrid and Rome both the same as sunshine double, it means they have plenty of time of rest and we as fans get a bigger final after a fairly sparse second week relatively to the first. Shanghai should certainly have a best of five, as that is the big match to end the Asian swing, and with 96 players it makes sense.
Keep Canada and Cincinnati as they are for obvious reason, but the rest need a change.
The Indian Wells finals Alcaraz destruction of Medvedev was a little anti-climactic due to the big build up, it needed that best of five format.
Anyways, rant over.
