“The schedule has a big toll on our bodies,” Stefanos Tsitsipas blames the extension of Masters 1000 events for injuries to players like Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner

Tstisipas warned that if the problems around scheduling are not sorted, big names missing tournaments will become frequent.

“The schedule has a big toll on our bodies,” Stefanos Tsitsipas blames the extension of Masters 1000 events for injuries to players like Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner

L-R: Carlos Alcaraz, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Jannik Sinner (Images via Imago)

Greek tennis ace Stefanos Tsitsipas has echoed the sentiments of many of his colleagues on the tennis tour as he blames the extension of Masters 1000 events for frequent injuries to players like Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. As the two marquee players are missing from the Rome Masters due to injury concerns, Tsitsipas talked about the impact it creates on the tournament.

Tsitsipas claimed that “the show is not the same” without such big names. He then talked about the reason behind these frequent injuries. Tsitsipas directly put the blame on the schedule, saying it was already hectic with the seven-day event and now these tournaments being played over two weeks only make things tougher for the players.

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I've spoken about the fact that the schedule has a big toll on our bodies. It starts from the mental side, and it follows to the physical side. The extension of the days in the Masters 1000s I think plays a massive role and contributes a lot to the fact that these players are getting injured.
Stefanos Tsitipas said to Rome Press

The Greek ace claimed that one needs to be a superhero to be consistent for 10 days in each event. Tsitsipas said that the schedule should be created after taking everything into consideration. He said that the organizers must think about how to pull off such a hectic schedule and should make a decision based on that.

FS Video
It was perhaps already a lot the way it was before with the seven-day events. Adding more days to that, well, you got to be some type of superhero to be consistent back-to-back 10 days in each event getting to the very end of it. It's not a very easy thing to do. Some people need to try it first to get an understanding and how it is to pull that off. Then they should make decisions based on that.
Stefanos Tstipsipas explained

Stefanos Tsitsipas emphasizes the urgent need to sort out the problems around scheduling

Stefanos Tsitsipas further talked about the impact it is going to have on the tour. The 25-year-old emphasized the urgent need to sort the problems around scheduling and said that if the problem persists, big players missing major events will become a regular phenomenon.

Stefanos Tsitsipas
Stefanos Tsitsipas (Via Imago)

The Greek ace also said that it is time to customize the schedule as per the needs of the players. 

I think I really don't wish them that in the future. I think this is not going to be the first time we see these types of things. If these type of things continue with the same schedule not being adjusted or customized to the needs of the players, we might see more of these things occur in the future.
Stefanos Tsitsipas claimed

Notably, both Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are recovering from injuries. While Sinner has been injured for a long time, Alcaraz has been facing problems since the fag end of the 2023 season. The Spaniard first injured his foot and then sprained his ankle. This time, Alcaraz is nursing a forearm injury.

A few other names are also missing from the tour due to injuries. An example of what Tsitsipas is claiming was seen at the Madrid Open when quite a few players retired midway through their matches due to discomfort with their bodies. Daniil Medvedev and Jiri Lehecka were the two big names to face the problem as well.

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