Tennis organisers have come under fire for continuing to extend tournaments. Top tennis coach Magnus Norman claimed that players’ mental health could be in trouble with the sport continuing to add “more and more”. It comes as the Australian Open announced that it would become a 15-day event. Several Masters 1000s are also being extended from seven days to 12, including the upcoming tournament in Shanghai.
Norman’s comment has already had backing from multiple tennis players, including his own charge Stan Wawrinka and world No 30 Denis Shapovalov. The former world No 2 took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to voice his disapproval over the extension of several tennis tournaments following the Australian Open announcement.
“Masters 1000 from 7 to 10 days. Grand Slam from 14 to 15 days. Tennis just adds more and more,” the Swede wrote. “25 years ago topic among players were IW and Miami too long of a swing. Worried for players physical and perhaps even more mental health.”
Shapovalov and Sven Groeneveld – another coach – reposted his comment, while French tennis star Quentin Halys replied with a high-five emoji. Norman shared his fears for players’ mental health after the Australian Open confirmed it would move to a Sunday start, extending the tournament by an extra day.
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Tournament director Craig Tiley said the move was made in an effort to reduce the number of late-night finishes, while Rod Laver Arena and Margaret Court Arena will also reduce its minimum number of day session matches to two instead of three. It means the Australian Open will join the French Open in being a 15-day Major.
This year, three of the nine Masters 1000 events were also extended to be a week-and-a-half long instead of the standard seven days. Both Indian Wells and Miami are already 12 days long and make up the ‘sunshine swing’ period of the tennis calendar in March. But the Masters events in Madrid, Rome and now Shanghai have also followed suit in being staged over a 12-day period. And two more will join in 2025 – the events in Canada and Cincinnati.
It would leave Monte Carlo and Paris-Bercy as the only Masters 1000s that are still a week long. There had already been complaints from players when Madrid and Rome took place over a month-long period back-to-back.
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Andy Murray was one of the stars who said he wasn’t a fan of the change. “I have heard from a lot of players just over the years about the tennis season being very long and everything,” he said at the time. “I don’t think that this necessarily shortens it for the players. It’s just a little bit more time at tournaments, a little bit more time on the road. I’m not sure about it.”
It remains to be seen how players feel about the extension of the Australian Open, with the longer Masters events already proving divisive. Other players have already raised concerns over the effects on their mental health. Amanda Anisimova is currently taking an indefinite break from the sport while Roger Federer previously linked the demanding schedule to mental struggles.
“The tour is tough. The travel, the practice, the jet lag. Nobody is allowed to say, ‘I’m tired today,’ because it looks like you’re weak, and that’s why players sometimes end up with mental problems,” he said last year.
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