Casper Ruud, Matteo Berrettini and Holger Rune spoke to Action Network in Stockholm, where they discussed some of the hottest topics in tennis such as the lack of a heat rule, the two week Masters and the court speed.
The season is getting close to its end in tennis, but that certainly doesn’t mean that there aren’t a lot of things to talk about.
One of the most debated topics in tennis involves the schedule, including the Masters 1000 having been changed to two weeks instead of one.
Another one is the court speed. Zverev recently told the media that the tournaments are making the courts slower as they want Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz to be involved in more finals.
Last but not least, the players played in brutal conditions in Shanghai, where multiple players had to withdraw due to the heat, which made Holger Rune ask for a break because of the heat to be implemented – a so-called heat rule.
We spoke to Casper Ruud, Matteo Berrettini and Holger Rune, who all shared their honest opinions on these topics.
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Not a fan of a two week Masters 1000
Casper Ruud has previously criticised the long calendar, but now he also criticises the invention of a two week Masters 1000, which he makes clear that he isn’t a fan of.
“Personally, I am not the biggest fan of the two week Masters. It is also a question of more travel and more time away from your home. I think Monte Carlo and Paris are pretty good examples of how quick and intense a Masters 1000 can be and that it can be fun,” says Casper Ruud and continues:
“I remember we had Khachanov – Medvedev in the first round of Monte Carlo. You won’t see that in the first round anywhere else except for maybe Paris. I am a fan of tennis and from that point of view, because I watch a lot of tennis as a fan, it is way more fun when it is more intense with good first round matches.”
“But it is a theory and their plan is that it can grow the game, and for our income in terms of prize money and all things. I can understand the vision, but not many players including myself have been a fan of it so far.”
The prize pool has increased in tennis but with the two week Masters 1000 the prize money is also shared between way more players, which Ruud is well aware of, and the Norwegian even states that the ATP and the players are not on the same side.
“But if you lose the first or second round of Indian Wells and we have Miami in two weeks, it is just two weeks of expenses with living and eating and salary for your team. So, of course, if you can play these two tournaments over three weeks instead of four, there will be less expenses.”
“But you know, we are compensated with a new bonus pool and profit sharing, but that also requires that you play. It is kind of a give and take. At the end of the day ATP drags one way and we drag the other way. There are good things and bad things. It just feels longer than it needs to be.”
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Mandatory 500 events is unnecessary
Holger Rune agrees with Casper Ruud regarding the season being long, however the Dane also calls it amazing as it is exactly what he has dreamt of doing his whole life.
“The calendar is definitely long, I won’t hide that, but we can actually choose whether we want to play or not. If you do well, you can skip a few tournaments. The only thing I’m not so happy about is that more ATP 500 tournaments have become mandatory. I think that’s a bit unnecessary.”
“But I don’t think there are any players who don’t want to play all the Masters 1000 or Grand Slam tournaments. If you don’t want to play the 250 or 50 tournaments, then you can just skip them, even though it has become a bit harder with the mandatory 500 tournaments. The season is long, but it’s also amazing, because I’ve dreamed my whole life of playing these tournaments. We should also remember to be grateful for having achieved our dream.”
When asked about Zverev’s comment, he disagreed with the German as it from Rune’s point of view is the balls rather than the courts that have been changed, which leads to a slower game.
“I actually think it’s more the balls than the court that have become slower. I’m sure something changed after the pandemic. The materials in the balls have changed. I’ve talked to many current and former players about that too.”
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ATP has to do something
Matteo Berrettini says he has never experienced anything like he did at this Asian swing, and he urges the ATP to do something about it, as the players are suffering in the heat when it gets too extreme.
“Most of the people don’t get how different it is with 5 degrees less or more. I have to say that in this Asian swing, I experienced some conditions I have never experienced before. Hangzhou was even warmer than Shanghai but the tournament was smaller so nobody noticed but it was really, really warm. The first few days I couldn’t even believe it. Luckily, they had a roof there and it was raining a lot so they could close the roof.”
“But when the conditions are that extreme, we have to do something like the Slams did, you know about a heat rule or something like that. You don’t want the players to be injured or struggle like that, because at the end of the season, health comes first. But the show also means something, and if the players are not feeling well and retire, it’s not good. You don’t want that.”
“I am sure they (ATP) are going to take care of it, but now I have to focus on playing indoors.”
The coming weeks and months are definitely going to be interesting, as this most likely isn’t the last thing we have heard about these topics from the players on the ATP Tour.
