Carlos Alcaraz makes his position clear on Masters scheduling controversy ahead of Madrid Open
Carlos Alcaraz continued his good run of form to reach the quarterfinals of the Barcelona Open 2025. He beat Laslo Djere 6-2, 6-4 in the second round on Thursday, April 17, and extended his winning streak to seven matches. He arrived at the tournament on the heels of a title-winning run at last week's Monte-Carlo Masters.
Alcaraz sat down to have a quick chat with the press following his win over Djere. The conversation veered towards the debate surrounding the duration of the Masters 1000 tournaments. Most of them have expanded to two weeks, while a handful of them, such as the Monte-Carlo Masters, wrap up in a week. The upcoming Madrid Open, on the other hand, goes on for two weeks.
The young Spaniard answered that he personally prefers the shorter ones. While people might feel that players get a day off to relax before every round when tournaments are held over a two-week span, that's not the complete picture. According to him, players have to constantly train and be in the zone mentally for a fortnight, so that's not really resting.
"The one-week ones go better. Some may think that in two weeks there are rest days, but it's not like that. You train, you have to prepare mentally for the match, prepare for it... you're not really resting. It's two full weeks. That's why I prefer the one-week Masters 1000. For me, it's better for tennis," Carlos Alcaraz said (via José Morón of Punto de Break on X).
The BNP Paribas Open and the Miami Open were initially the only two-week Masters 1000 tournaments until 2022. The Madrid Open, the Italian Open, and the Shanghai Masters expanded to two weeks starting from 2023.
The Canadian Open and the Cincinnati Open are set to be held over two weeks starting from this year, leaving the Monte-Carlo Masters and the Paris Masters as the only week-long Masters events. While the discussion regarding this rages on, Alcaraz's main focus will be on his next match.
Carlos Alcaraz to face Alex de Minaur in the quarterfinals of the Barcelona Open 2025
Carlos Alcaraz will meet his familiar rival Alex de Minaur in the quarterfinals of the Barcelona Open 2025 on Friday, April 18. The latter beat Tomas Martin Etcheverry and Jacob Fearnley in straight sets to make the last eight.
Alcaraz has a 3-0 record against de Minaur. He beat him in the final of the ABN AMRO Open in Rotterdam in three sets a couple of months ago. Their encounter prior to that was also for a title, with the Spaniard coming out on top to lift the trophy at Queen's Club in 2023.
Their very first contest took place at the Barcelona Open 2022. De Minaur had a couple of match points during their semifinal showdown but Alcaraz fended them off to win the match, and later, his very first title at the venue. He will be keen for an encore as he continues his quest for a third title in Barcelona.