Alex de Minaur has made a winning start at the Madrid Open after beating Lorenzo Sonego.
De Minaur had made an impressive start to his clay court season, after reaching the Monte Carlo Masters semi-finals and the Barcelona Open quarter-final.
This has included De Minaur doing something that Rafael Nadal hasn’t before against Grigor Dimitrov at the Monte Carlo Masters.
De Minaur has now won his first match at the Madrid Open, but he is not happy with everything at the tournament in Spanish capital.
Alex de Minaur explains why he prefers the Monte Carlo Masters to the Madrid Open
After De Minaur beat Sonego, 6-2 6-3, he headed to the mixed zone to answer questions from the media.
However, when the topic of two week Masters 1000 tournaments was broached, De Minaur admitted that he prefers tournaments like the Monte Carlo Masters that are held over just one week.
“Even though we don’t play every day, this Masters 1000 format forces us to be in competition mode for a long time,” said De Minaur. “We have to do our routines, be very mentally focused on tennis, and constantly think about what we need to do to give our best.
“Two consecutive Masters 1000 tournaments now keep you in that situation for a month, which is why I would prefer the Monte Carlo format, for example. There’s no need to rest between matches, and you know the tournament will be wrapped up in a week.”
The ATP and WTA Tours have been increasing the number of 1000 tournaments held over two weeks in recent years.
On the ATP Tour, the Monte Carlo Masters is one of only remaining two events still held over one week alongside the Paris Masters.
De Minaur is not the only person who holds this opinion, with Alcaraz also preferring one week Masters 1000 tournaments.