Madrid tournament director Ion Tiriac says he brought up the idea of turning his tournament into a round-robin event, but talks went nowhere.
“I would prefer 32 players, eight groups of four, quarterfinals, semifinals and finals,” he was quoted in the *Wall Street Journal*. “Like the World Cup.”
Madrid currently has a 56-player field.
ATP Board of Director member and Tennis Channel analyst Justin Gimelstob said there might be room for one or two more round-robin tournaments, but, “our sport is so tied to the meritocracy” of a knockout formula and “we have a commitment to such a large number of players and jobs.”