Adieu Bercy! Paris Master moving to new venue

[Baseline_Bungle]

The Paris M1000 will be played at the new Defense arena starting in 2025, leaving the historic, but ultimately no longer adequate, Palais d'Omnisport in Bercy.

The upcoming 2024 edition will be the last one ever played at the grass-covered behemoth.

Oddly enough, this looks like yet another triumph for the hottest tennis player in the universe, Jannik Sinner, who in November deserted the event after his first round win, rightly outraged by having to play his match in the middle of the night.

Rolex Paris Masters to change venue from 2025

Housed at the Accor Hotel Arena since 1986, the Rolex Paris Masters will move to Paris-La Défense Arena from 2025

www.tennismajors.com

 

[InsuranceMan]

Just completely sack it Paris doesn’t need one anyway

Bercy always sucked I’d be surprised if the new is substantially better just move that masters designation to a deserving city

 

[MichaelNadal]

Maybe it’ll start being exciting lol

 

[Rovesciarete]

Oddly enough, this looks like yet another triumph for the hottest tennis player in the universe, Jannik Sinner, who in November deserted the event after his first round win, rightly outraged by having to play his match in the middle of the night.

Rolex Paris Masters to change venue from 2025

Housed at the Accor Hotel Arena since 1986, the Rolex Paris Masters will move to Paris-La Défense Arena from 2025

www.tennismajors.com

You called it, congrats!

 

[Baseline_Bungle]

Just completely sack it Paris doesn’t need one anyway

Bercy always sucked I’d be surprised if the new is substantially better just move that masters designation to a deserving city

You wouldn't hear me complaining!

Maybe it’ll start being exciting lol

Maybe they'll finally get a decent camera angle!

Anyways, last chance for your boy to finally lift the trophy under that roof...

 

[InsuranceMan]

You wouldn't hear me complaining!


Maybe they'll finally get a decent camera angle!

Anyways, last chance for your boy to finally lift the trophy under that roof...

The only saving grace of Bercy was the camera angle of court 2, although that was kind of a win on accident because Bercy’s court 2 is so puny and pathetic that they had to place it near court level

Amazes me that Paris ever had it after the early-mid 2000s

 

[Dwell]

They should move it to a different European country.

 

[Mustard]

Back in 2000, the Paris Indoor had a thrilling classic final between Safin and Philippoussis. It's strange how the event has largely declined ever since.

 

[Kralingen]

I'll be surprised if this isn't the one they give to Saudi.

Seems to be the least prestigious and the most unwanted of any of the 9 Masters.

 

[fafa]

Why isn't OG played at Bercy? Much better choice than RG.

 

[Kralingen]

Why isn't OG played at Bercy? Much better choice than RG.

Same reason they played 2012 Olympics at Wimbledon rather than at the O2. Prestige and capacity.

 

[InsuranceMan]

Why isn't OG played at Bercy? Much better choice than RG.

 

[Gizo]

During the first edition of the tournament in 1986, my main memory was McEnroe's rant at the umpire Jeremy Shales (who Nastase, Connors and Lendl also had big run-ins with) after his defeat to Sergio Casal; 'You’re never going to work on a court again you understand me? You’re pathetic! You're the worst umpire I've ever seen in my life, you're never going to work another match'. Casal went on the reach the final, which he lost against an in-form Becker.

 

[Baseline_Bungle]

Why isn't OG played at Bercy? Much better choice than RG.

For the same exact reason they're moving the hell out of there... they have ONE legit court and a couple of dark closets.

 

[CHIP72]

They should move it to a different European country.

Germany makes the most sense IMO.

 

[Subway Tennis]

Why isn't OG played at Bercy? Much better choice than RG.

It no longer meets the facility standards as a men’s Masters 1000 event, so it would be very strange to use Bercy for an even larger co-gender event like the Olympics instead of using a huge major event site like Roland Garros, particularly with all the new expansion work done at RG.

 

[DSH]

Germany makes the most sense IMO.

Exactly, a German city or perhaps Vienna if it rises to category 1000.

 

[Sudacafan]

Defense Arena? Is that a military compound? Wow!

 

[nolefam_2024]

Back in 2000, the Paris Indoor had a thrilling classic final between Safin and Philippoussis. It's strange how the event has largely declined ever since.

Wasn't that for the world Ranking for Safin ?

 

[Baseline_Bungle]

Defense Arena? Is that a military compound? Wow!

La Défense is the name of Paris' central business district, where all the city's skyscrapers and modern wonders are located.

 

[jl809]

****ing get rid of it. Move everything after RG back by 2 weeks, ditch the Paris M1000 and make a grass M1000 with more time before Wimbledon

 

[Mustard]

Wasn't that for the world Ranking for Safin ?

Yes, that 2000 Paris Indoor final win over Philippoussis saw Safin go to world number 1, ahead of Sampras.

Kuerten had to win the 2000 YEC in Lisbon to become the year-end world number 1 and replace Safin at the top, and Kuerten managed to pull it off. Kuerten beat Sampras in the semi final, and then a brilliant win over Agassi in the final in 3 straight sets to avenge a narrow round robin loss to Agassi. Safin lost to Agassi in the semi final.

 

[Terenigma]

Just remove it completely and upgrade either Halle and Queens to masters. Preferably the latter. Grass needs a masters event!

 

[Hitman]

Djokovic to remain it's greatest heavyweight champion with an iconic seven wins there.

New horizons up ahead.

 

[The Blond Blur]

Honestly wouldn’t miss it if it was gone entirely. It along with Shanghai are probably the two least prestigious MS1000 events. Shanghai for its lack of history and Bercy for where it’s at on calendar. With it being at basically the end of the year and right before the YEC most of the top guys skip it to be ready for said YEC.

 

[Mainad]

Honestly wouldn’t miss it if it was gone entirely. It along with Shanghai are probably the two least prestigious MS1000 events. Shanghai for its lack of history and Bercy for where it’s at on calendar. With it being at basically the end of the year and right before the YEC most of the top guys skip it to be ready for said YEC.

Yet it's the only M1000 played indoors and so was often seen as a useful warm-up for the YEC which used to be played back to back with Bercy.

Moving to another venue definitely marks the end of a long era for the 9th and last Masters of the season.

 

[vokazu]

The most prestigious and challenging Masters where only the most skillful fast players can win. It's not a tournament for mindless moonballers.

 

[jl809]

The most prestigious and challenging Masters where only the most skillful fast players can win. It's not a tournament for mindless moonballers.

The king

 

[Mainad]

The most prestigious and challenging Masters where only the most skillful fast players can win. It's not a tournament for mindless moonballers.

And only 1 player has ever defended the title which he last did 9 years ago.

 

[vokazu]

The king

Fastest racquet head speed I've ever seen.

 

[fedfan24]

Worst masters

 

[Mustard]

Honestly wouldn’t miss it if it was gone entirely. It along with Shanghai are probably the two least prestigious MS1000 events. Shanghai for its lack of history and Bercy for where it’s at on calendar. With it being at basically the end of the year and right before the YEC most of the top guys skip it to be ready for said YEC.

When I think of how awesome the 1996 late indoor season was, even as late as 2000, and how poor this period of the tennis year has largely been in the 21st century, it's hard to believe how much it has declined. It's like large parts of the tennis world in more recent times goes into a sort of hibernation after the US Open, until the end of the year.

 

[ibbi]

I'd be much happier with this news if it was actually leaving Paris so some other nation on the planet could get a premier tennis event (Even if you don't want to leave Europe, what does Germany have to do to get one?) if it's staying in the same city, who the hell cares?

 

[Lukhas]

I guess I went at Bercy for the venue's final Masters last Autumn. The Court Central standard seats in the upper rows blew my knees after sitting for over an hour in them, and I'm not tall at all. Court no.1 was the nicest court to be at, as you hardly could be sat any lower and closer to the action on any court; to the point that ball kids and line umpires can sometimes be in the way. I would've gladly stayed there all day if the objective is to actually watch tennis and not watch a given player, but the competition for places is actually pretty fierce there. The surface is a lot slicker in person than I thought it'd be, with pretty visible shoe marks decorating them.

Edit: Picture fit illustrative purposes. There was a net protecting you from balls this year. It was in and out of fashion at Bercy, depending of who complained the most: people not liking the lower visibility, or people not liking being tagged by a serve coming in too hot.

 

[Cabeza del Demonio]

Maybe it’ll start being exciting lol

It was one of the coolest venues for a big title though

 

[Cabeza del Demonio]

I'd be much happier with this news if it was actually leaving Paris so some other nation on the planet could get a premier tennis event (Even if you don't want to leave Europe, what does Germany have to do to get one?) if it's staying in the same city, who the hell cares?

Agree with this! I do think we need the one indoor M1000, but maybe make it part of the Asian Swing - maybe somewhere in SK or Japan right after Shanghai as another double like IW-Miami or Canada-Cincy.

 

[socallefty]

If a tournament is not local to me where I can attend, why should I care which country it is held in? Shouldn’t I care more about whether it is well-organized, whether it has good facilities for the players to play and entertain me etc.? Why are there so many posts on here prescribing to take the Masters tournament out of Paris (one of the biggest tourist attraction cities in the world where many would want to visit anyway) and put it in some arbitrary country/region (Germany, Middle East, Asia etc.). Many of the stadiums are empty when they put tournaments on in non-traditional tennis countries.

Most of the top players are European and the older guys are more likely to play and not come up with excuses when the tournaments are in Europe.

 

[The Blond Blur]

When I think of how awesome the 1996 late indoor season was, even as late as 2000, and how poor this period of the tennis year has largely been in the 21st century, it's hard to believe how much it has declined. It's like large parts of the tennis world in more recent times goes into a sort of hibernation after the US Open, until the end of the year.

Thanks to PETE’s words and actions combined with the subsequent narrative drummed up by the media the schlems became the main focal point of the sport to the detriment to all the non-schlem events.

 

[Cabeza del Demonio]

If a tournament is not local to me where I can attend, why should I care which country it is held in? Shouldn’t I care more about whether it is well-organized, whether it has good facilities for the players to play and entertain me etc.? Why are there so many posts on here prescribing to take the Masters tournament out of Paris (one of the biggest tourist attraction cities in the world where many would want to visit anyway) and put it in some arbitrary country/region (Germany, Middle East, Asia etc.). Many of the stadiums are empty when they put tournaments on in non-traditional tennis countries.

Most of the top players are European and the older guys are more likely to play and not come up with excuses when the tournaments are in Europe.

Germany already has plenty of tennis going on in the summer (Stuttgart, Halle, Munich). Adding an indoor M1000 there wouldn't be a bad idea.

 

[jm1980]

Just completely sack it Paris doesn’t need one anyway

Bercy always sucked I’d be surprised if the new is substantially better just move that masters designation to a deserving city

Paris is fine, get rid of Madrid instead and put a grass M1000 in its place

 

[The Blond Blur]

Paris is fine, get rid of Madrid instead and put a grass M1000 in its place

If we were going to sack an MS1000 then it should be one on HC tbh. There’s too many tournaments on it as is. The CC season is about as perfectly constructed as a mini season gets. That and the NA HC summer season. If people want a grass court MS1000 so badly they should just promote Hamburg back to its former status. There’s more than enough room to rearrange the grass season to fit it in.

 

[tennis_pro]

I never understood why Paris has a Masters tournament when it already has a Slam.

Give it to Germany, they always organize great tournaments.

 

[socallefty]

How many of you actually like watching grass court tennis? I don’t and I watch Wimbledon mostly in the 2nd week when the courts dry out and the bounce is higher. I guess the ATP designs their short grass season based on fans like me. I prefer clay and slow hard courts, but like indoor, fast courts better than skidding, low bouncing grass.

 

[MeatTornado]

If we were going to sack an MS1000 then it should be one on HC tbh. There’s too many tournaments on it as is. The CC season is about as perfectly constructed as a mini season gets. That and the NA HC summer season. If people want a grass court MS1000 so badly they should just promote Hamburg back to its former status. There’s more than enough room to rearrange the grass season to fit it in.

I could probably do with one week less of clay. By Rome I'm usually over it and just want RG to start already.

But that's neither here nor there. I'd still get rid of Paris before any of the clay events.

 

[The Blond Blur]

I could probably do with one week less of clay. By Rome I'm usually over it and just want RG to start already.

But that's neither here nor there. I'd still get rid of Paris before any of the clay events.

Just for that I’m now unilaterally reinstating Hamburg’s MS1000 status to add in another week to the CC season. Good day sir.

Spoiler

 

[MeatTornado]

Just for that I’m now unilaterally reinstating Hamburg’s MS1000 status to add in another week to the CC season. Good day sir.

Spoiler

When you realize all you've done is add more Tsitsipas to the calendar instead of more Rafa

 

[Bartelby]

Give it? You have to pay a lot of money. Germany had a Masters event but Spain took it from them, by fair means or foul.

And Slams are ITF, whereas Masters is ATP so France only has one Masters. America has three, I think, so if fairness is your criteria ...

I never understood why Paris has a Masters tournament when it already has a Slam.

Give it to Germany, they always organize great tournaments.

 

[Better_Call_Raul]

I never understood why Paris has a Masters tournament when it already has a Slam.

Give it to Germany, they always organize great tournaments.

The organizers need to get their act together. Made Sinner finish his match at 3 a.m. and wanted him to play 13 hours later.

Now that Sinner is a champion, he should get more respect from the schedulers.

Sinner withdraws from Paris Masters and slams organizers for lack of rest after early morning finish

PARIS (AP) — Jannik Sinner pulled out of the Paris Masters on Thursday in a rare scheduling protest, with the fatigued Italian criticizing organizers for failing to give him enough

www.thestar.com

 

[InsuranceMan]

Paris is fine, get rid of Madrid instead and put a grass M1000 in its place

I mean I don’t know what to say really, I think we have common ground that Madrid is a little confused since identity wise given the conditions that kind of betray the clay, but I think we differ because I just plain think Paris sucks balls

 

[Baseline_Bungle]

The king

Over Krajinovic!

(who happens to be a very talented player.... and whose name is etched on the trophy??? what's goin' on there???)