The ATP Tour continues to grow with the announcement of a Masters tournament in Saudi Arabia, but there was a clear alternative that would have been better.
A Masters 1000 event will join the ATP Tour from 2028, following the introduction of the Six Kings Slam in 2024 and 2025.
Despite Jack Draper and Taylor Fritz complaining about the ATP schedule, the hectic calendar continues to grow.
While a new Masters tournament in Saudi Arabia will likely be a success, there’s another location that the ATP Tour has been absolutely crying out for.
The tournament that needs to be added to the ATP Tour
The new Saudi Arabia Masters is the 1000 event to be added to the ATP Tour since its expansion in 1990, but there was a more obvious candidate.
The grass court season is by far and away the shortest on the schedule, running from June to the end of July.
While Wimbledon is arguably the biggest tournament in the calendar, and Queen’s is still an institution, the fact that there is no Masters event on grass is a bizarre omission.
Stretching the length of the grass court season, and adding a UK Masters event, would not only bolster the LTA, but it would be terrific for fans.
Wimbledon is the only UK event currently that is guaranteed to get the top stars, and tickets for the event are incredibly hard to come by.
Another opportunity at another event would allow more preparation time on the grass for players, and better access for fans.
A UK Masters event would bolster, not hinder, Wimbledon
While many might say that another huge event so close to Wimbledon would be to the Grand Slam’s detriment, it might allow players to be more prepared ahead of SW19.
With such a short time on the grass, players often struggle in the early stages of Wimbledon, with shocks aplenty in the first round.
In the men’s draw in 2025, Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, Holger Rune, and Lorenzo Musetti all crashed out at the first round stage.
If another competitive grass court tournament were held before Wimbledon, that would be very unlikely to happen.
