Paris/Bercy Masters Moving To February?

Paris/Bercy Masters tournament director Guy Forget says the ATP could soon vote to move the tournament’s dates from the week before the ATP World Tour Finals in London to sometime in February, beginning in 2014.

I think we all agree that having a prestigious Peris Bercy Masters 1000 event back to back with WTF is nothing short of ridiculous!

Apparently, the need for a longer off-season is so paramount that rather than space these two big tournaments by at least a week, ATP are proposing to have a European indoor tournament, which works as a perfect preparation tor WTF, move to the virtual beginning of the season, right after AO.

So the players would have to switch timezones, climates, come from hot summer into a freezing indoor European tournament...

"To stay glued to the WTF is extremely dangerous for us,” Forget told the French media. “Upon my arrival as tournament director, I told French Federation CEO Gilbert Ysern the need to find an alternative solution.”

Finding a date in February won’t be easy under the current calendar. Next year, the first round of Davis Cup will be played during the first week of the month, which is the week after the Australian Open ends. There are then three weeks of tournaments before the Indian Wells Masters, and all those weeks have three tournaments occurring simultaneously. In order to put a Masters event in one of those weeks, three of those tournaments would have to have their dates changed outside of the month of February.

“We would go from one extreme to another but I prefer this option,” Forget said.

The 2012 Paris/Bercy Masters begins on October 29. An ATP spokesperson said that the topic will be on the ATP Board of Directors
agenda during their meetings in London next month, but “absolutely nothing has been decided.”

At the moment, Paris Bercy is mandatory, but players who have qualified for the WTF will be having second thoughts of turning up for the fear of exhaustion and potential injury.

I know it's not easy to please everyone: organisers, fans, players and sponsors, but surely, there is a more intelligent way to order tennis ATP calendar!

This is the right change for me. I just wish they could have fit 1 masters on Grass.

raiders_of_the_lost_ark wrote:This is the right change for me. I just wish they could have fit 1 masters on Grass.

Why do you thing it's a right change?

noleisthebest wrote:

raiders_of_the_lost_ark wrote:This is the right change for me. I just wish they could have fit 1 masters on Grass.

Why do you thing it's a right change?

1. If ATP has planned to move WTF to early November giving few extra days of off-season, then it definitely crams Bercy. Look at this year ( agree its largely due to olympics but in but even without, its too late in the season.) Perhaps players may skip it or do like what Djokovic did last year i.e. play 1-2 matches and then given a walkover. How many top guys withdraw from this Masters!! Top players often do not prioritize bercy, despite its favorable location. No wonder off late its been the most open Masters.

2. Moving it to Feb will put it in better position and players will be fresh and motivated to compete.

3. Feb month has no masters, maybe one can be fit in. Instead of 2 in October, its better to have 1 in Feb and 1 in October.

There will be some some reasons why its not good in Feb. I know. But we have to see how it goes.

If ATP really needed such a radical move (which I don't think they do), perhaps a better idea would be to move Shanghai masters as a lead tournamant to AO.

noleisthebest wrote:If ATP really needed such a radical move (which I don't think they do), perhaps a better idea would be to move Shanghai masters as a lead tournamant to AO.

Good point. Outdoor hard tournament, en-route to Australia.

I think what's really behind it all is China's push for the 5th slam and ATP just creating space for it.
Yes, it's money again, I'm afraid....

what's this 5th Slam thing? Is there going to be a 5th slam? In China?

raiders_of_the_lost_ark wrote:what's this 5th Slam thing? Is there going to be a 5th slam? In China?

http://www.tennis.com/news/2012/09/racquet-scientist-fifth-grand-slam/39570/#.UIQkYIW0bgo

Where there's smoke there's fire!

speaking of smoke, my potatoes are burnt ahhhh!!!