The director of the Paris Masters 1000 explains the reasons for Bercy's departure after 40 years

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One of the most mythical and spectacular venues of the ATP circuit will no longer appear on the calendar. The Bercy venue was home to the Paris Masters 1000, the last of the season, and despite always being overshadowed by Roland Garros, it maintained the essence of being the most important tournament of the European indoor tour alongside the ATP Finals.

The Paris Masters 1000 maintains that status, but starting this year, it will take place at La Défense Arena, a larger venue, second only to Arthur Ashe at the US Open in terms of capacity (17,500 spectators). Furthermore, the old pavilion did not comply with some of the new rules set by the ATP for Masters 1000 tournaments, such as accommodating the 28 doubles pairs on only three competition courts. Also, the height of the ceiling in some secondary courts no longer met the current specifications of 12 meters, as they were only 10 meters high.

Cédric Pioline discusses the reasons for relocating the Paris Masters 1000 from Bercy to La Défense

Thus, the tournament organization was forced to relocate. This was confirmed by its director, Cédric Pioline, in an interview with AFP. "Our colleagues from other Masters 1000 events have invested heavily in recent years. To keep up and meet ATP standards, we had to evolve. We were cramped, stagnant, and the tournament was at risk of losing its category in the medium term."

With the departure from Bercy, the iconic tunnel through which the players entered the central court is also left behind, but in La Défense, they will have a visual spectacle to compensate: "It will be a true sensory journey. The central court is larger, the players' route longer. The experience will be completely redesigned."

More courts, improved safety, and increased audience capacity

From three courts, they have now expanded to four, and the outdoor courts are more spacious than in the famous 'garages' of Bercy: "The outdoor courts were too small for the current level of physical intensity, and we have corrected that." Additionally, both Court 1 and Court 2 will accommodate 5,000 spectators, and the remaining third court will be dedicated to doubles matches and training.

The presence of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner is still uncertain

One of the goals for this edition is to have the two best players in the world, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, participate, but considering their upcoming two-week schedule in Italy first with the ATP Finals and then the Davis Cup finals, they might decide to rest. This is something that Pioline, for now, does not consider.

"The 1000 ATP points awarded to the winner will be significant. Naturally, all players are physically tired because it's the end of the season. Furthermore, the end-of-season calendar is packed; that is clear. However, we are confident."

Another aspiration for the tournament is to surpass the attendance record set last year, and with a larger venue, there is more pressure to achieve that: "There is genuine interest around the new venue. If we reach or come close to this figure, it will be a success."

Finally, in an edition with so many novelties, one of them had to be the prize money, which will increase by 3% this year, reaching €946,610 for the winner, part of a comprehensive development plan approved by the ATP: "It is a mandated increase, but it is positive. We now have visibility for several years ahead, allowing us to anticipate additional revenue generation," assures Cédric Pioline, who, at the moment, only sees positives in the change from Bercy to La Défense in the Paris Masters 1000. It remains to be seen if the audience will accept the change or miss the iconic Parisian pavilion.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, El director del Masters 1000 de París explica las causas de la marcha de Bercy después de 40 años