ATP Chief Guadenzi hints at new Masters 1000 event - "England or Germany can host a grass one"

England and Germany are two countries with a longstanding tradition in tennis and ATP Chief Gaudenzi hinted at a Masters 1000 event in one of the countries.

Germany famously had an ATP 1000 Masters event that was held for many years in Hamburg however that event has been demoted to an ATP 500 event in the meantime. Since then the country has not had a masters event which is a shame as it's a shame that England never had one with such a tradition in tennis. Things might change in the future as Gaudenzi hinted at a grass Masters event in his L'Equipe interview:

"For me it can only be organized in England or Germany. In England because there is Wimbledon. In Germany because it is a big market for tennis. First we have to choose the city. Then we find a structure, which means building a stadium or having one that is suitable."

The interview included many topics about tennis and the reform Gaudenzi feels it needs. One of his specific goals is optimizing the Masters event making them longer. They would be modelled after Indian Wells and Miami who are essentially two-week events:

"One week we have a Masters 1000, then three ATP 250s, the week after a WTA event, then a Grand Slam. Apart from the most hardcore, everyone gets confused. But if the fan gets confused, will look for something else. Studies show that 70-80% of people only watch Premium events and these people are the most important. They are the ones who buy tickets and subscribe to TV."

He finished off with:

Optimizing the Masters 1000 does not mean sacrificing other tournaments. There will always be a space for them, adapting the schedule in a coherent way."