Estoril Open set to be axed in provisional 2025 ATP Calendar as big structural changes imminent

The 2024 Estoril Open will take place between 1-7 April, but it will not be on the provisional ATP Calendar for 2025 if reports are to be believed. The ATP Tour will announce their first calendar for next season with structural changes added likely as a result of Saudi Arabia proposals which have been put on the table between the two tours.

After axes of tournaments such as Newport, Estoril was one of those seen as under threat despite it being a European Clay Court staple and as reported by Jose Morgado called one of the favourites of players including Casper Ruud in quotes from the tournament director.

But with changes afoot including rumours of Saudi Arabia getting a tournament and others being pushed out the door, the plan for the Estoril Open in the belief of the tournament themselves is to still host it but they have confirmed they are not on the first part of the 2025 season in their usual slot. This could lead to either a move to the Challenger Tour for the long standing event or a later in the season placing. Under its two guises, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Richard Gasquet and Casper Ruud are among previous champions.

"There is an excellent relationship between the Millennium Estoril Open and both the Management and the Board of the ATP Tour” , says João Zilhão, director of the Portuguese tournament to Bola Amarela. " The Millennium Estoril Open is one of the most popular events among players and Casper Ruud himself, considered an opinion leader among his peers, said in his victory speech in 2023 that he would vote for our event as the best ATP 250 tournament in the world. year. The reformulation of the calendar and the consequent increase in weeks in the Masters 1000 tournaments has an inevitable impact on the number of weeks available on the ATP Tour calendar in 2025 — but, in the case of the Millennium Estoril Open, efforts continue to find the best solution and we will continue to organize the biggest national tennis event in the future” .