"It’s the only surface that we don’t have a Masters 1000 on" - Tommy Paul pesters for longer grass season with Masters 1000 event needed

The grass swing is a very short one in the tennis calendar, lasting just five weeks with a maximum of only four tournaments able to be played on the surface by a single player. This has got Tommy Paul asking for more grass tournaments and a long awaited Masters 1000 event on the surface.

Paul is currently competing at Queen's Club Championships. The 2024 champion enjoys playing on grass and has had prior success on the surface. He will be looking to continue rising up the rankings with a big second half of the season in store.

Before he and anyone else on the tour can think about a return to North America, the grass season is still set to be played out with Wimbledon the headline event. The tournament will take place from July 29 - July 12 and is one of the most competitive and prestigious tournaments on the calendar.

Queen's is also another prestigious event. Following the culmination of the women's event, the men are taking charge in London. Other tournaments on grass have been hosted these past couple of weeks in England, Germany and the Netherlands. There will be another week of action before Wimbledon begins with Eastbourne, Mallorca and Bad Homburg the final warm-up events.

Paul is seven unbeaten at Queen's after not competing last year through injury. He defeated Botic van de Zandschulp to confirm his spot in the quarter-finals, and afterwards was asked whether there should be a 1000 tournament on grass.

“Yeah, absolutely. We talk about that all the time. I think so, for sure. That would be great,” he commented. “I mean, it’s the only surface that we don’t have a Masters 1000 on. It is tough, obviously with the schedule.

"We complain about too many tournaments, but then here I am asking for a Masters 1000 on grass. But I don’t see why we don’t. I think it [grass court tennis] is kind of how the tennis started. It’s the tradition in tennis. I think that we should have every level of tournament on the surface.”

Grass is a very mixed surface for many. While some players excel on the surface and use this part of the season as a great time to get some points and titles on the board, others are not a fan and will look to get through it with focus on a return to hardcourt action in North America.

Paul is an effective player on grass and will look to get back up to speed after being hugely affected this time last year with injury. He is one of the ones to watch at Queen's with the tournament getting to its business end.

He explained why he likes playing in the tournament. “When a lot of players think about Queen’s, they think about a traditional grass court. Much faster, maybe more slippery,” he said. "I think the fact that I’m pretty comfortable moving on the surface allows me to go after something that maybe some people would be a little bit uncomfortable going after, or running down a ball and staying on my feet rather than falling. I think that helps.”

Paul will take on Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the quarter-final. They are the only two seeds left in the bottom half of the draw with Alex de Minaur the highest ranked player left in the competition.