Monte Carlo Rolex Masters has been around for ages and is a great event with beautiful scenery. However, because it's a non-mandatory event and is right after IW/Miami with short preparation time, its entry list is always weaker than all the other M1000s - and it's time for a change.
Instead of removing the event completely or replacing it with another city, the Monte Carlo tournament should switch from being played on clay in April, to a brand new & unique Grass 1000 event during July. This will have 0 impact on the ATP schedule, but what it will do is add a new & exciting element to the game with a brand new M1000 that has been talked about for so many years but has never come to life.
Plus, what's the point of having 3 Masters 1000 on CLAY, all within a 1-month timeframe? That is way too much tennis (esp for top players), and clay makes it even more exhausting and physical right before a very important grand slam in RG.
So taking out 1 week from clay, and adding that extra week for grass would be the perfect solution and great preparation for Wimbledon. So instead of having the current 7-week European clay events before RG and only 3 for Grass before Wimbledon, it would be 6 weeks of clay before RG and 4 weeks before Wimby...making it much more balanced than before and giving grass specialists a better chance to improve their ranking and for everyone, in general, to improve on the surface for Wimbledon and for many years to come.
The ideal time to place Monte Carlo Grass 1000 in July would be right after the Queens/Halle week, and have Barcelona 500 during the current week of Monte Carlo. I would even add in Hamburg during the same week to make it in a better schedule/more interesting, and replace Hamburg with the current event in Budapest which instead will take place after Wimbledon during the current week of Hamburg (although clay events after grass and before NA hard courts is stupid & pointless, but that's for a different discussion)
Who's with me?!
Instead of removing the event completely or replacing it with another city, the Monte Carlo tournament should switch from being played on clay in April, to a brand new & unique Grass 1000 event during July. This will have 0 impact on the ATP schedule, but what it will do is add a new & exciting element to the game with a brand new M1000 that has been talked about for so many years but has never come to life.
Plus, what's the point of having 3 Masters 1000 on CLAY, all within a 1-month timeframe? That is way too much tennis (esp for top players), and clay makes it even more exhausting and physical right before a very important grand slam in RG.
So taking out 1 week from clay, and adding that extra week for grass would be the perfect solution and great preparation for Wimbledon. So instead of having the current 7-week European clay events before RG and only 3 for Grass before Wimbledon, it would be 6 weeks of clay before RG and 4 weeks before Wimby...making it much more balanced than before and giving grass specialists a better chance to improve their ranking and for everyone, in general, to improve on the surface for Wimbledon and for many years to come.
The ideal time to place Monte Carlo Grass 1000 in July would be right after the Queens/Halle week, and have Barcelona 500 during the current week of Monte Carlo. I would even add in Hamburg during the same week to make it in a better schedule/more interesting, and replace Hamburg with the current event in Budapest which instead will take place after Wimbledon during the current week of Hamburg (although clay events after grass and before NA hard courts is stupid & pointless, but that's for a different discussion)
Who's with me?!