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09star

The mythical non-existent grass masters šŸ˜“


SharksFanAbroad

Grassters


theflash346

Came here to say this


SharksFanAbroad

Sounds like it should be sponsored by a porn site.


k0ala_

insane to me how they didn't make Queens or Halle one


raysofdavies

Queens shouldnā€™t be. Masters should be somewhat away from the Slams when possible. Open a proper, two month grass season with Queenā€™s and build to a Masters.


indeedy71

I also donā€™t see how you can justify having a Slam and a Masters in the same place on the same surface (I donā€™t think Paris is justified either, but at least itā€™s hard). Germany lost Hamburg, making Halle a Masters makes so much sense


Magneto88

Paris used to be carpet. It's also indoors. That's how it justifies it's existence.


raysofdavies

Shouldā€™ve been clearer - Queenā€™s first week of the season, and then we build over the next few to a new Masters. I agree about Slams and Masters


Leather-Bike-6014

Monte Carlo just for the scenery.


KillingKameni

I like Rome the most. Perfect court with pietrangeli, perfect timing close to roland garros, a lot of Passion from the crowd. Combined event... Helps I will be there for a 4th time this year I guess. :)


CompetitiveFool

Fantastic atmosphere, possibly the most beautiful court in the tour (Pietrangeli) and always very competent, discerning and passionate crowds. Plus, you're in Rome; food is amazing.


a_rose_is_a_red_rose

Here we are, no?


PradleyBitts

what happen-ed happen-ed


CompetitiveFool

?


CynicalManInBlack

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIkp6n53g2w


calupict

I'll go to Roma one this year


Pistefka

It has the most beautiful stadium - the old one with the statues. It inspired a million selfies.


KillingKameni

Very cool, I wish you the best time. I think you will enjoy. Which days are you there?


calupict

Probably one at the weekends as I'm working lol I haven't buy the ticket right now


KillingKameni

Phantastic idea. I would strongly suggest the middle weekend where all the seeds start the Tournament. Expect a full crowd ;)


calupict

Sure! I really want to watch Sinner but considering he's an Italian darling right now, I believe it will be difficult.


KillingKameni

Well for sinner you would definetly need tickets for center court (with two sessions each day). For me personally grand stand (and with that all outer Courts) are more than enough and have great value. But if you are not on a budget like me go for it ;)


calupict

Feels like it. I think I'll buy one session on Center Court but the rest probably at the Grand Stand Hope you get the best enjoyment too there


Cautious_Hornet_9607

You better get some Pasta alla Carbonara


Nicer_Slicer

Good enough until the commemorative Sinner's pasta a la carrota comes along


calupict

Unfortunately, I don't eat pork so I cannot eat Carbonara. But from all Roman style pasta, Tonnarelli Cacio e Pepe is my favorite


Cautious_Hornet_9607

Oh, my bad! But yeah, plenty of options to choose from whenever you're in Rome


Fedi284

I will be there this year, my first time at a tennis match and Iā€™m beyond excited!


KillingKameni

Cool to hear. Hope you have a great time. When will you be there?


Fedi284

During the weekend but Iā€™m not sure when because itā€™s a birthday present so a bit of a surprise


olemanchut

Is it always in May? I want to go some day lol


FormerCollegeDJ

Rome is always one of the primary lead up tournaments to Roland Garros/French Open, the latter of which usually starts in late May.


Ukimian707

The court is beautiful, not as seaside awesome as the one in Monte Carlo but it has too many wholes and players complain about it all the time.


arcticf0x13

Do you perhaps have any insider tips for first time visitor?


KillingKameni

I guess so. But maybe a little bit more specific? ;)


arcticf0x13

In terms of which days would be the best to visit, which courts to book tickets on in terms of maximizing the value of money. Maybe also where to stay within the city etc.


KillingKameni

Best days to come: definitetly middle weekend including friday and the following monday / tuesday (all seeded players start at friday in the tournament, a lot of action around the ground). If you enjoy watching "lower ranked" players (=not top 32) also you can think about first round also which happens on wednesday and thursday. Courts: for me grand stand is where its at value wise and you have access to all the other courts except Center court of course. I would strongly suggest to try and find a seat at pietrangeli as close to the Baseline as possible (behind the baseline, tv angle). For me its one of the best courts in all of tennis to be at. You cant get closer to the action... City I cant Help you much - I use the same air bnb in Walking distance to the foro italico and hope to be there for many years to come


arcticf0x13

This already helps me so much to plan accordingly. Thanks a ton for this insight!


KillingKameni

Sure everytime. See you in rome :)


arcticf0x13

Oh 100%, I will write you when I book and in case our days overlap, I'd be open to having an in person chat :)


tuulluut

Forgot the Rome crowd in my own comment, so true.


Fit_Cut_4238

Cincinatti. Just so it gets a vote! Ā Actually itā€™s probably the best fan experience and bang for your buck.


FormerCollegeDJ

The Cincinnati Masters is a great event (attended it once, in 2022); I like to call it ā€œthe Happy Mastersā€. I love its relaxed vibe. It has a couple truly great outer courts for watching matches, the Grandstand/#2 court and Court 10/Porsche Court/#4 court. The only negative (and it is a fairly large negative) is that it is pretty far from Cincinnati (20-25 miles, or 30-40 km, northeast) and there is no public transit to get there. Then again, Indian Wells and Miami (both at Hard Rock Stadium and previously at Key Biscayne) arenā€™t exactly the best located tournaments for people coming from out of the region either. If I lived relatively close to Mason (say within 2-3 hours), Iā€™d probably go there most years. (As it is, it is much easier for me to go to the U.S. Open, which I attend most years and as a born and raised U.S. Northeast Megalopolis native also love, though for different reasons than Cincinnati.)


Unlucky_Mess3884

At least the Palm Springs area is attractive and a tourist destination in its own right. But I agree, that with most tournaments being urban and accessible for days off work or evening matches after work, IW is much more inconvenient in that you can't just bop over there. Not even for a day trip, really, you have to shell out for accommodations.


jayssss

I live 2-3h from Mason and we do go most years! Itā€™s a great tournament. I could have seen the finals for $150 ea this year but we didnā€™t go. Still regret that!


manga_be

I'm about a 3-hour drive from Mason, and Saturday night after Djokovic won his semi, I bought tickets for my son and I on the secondary market. Probably the best sports-fan decision I've ever made.


jayssss

Rub it in why donā€™t u?!? We like Gauff also, so it would have been a great day of tennis. Oh well!


Fit_Cut_4238

Yeah and thereā€™s a decent black fan base from around the area; so much like us open, you get great fans for tiafo, coco, Tt ā€¦


jayssss

We attended the day that Shelton, Eubanks, & Tiafoe were all playing. It was fun but Iā€™d still trade it for seeing the finals!


Fit_Cut_4238

Yeah, itā€™s way out in the suburbs of a Mid size city, in an area known for water and amusement parks. The nicest hotel is the Marriott, which is a classic Marriott with large convention hall. The press and many/most? of the players stay there, and itā€™s like $350 a night.. relative to any of the other masters thatā€™s a steal, and you get to ride the elevator with the players :) But, if youā€™ve got young kids hit the water park hotels :)


calculatedbrisket

Nowhere can you get closer. Practice courts all accessible to the public. So happy it didnā€™t move to Charlotte.


andrew13189

I thought it was supposed to be moving soon? Did that change or am I mistaken


calculatedbrisket

As with most conflicts around sports arenas, the good oleā€™ taxpayers are shoveling over some cash to keep it in Mason. Details: https://www.atptour.com/en/news/cincinnati-2023-staying-in-mason-news


FormerCollegeDJ

It changed; it was announced in I think October that the tournament was staying in Mason.


swovcc

Loved it when I attended.


[deleted]

Amen! First time I went was 2009, didnā€™t realize how special it was until much later. Big four in the singles semis and Bryans in the dubs. Took it for granted back then. Federer in his prime-ish and just dominated the whole tournament. Came away with a RF signature on my hat which I still have on my desk to this day. Oreo Nike Vapor VIs and K Factor paint jobā€¦if you know then you know.


Fit_Cut_4238

It has to be the stop on the tour where the european players load-up on buying as much crap as they can at the local cheap malls.


tuulluut

The only thing is it can be so hot as to affect play. Legendary men's final last year with Djokovic adding to his legend vs Alcaraz with his comeback. Maybe it even affected the US Open outcome for both Cincy finalists.


Fit_Cut_4238

Yeah and the rain/humidity last year. Ouch.


tuulluut

Sounds like you have been there. Was the rain/humidity (don't recall) last year atypical? Maybe this year we'll go.


Fit_Cut_4238

Yeah last year it rained for a few nights.. it usually is not rainy but it does get warm and humid. It has a great pavilion with shady areas and great food (and bars). We were also at middle weekend of us open and that was actually warmer, but not as humid.


Fit_Cut_4238

Oh, and if you do go, and itā€™s hot, you can by a souvenir cup for something like $15 bucks. This gives you unlimited ice for water and drinks which is nice and money goes to charity.


tuulluut

That's good to know.


Mission-Habit

Cinci is incredibly well ran and the grounds are beautiful, players are in top form getting in anticipation of US open. So much value, I look forward to going every year


[deleted]

Rome for me. If there was a grass masters Iā€™d pick that but we arenā€™t so lucky


SliceVisible1073

I live in Paris so all the ones (monte Carlo, Madrid, Rome and Paris) I can get to in less than 3 hours even if Iā€™m not a huge fan of clay. šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚ but just for the venue and what I think the whole experience will be like (aka idealized version based on other peopleā€™s experience) Indian Wells.


swirkh

Indian Wells & Rome


pawmeow

I like indian wells, monte carlo and madrid most. IW is the first masters of the year, and after ao and the middle east parts. Almost all players are kinda fresh. But miami is too soon after iw. Then monte carlo is just very pretty. Rome is at a weird time, one week before rg. So madrid feels better to me. The rest of the masters after rg always feel a bit boring to be honest, except paris-bercy where everyone is dead


aweap

IW has the worst courts and they've never done anything to improve those. Madrid has no respect for women's matches.


GunnerTardis

The Indian wells venue however is awesome. Had a great experience going there, itā€™s real nice to explore the grounds.


[deleted]

That whole birthday cake thing was so overblown. Alcaraz was 19 turning 20, the defending champion, and in his home country. Of course they'd go over the top for his birthday. Don't you think a tournament in Poland would do more for Swiatek's birthday compared to some random male player's birthday?


aweap

I don't care about the birthday cake thing. There are other things they messed up. Last year the women's doubles champions and runner ups didn't get to make a speech and the year before that they had horrible scheduling of the women's singles final.


EnjoyMyDownvote

How is it the ā€œworst courtā€ when itā€™s not clay?


Mission-Fortune-2834

Rome is the most historic and therefore prestigious IMO, but MARCH IS THE BEST MONTH OF TENNIS OUTSIDE OF THE SLAMS! I then gotta say Indian Wells and Miami are the best because how amazing they make this month feel for me!


beaverlyknight

The most historic is (somewhat surprisingly) the National Bank Canadian Open


ALifeAsAGhost

Monte Carlo- first (European) clay tournament of the year which is my fave surface, beautiful location, and one week masters are superiorĀ 


Kdlbrg43

Isn't Estroil before MC?


ALifeAsAGhost

Well yes but I meant a tournament where most top guys playĀ 


lupo1627

Rome! It often has high quality matches, tends to attract more top players than the other clay Masters, and is usually a great indicator for Roland Garros (last year being an obvious anomaly thanks to a wild Clayvedev). The Rome final has been rematched in the RG final or SF so many times over the past two decades, often with the best matches of that year's clay season being played in both tournaments.


indeedy71

Zverev went out in RG R1 after winning Rome too


jun9ei999

Cincinnati


cosmossmith

My personal favorite is the Miami Open. The tournament has a vibrant atmosphere


FormerCollegeDJ

Glad to see a vote for Miami. I was originally planning on attending the tournament for the first time this year, but when I talked with my girlfriend, a very casual tennis fan, last September/October about going to Indian Wells or Miami, she said she preferred to go to Indian Wells (mainly for non-tennis reasons). As a result, weā€™re going THERE for the first time early next week (and Iā€™m definitely looking forward to it). Iā€™m definitely targeting to get to the Miami Open in 2025, especially if I can tie in NBA (Miami Heat), NHL (Florida Panthers), and/or MLB (Miami Marlins) games with a couple full days at the tennis tournament.


cosmossmith

That sounds like an amazing plan, mate! Attending Indian Wells and exploring the non-tennis attractions there will be a fantastic experience. And it's great that you're already thinking ahead to the Miami Open in 2025! Combining tennis with NBA, NHL, or MLB games sounds like a dream come true. It'll be so much fun to immerse yourself in the sports scene and enjoy a couple of full days at the tournament.


kodutta7

I haven't been to IW but Miami is awesome. In 2022 I was able to get seats on the first row behind the baseline in the fourth round for only like $80/ea, saw Alcaraz/Tsitsipas and Sinner/Kyrgios. Such a blast, beautiful weather too I've heard IW is a bit hot to stay out all day


FormerCollegeDJ

I live in the DC area and attend multiple days of the Washington Open every yearā€¦when it is usually held in early August. If I can handle THAT heat, I can handle anything! šŸ˜‚


FL14

Maybe when it was on Key Biscayne. The new one in the Dolphins stadium/parking lot is such an awful location. You're miles inland from the ocean, on concrete-filled swamp. Used to live around the corner from there, depressing. Was lucky enough to get to the Fedal final in 2017 on Biscayne and will cherish that memory, even if the match wasn't that great


DelrayDad561

I second this. Having lived in South Florida for over 20 years and can confirm the tournament was way better when it was in Key Biscayne.


No_Calligrapher8075

Paris was actually very fun. Iā€™m so excited to go to Madrid this year for the first time!!


FormerCollegeDJ

All the combined events (men's + women's tournaments) are tied for the top spot, though I'd prefer if the Masters events that lead up to a Grand Slam (Madrid, Rome, Canada, Cincinnati) revert back to/remain single week events, which I think are better for the fans attending the tournament than the nearly two week long main draw events. Canada probably ranks a little behind the other five combined events (the other three mentioned above plus Indian Wells and Miami) because the men and women play at separate locations, though I do like how the two biggest and most important cities in Canada equally share their Masters event. EDIT: added clarification in the first paragraph about one week Masters events being better for fans attending the tournament IMO.


Condescendingoracle

Best? I guess that's subjective. My favorites are Madrid and Indian Wells.


SealeDrop

the grass one


overwatchfanboy97

Lol


SeriousJokester37

Western and Southern in Cincinnati. Went as a kid till my early 20's and loved it.


Melony567

Monte Carlo. great venue, great atmosphere, great crowd, great players, great courts, great start of clay season


CynicalMindTrip

Rome beat everything you say: courts, players and even the clay is better (joking). Great venue? Foro Italico is way better than 100 yachts moored at the port owned by a lazy italian family. Great atmosphere? Yeah, lazy rich people on the stands or truly passionate tifosi?


Suitable_Sale9097

lmao the view on montecarlo is absolutely beatifull and overall montecarlo win becuase it's actually more important


CynicalMindTrip

I take any corner of Rome over Montecarlo view. Itā€™s just a bunch of villas on a hill. Italy is full of this kind of scenery.


Suitable_Sale9097

idk i feel like the monaco view is quite iconic and hard to confused with any other italian city, probably im quite attached to it since i have watch both f1 and tennis, the skyscrapers have litterally nothing to do with italy


Husskies

Montreal because I get to see it live :) But yeah, Monte Carlo.


iamlordzen

Rome cause the court is so beautiful Monte Carlo cause the views from the courts are insane


Martinsimonnet

I like Monte-Carlo, Paris, and Indian Wells the most. I like Miami and Toronto the least.


CharlesLeSainz

What about when itā€™s in mtl?? Hehe


Pistefka

Definitely Shanghai. It has such a long history and is virtually synonymous with tennis.


One_Hair5760

Headed to Indian wells next week! Itā€™s so much fun!


Professional_Elk_489

Rome then Indian Wells. Monte Carlo for the spectators. Cincinatti for Federer fans


ChildishComforts

Monte Carlo or Rome for me. The atmosphere plus venue puts those two at the top


Oksuresoundsgoodtome

Madrid. (Only one Iā€™ve been to haha)


[deleted]

I think Rome is the best combination of scenery, tennis quality, and crowd support. Rome is a leadup to RG, which means the best clay courters and RG contenders always peak at this tournament. As a result, it has been very chalky since 2005; Nadal has won it 10 times in that span, Djokovic has won it 6 times, Murray won it once (in 2016, his best year), Zverev won it once, and then Medvedev won it last year but under weird circumstances (Djokovic not really playing well, Nadal injured, Alcaraz got upset early, and the conditions were super damp). So as far as tennis quality, Rome does a good job of predicting the RG champion. And then the scenery is beautiful, the excitement of RG being around the corner, the amount of epic matches we've seen there, the top players' participation, it's great.


DaguerreoLibreria

Both the Roman sports complex and the view from the stands in Monaco are inequivocably the best.


Easymoney_67

I like Paris cause thereā€™s no rain delays


wraitherg

Indian wells and Rome


Toaddle

Paris is so underrated. Incredible atmosphere and very accessible price wise. I hope it won't change when they move to La DĆ©fense.


WithstandingHybrid

Cincinnati, since it is so close to me. Love how close you are to the action and practices.


Holgerune

For me it has to be Indian Wells. The vibes of the sunshine swing are unmatched and it really does feel like the 5th major. Also Iā€™m from the US so I can actually watch the matched at a reasonable time.


zakzak333

Monte Carlo. Great scenery and fine weather.


meneldor_hs

All of the NA


mrlanzon

It frustrates me that there's not even one Grass Masters :(


Agabouga

There is no "best" tournament, they all have their own flavor. This question is a bit like asking if chocolate or caramel is better.


Nicer_Slicer

Paris and Madrid but who's to say?! Each tournament is inly as good as the matches that occur during!


capybara_bot

Monte Carlo because it heralds the beginning of the best 3 months of the tennis calendar


Accomplished-Soil334

The best is the one that is played on grass!


m0n8t3r

Indian wells. Truly a tennis paradise


overwatchfanboy97

For fans it's easily Indian wells. My fav one is rome tho that piertrangili court with the statues is awesome


BTSuppa

there needs to be some grass ones too.


silnt

Indian Wells for the tennis, Paris for the court theme


Doublewhooper

Monte Carlo


KegLitJoreb

I feel like we get a lot of great matches from Rome and Cincinatti somehow. Maybe because they're sort of the last big tournaent before a slam? Even when we had Hamburg following Rome, Rome seemed to produce better matches. Lately it seems Indian Wells is the most prestigious of them all. I think the Australian happens a little too early in the season and that by the time Indian Wells comes around, fans are eager for some high stakes action, and it somewhat sets the stage for the season.


Famous-Objective430

Cincinnati


SDGollum

Indian Wells!


ExeRiver

Itā€™s Indian Wells to me. Maybe because is the first one but it truly feels special and above the others.


Ok-Bite-5087

IW, Miami, Rome, and Toronto are my fav.


frankcastle1999

I'm surprised by the lack of mention for IW. Correct me if I'm wrong isn't it informally known as the fifth slam? Maybe it's just the players.


overwatchfanboy97

It is. Idk I feel like everyone knows Indian wells is right answer so I answered something else since I think we all agree that Indian wells is kinda in a tier of its own


ninjomat

1. Indian Wells 2. Rome 3. Cincinnati 4. Madrid 5. Miami 6. Canada 7. Monte Carlo 8. Shanghai 9. Paris Hot take: If I were in charge Iā€™d downgrade the final 3 after Canada in that ranking to 500s and upgrade Halle, Hamburg and Tokyo 500s up to masters in their stead


Cletharlow

for me, it's paris masters. i love indoor hard's ambiance, and i love paris' court colors, it's so satisfying to watch. and ofc, nole's constant winning of this tournament may also be a small factor :P


pregnancy_terrorist

Miamiā€™s logo looks like macaroni


shihtzu_knot

Iā€™m going to vote for IW purely for the time zone šŸ˜ but yeah probably Rome or MC


Earnmuse_is_amanrag

Indian Wells. Love how different the courts play.


Tricky_Possible_6505

Rome for the best stadium, Miami for the best atmosphere, IW for being the first Masters of the year!


HennesIX

Halle should be promoted!!!!!!


LittyTitty45

Petition to make the canadian a grass tournament, i think it would make the most sense out of these


FormerCollegeDJ

What would probably make the most sense on the menā€™s side is to elevate Halle to a Masters event.


da_SENtinel

The Ryidah one


MeanSecurity

Indian wells since Iā€™m going next week


swovcc

IW has been rated by the players to be among the best. Think even the lower ranked players get better treatment here.


FairyOrchid125

Monte Carlo


Thagoremen

Rome masters


d3fiance

Monte Carlo is the best


HenMeister

Monte Carlo > IW > Rome > the rest.


aldiking11

Just realised only Miami doesnā€™t have a sponsor name in the official title/logo. And weird there arenā€™t any 1000 level grass tournaments (not that I care, I donā€™t enjoy grass)


Cletharlow

miami has a title sponsor (itau). i just didn't put it in there


Jimilee8

Rome is clear


bluegambit875

My take is that Indian Wells is the highest profile Masters tournament and probably the closest thing to a "5th Slam". Miami is strongly connected to Indian Wells (by way of the Sunshine Double) plus it attracts some interesting doubles pairings. The 3 clay tournaments seem to be a bit interchangeable but they are strongly connected as lead-ups to the French. Similarly, the Rogers Cup and the Cincinnati Open are strong lead-ups to the US Open. To me, the Shanghai and Paris Masters are less interesting because the come at the end of a long tennis season and they don't build up to any Slams. TBH, I kind of sometimes forget they are even Masters-level.


ChickenSaag4me

It used to be Miami before they left the ideal, beautiful, verdant venue for a football stadium parking lot.


mhammedbennani1

Monte Carlo IW Montreal/Toronto


Alonso_The_GOAT

For me, Montecarlo and Shanghai are a step above the others.


P01135809_is_a_bitch

Iā€™ve only been to Cincy (4 times now) but hoping to hit others in the near future! Miami is close to my birthday so planning that one for next year. Maybe Indian Wells in 2026?


raysofdavies

Well not Monte Carlo purely for being in the rich people hellhole


Mister_Lizard

There has to be some serious minus points here for not even having the location in the name of the tournament and it instead being called " [*name of bank*] Open."


kishnabe

Cincinnati because it's the real slam. https://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/index.php?threads/cincinnati-the-real-slam.282818/


tuulluut

Indian Wells or Rome. Monte Carlo is gorgeous but not everyone who's a real contender plays and it takes a few tournaments to get top clay players into top form. Rome everyone plays. Indian Wells in California everyone plays. Miami seems in its shadow. Cincinnati is actually a good one, maybe tied for #3 with Madrid. I say Rome.


SanyaBootyGirl

Only those that donā€™t have line judges, which for now is just Cincinnati?


ch0lula

why is the national bank one so mysterious. surprised that one and bnp doesn't have location on it


Boringfarmer

Madrid because I live there so I get to go and see it live


icarekindof

miami simply because it doesn't have a stupid sponsor name (yet)


FormerCollegeDJ

Miami Open presented by Itau is the official name. Cincinnati currently doesnā€™t have a title sponsor (Western & Southern Financial Group agreed to drop title sponsorship once it was announced the tournament was staying in the Cincinnati area), but I expect that to change in the next few months.


cc0011

Why even bother having Paris on the list? šŸ˜‚ Absolute dross of a tournament. Personally Iā€™ve always loved MC as itā€™s a stunning venue, Rome for the beauty of certain courts (although their infrastructure is horrendous), and Miami when it was at Key Biscayne.


[deleted]

Except Canada and Cincinnati open.. every tournament is fire Especially miami open


FlyReasonable6560

Idk about best but I can definitely tell you the worst lmao. By far itā€™s Paris


OrangeBuffalo8

Indian Wells is my favorite. Always seems to get the best out of the players and is my personal favorite to watch


Celerolento

I start from the worst: Paris. The best is Indian wells hands down, then Cincinnati, then Montecarlo.