Calendar Modification from 2015

[coban]

I honestly think that Halle should be a 1000 event, it even has a roof. It's perfectly located in regards to calender and travel.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

If anyone know as to what is the current situation with respect to the plans of
Gstaad becoming "Wimbledon of the Alps", please post a message about it.
It would be appreciated.

 

[JesuslookslikeBorg]

I honestly think that Halle should be a 1000 event, it even has a roof. It's perfectly located in regards to calender and travel.

no. the site is too small to be upgraded to a masters. it cannot happen, no dice.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

Actually, I don't want a grass masters with just three weeks gap between FO and AO.
We cannot have top players duking it out all the time. I would like a Grass Masters
if there is 5 week grass season prior to Wimbledon. But, that is a pipe dream and
would not happen.

On a related note, I think ATP should do something similar to WTA. They should make
five of the 8 Masters Mandatory, preferably the ones just before GSs and other important
ones. They would be Indian Wells, Miami, Rome, Cincinatti and Paris. In addition they
should create a new category of semi-mandatory masters and the players should
be asked to play in at least two of the other four viz., Monte Carlo, Madrid, Canada and
Shanghai. The total number of tournaments taken into account should be maintained
the same. The 18 results taken into account should be 4GS + 5 Mandatory ATP 1000 events +
Best two of 4 Semi-Mandatory ATP 1000s +4 ATP500 events + 3 Best results from
all other tournaments played.

The above scheme would have the following benefits.

1. It would have the top players duking it out in half of the total number of
tournaments counted for ranking, viz., 9 out of 18 (not counting WTF).
Currently, they have to do it 12 out of 18 and that is too much. Although
fans like it, I suspect the players don't like. 9 out of 18 would be perfect.
It would be neither too less nor too much.

2. Currently Monte Carlo alone enjoys a weird status. It offers 1000 points,
but is not mandatory. It would be nice if they can create a new tier
of semi-mandatory masters consisting of those ATP 1000 events which
many players do not like to play. Certainly many players do not like
to play in Madrid and also in Shanghai due to travel. So, they can
group MC, Madrid, Canada and Shanghai in this tier of semi-mandatory
tournaments which offer 1000 points. Note that I am still insisting that
players should play in at least two of the above four tournaments and
hence the name semi-mandatory tournaments.

3. Finally, it would give a boost to Bercy Masters which usually suffers
from lot of withdrawals.

 

[August]

Just giving a bump to this thread. Sign the petition to move Hamburg to the
same week as Barcelona if you agree.

As the Portuguese event is in financial trouble, maybe there would be space in the pre-RG clay season. Create a small German tour, Munich 250 on BCN 500's week, Hamburg 500 on Munich's old week before Madrid 1000. Actually I was quite surprised to see Hamburg to retain the 500 status, as Halle (and Queen's Club) got upgraded, I expected a German 500 to get downgraded)

Or even better, switch to grass courts in Hamburg, give yet one or two extra weeks for grass, and have a grass Masters in Hamburg. Germany lacks a Masters, Halle has the stadium but is quite a small town, Hamburg would be ideal for a Masters.

Nottingham won big. They are hosting a WTA tournament in the 1st week and the
ATP tournament in the 3rd week of the Grass season. Till last year, they had neither
of these sanctions.

However, they used to have a Men's challenger event in the week following FO
till last year. I am assuming that they are folding that event, but I don't know as a fact.

Historically, they used to have a regular grass tune-up event till 2008.

So will the ATP event be played on worn-out grass?

 

[GameSetAndMath]

Just giving a bump to this thread. Sign the petition to move Hamburg to the
same week as Barcelona if you agree.

As the Portuguese event is in financial trouble, maybe there would be space in the pre-RG clay season. Create a small German tour, Munich 250 on BCN 500's week, Hamburg 500 on Munich's old week before Madrid 1000. Actually I was quite surprised to see Hamburg to retain the 500 status, as Halle (and Queen's Club) got upgraded, I expected a German 500 to get downgraded)

Or even better, switch to grass courts in Hamburg, give yet one or two extra weeks for grass, and have a grass Masters in Hamburg. Germany lacks a Masters, Halle has the stadium but is quite a small town, Hamburg would be ideal for a Masters.

1. Madrid is in Spain.

2. Hamburg considered moving to Grass and finally decided against it.

 

[August]

1. Madrid is in Spain.

I know, I was only speaking about having Munich and Hamburg back-to-back.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

I thought I will give a bump to this thread and bring my Pet Peeve again
right in the middle of clay season.

They should move the Hamburg ATP 500 clay event for the same week as
Barcelona. That would restore some lost prestige to Hamburg as it will be
played before RG.

Having two ATP 500s on clay in the same week is consistent with other
parallel such 500 events (Dubai and Acapulco, Valencia and Basel, China and Japan,
Halle and Queens). This would also give an opportunity for players looking for a clay
event of reasonable importance that is mostly Spaniard Free.

They can move Bucharest to the following week as it has only two tourneys
now where as it used to have three before (the Serbian Open died).

 

[tented]

I thought I will give a bump to this thread and bring my Pet Peeve again
right in the middle of clay season.

They should move the Hamburg ATP 500 clay event for the same week as
Barcelona. That would restore some lost prestige to Hamburg as it will be
played before RG.

Having two ATP 500s on clay in the same week is consistent with other
parallel such 500 events (Dubai and Acapulco, Valencia and Basel, China and Japan,
Halle and Queens). This would also give an opportunity for players looking for a clay
event of reasonable importance that is mostly Spaniard Free.

They can move Bucharest to the following week as it has only two tourneys
now where as it used to have three before (the Serbian Open died).

You're trying to introduce logic to a situation rife with emotion. The ATP will probably forever be pissed off at the Hamburg organizers for the legal mess created when the tournament was downgraded from a Masters to a 500.

So, while I agree, I don't see it happening.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

I thought I will give a bump to this thread and bring my Pet Peeve again
right in the middle of clay season.

They should move the Hamburg ATP 500 clay event for the same week as
Barcelona. That would restore some lost prestige to Hamburg as it will be
played before RG.

Having two ATP 500s on clay in the same week is consistent with other
parallel such 500 events (Dubai and Acapulco, Valencia and Basel, China and Japan,
Halle and Queens). This would also give an opportunity for players looking for a clay
event of reasonable importance that is mostly Spaniard Free.

They can move Bucharest to the following week as it has only two tourneys
now where as it used to have three before (the Serbian Open died).

You're trying to introduce logical to a situation rife with emotion. The ATP will probably forever be pissed off at the Hamburg organizers for the legal mess created when the tournament was downgraded from a Masters to a 500.

So, while I agree, I don't see it happening.

Ya, I agree with you. There is no logical reason not to move Hamburg to a spot before
FO. ATP just wants to screw them. That's all.