Paris Masters relocated to La Defense Arena starting 2025

PARIS LA DEFENSE ARENA NUIT – CC BY-SA

The French tennis federation announced Monday that it had set a new location for the Paris Masters. Starting next year, the indoor tournament will be hosted at the Paris La Defense Arena.

The decision was taken due to capacity reasons. The tournament’s current home at the Bercy Arena can only host around 17,000 spectators. This number is slightly dwarfed by Paris La Defense’s capacity of 23,000 fans.

Bercy’s smaller courts also received criticism from tennis enthusiasts who maintained that they had outlived their prime. The Fédération Française de Tennis (FFT) said the courts at Paris La Defense would present significant improvements both in size and quality.

The FFT also received complaints regarding late finishes and poor scheduling while conducting the tournament at Bercy. The federation assured that this is also something they would improve as they move to a new venue.

First-time Grand Slam title holder Jannik Sinner last year withdrew during the Paris Masters. The Italian rising star said he could not rest properly between matches due to the federation’s scheduling issues.

Back in November, Sinner finished a match at nearly 3 a.m. He had only less than 12 hours to recover and face his next opponent. Other players applauded Sinner for his withdrawal as they also voiced their own complaints.

The FFT said it would change the current format of four daytime matches and two evening sessions to three daytime and two in the evening. The federation believes this arrangement could help fix the situation by avoiding starting matches too late.

“This is a major strategic decision for the Paris Maters,” FFT president Gilles Moretton said. “By moving to the Paris La Défense Arena, we will fulfill our ambitions by offering our athletes and spectators an experience they will remember.”

The Bercy Arena, also referred to as the Accor Arena, will host its final event from October 28-November 3.