Andy Murray's Bold Vision: Two New Masters 1000s That Never Happened
Before retiring in 2024, Andy Murray called for two new Masters 1000 tournaments – one in South America and one on grass. Neither has ever come to fruition.
Andy Murray had a very specific idea to evolve the ATP calendar.
Before retiring in 2024, the Scot had notably called for the creation of two new Masters 1000 tournaments.
In February 2024, a few months before hanging up his racket, Murray proposed organizing a true circuit dedicated to South America, including a Masters 1000 category tournament.
“Unpopular opinion: South America should have its own circuit on the calendar, with a series of tournaments and a Masters 1000. The way fans support tournaments there is incredible. The atmospheres are extraordinary and tennis is clearly part of their sporting culture,” he wrote.
A grass-court Masters 1000
Murray also advocated for strengthening the grass-court season, which he considered too short. As early as 2015, he had called for the creation of a Masters 1000 on this surface.
“I still think the grass-court season should be longer. There should be more tennis on this surface and, in my opinion, a grass-court Masters 1000. But it’s already a good start,” he said.
These two ideas have still not been implemented.
South America in particular remains faced with competition from other regions, like the Middle East, which attracts top players more thanks to more favorable financial conditions.
Grass, for its part, presents other difficulties. Its maintenance is particularly costly and the season on this surface remains very short, which complicates the creation of a new Masters 1000 tournament.
