Tim Henman: "I am fully in favor of a Masters 1000 on grass"

Tim Henman states he supports "fully" the creation of a Masters 1000 on grass, and reveals the obstacles that could change everything.

AFP

Arthur Millot

le 01/12/2025 à 14h35

2 min to read

Henman

During an appearance on Sky Sports, Tim Henman, a key figure in British tennis, expressed more enthusiasm than ever for the addition of a new Masters 1000 event to the calendar.

And especially, for the even bolder prospect of a Masters 1000 on grass, a surface that still lacks a tournament of this category.

"There are too many uninteresting tournaments... but one more Masters 1000?"

Henman has never hidden his strong opinion on the ATP calendar: too dense, too unclear, too scattered. Yet, he does not oppose the idea of adding a major event:

"We need to focus our efforts on the Grand Slams and the Masters 1000: where the best players compete most often."

A clear message: reduce the number of small tournaments to better highlight the pinnacle of tennis.

The glaring lack: no Masters 1000 on grass

The statistic is relentless: 6 Masters 1000 on hard courts, 3 on clay, but 0 on grass.

An anomaly, according to Henman: "I would love to see such a tournament. If there are Masters 1000 on all other surfaces, why not on grass?"

Today, aside from Wimbledon, the grass season consists of two ATP 500s and four ATP 250s. Too little for a legendary surface, too little to satisfy purists.

Major obstacles: "Its implementation would be more complex than one might think"

However, Henman tempers his enthusiasm due to factors that hinder such a decision: fragile infrastructure, very limited calendar windows, only three weeks between Roland Garros and Wimbledon, with only one truly usable.

"This intermediate week would be an obvious opportunity... But the formalities are not simple."

Yet he concludes without hesitation: "I would fully support the principle of a Masters 1000 on grass."

Between passionate declarations and structural obstacles, the question is now on the table: can tennis give grass the prestige it deserves?