ATP chief Andrea Gaudenzi addresses likelihood of a future Masters 1000 grass event
The Italian indicated that Germany and the U.K. "has the same chances" of being selected if the targeted calendar update moves forward.
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A new Masters 1000 event on grass—most likely in Germany—is backed by ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi.
The tour chief told Germany's Tennis Magazin, "Our plan is to have 10 Masters events," adding that the most obvious addition was during the grass season.
"There are three weeks between the French Open and Wimbledon. Grass is the only surface on which a Masters 1000 tournament is not played," he said.
The ATP 500 Halle event in Germany and the ATP 500 in Queen's, London, are usually considered candidates to hold such an event.
Assessing the two possible locations, Gaudenzi said a ''grass Masters makes sense, especially in the large and important market of Germany, which was the number one tennis market in the 1990s. Germans love tennis and its history. It's the same with the U.K. market. It has the same chances as Germany. It offers the advantage that the players are already in London before Wimbledon. But London has Wimbledon."
Along with Halle, which is run independently, the German federation (DTB) could also look at Munich, Hamburg, Dusseldorf and other locations.
"Ultimately, this is due to the Deutsche Tennis Bund, which has to clarify internally which city is most suitable," said Gaudenzi. "Generally, there is the preference of the ATP board that they would rather play in big iconic cities. There's Melbourne, Paris, London, and New York, for the four Grand Slams."
No timeline was announced.