Hey there, fellow tennis enthusiasts It’s your girl Mia Johnson-Carter here, living the dream in Miami. Today, I’m super excited to dive into some thrilling news from the world of tennis. The last Masters 1000 of the season, the Rolex Paris Masters, just wrapped up in style, and there are plenty of takeaways to share.
The final match saw **Alexander Zverev** dominating against local idol **Ugo Humbert**. This victory marked Zverev’s second Masters 1000 win this year, following his triumph in Rome. He adapted perfectly to the fast conditions of this edition, which was a significant factor in his success. The German champion is now ranked number 2 in the world, and his performance at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin is looking promising.
Ugo Humbert had a disappointing run despite being the big surprise of the week. He eliminated the four-time Grand Slam champion **Carlos Alcaraz** in one of the best matches of his career. However, unlike Zverev, Humbert struggled with the fast surface and complained about its excessive speed from the start. The serve played a crucial role in most matches, and Zverev’s performance showcased his adaptability to these conditions.
Despite the absence of defending champion Novak Djokovic and World No. 1 Jannik Sinner, the Rolex Paris Masters still managed to attract a record-breaking 276,416 spectators over nine days. This attendance is a testament to the tournament’s growing popularity, thanks in part to tournament director **Cedric Pioline**’s efforts to improve several aspects of the event.
Cedric Pioline is proud of the progress made this year, especially with the new match schedule that prevented late-night matches. The tournament will move to a new venue starting in 2025—the Paris La Defense Arena—a facility that hosted swimming competitions during the Paris Olympics this summer.
“We had 176,416 spectators for this edition, more than 6,300 compared to last year. Mainly because of the new qualification gauge, since we had opened to 6,000 people a day on the first weekend. It was an emotional edition” – Pioline said in the press conference after the end of the tournament.
The transition to the new venue is an exciting development for tennis fans worldwide. The Paris La Defense Arena will feature a center court with over 16,000 seats, making it slightly larger than the Accor Arena.
“It’s not yet finalized, of course. We will build something different; the identity in this new venue will be built over time and we will do everything to make it as positive as possible. The best players in the world will always be there, so I’m not really worried about how we’re going to get the same kind of vibe.”
Cedric Pioline is ready for the next challenge: “Next year will be intense because we started off on a blank sheet, almost, so to get to the final result, in one year at the Paris La Défense Arena, there will be a lot of things to set up. Whereas here, there were a lot of copies-pasted from one year to the next. We will have a center court with a capacity of more than 16,000 seats, which is slightly more than the Accor Arena.”
The Rolex Paris Masters has often been considered the least prestigious of the Masters 1000 due to its difficult placement in the calendar and frequent absences from top players. However, under Pioline’s leadership, it has taken important steps towards becoming a top-tier tournament.
In conclusion, this year’s Rolex Paris Masters was filled with exciting moments and records broken. The transition to a new venue promises even more thrilling matches ahead. If you want to stay updated on all things tennis, be sure to check out the latest news where I found it [here](https://www.tennisworldusa.org/tennis/news/ATP_Tennis/149529/rolex-paris-masters-cedric-pioline-reveals-some-secrets-of-the-new-venue/).
Yours truly,
Mia
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