A bitter second place? This Monday, the Accor Arena in Paris was ranked second concert hall in the world in its category. In this annual ranking established by American magazines Venues Now And Pollstar“Bercy” is located just behind the legendary Madison Square Garden in New York and in front of the recent O2 Arena in London.
Good news in the form of a ray of sunshine in the shady sky of the last few days for the hosts of the Paris Rolex Masters tennis tournament, won again this year by Djokovic, before soon saying goodbye to the yellow ball.
A move that seems certain
Because if nothing is yet official today, there is no longer any doubt that the old Paris-Bercy Open should sail towards new skies, those of Nanterre and its modern and gigantic Paris La Défense Arena in 2025.
Cédric Pioline, the director of the Rolex Paris Masters, himself added fuel to the rumor mill this Sunday, during the tournament final. Asked by 20 minutes, the former player praised the success and organization of this “exceptional” 2023 edition before highlighting the shortcomings of the current facilities. Annex courts at “too low” height, “insufficient” reception capacity, etc.
According to him, it is the fear of “losing the status and the Masters 1000 label” which motivates the reflection of the French Tennis Federation (FFT) with the aim of “securing the label over the next ten or fifteen years”. In Paris La Défense Arena? “Indeed, we would have all the facilities necessary to organize a Masters 1000 like this, in the format we know with the heights and standards. We would meet all the necessary criteria. »
More exemptions for Bercy and ever greater requirements
Conditions that Bercy no longer meets, which has hosted the tournament since its beginnings in 1986. Beneficiary of an exemption from the ATP (organizing body of the international men’s circuit), the Accor Arena has a central court with 15,000 seats and two small annex courts with 1,200 and 600 seats. The training courts are located in a giant inflatable bubble near the Accor Hotel Arena.
The ATP should soon no longer grant this exemption. Bad news which is accompanied by the gradual increase in the number of matches in tournaments, the desire to join men’s and women’s tournaments and competition from countries like Saudi Arabia, which is insistently suspicious of labels. of the ATP and the WTA (women’s circuit). And that of Paris would be a perfect match for this new competition.
A plan that meets the specifications according to the Accor Arena
What makes a move inevitable? Not really, since following a consultation launched in 2022, the management of the Accor Arena presented a project to the FFT last June to completely restructure the tournament. “We proposed a format that meets the ATP specifications for 2025 and for the following years,” explains Nicolas Dupeux to 20 minutes.
A format which includes three courts in the Bercy park, near the Arena and supported by the Paris City Hall which has undertaken to renovate at its own expense the skate park which will host a court, and has obtained the necessary authorizations for install one near the listed fountain in the park.
Mass has been said ?
But all these efforts seem to have been in vain. Present at the presentation of the project in June, Pierre Rabadan, Anne Hidalgo’s deputy in charge of sports, did not hide his incomprehension: “We proposed significant transformations, in accordance with the requirements. Moreover, the reaction of the FFT was extraordinarily enthusiastic in June. But in July, we learned that discussions were open with Paris La Défense Arena and since then, no more sound, no more image from the federation. »
Same story from Nicolas Dupeux: “We hear here and there that the FFT is in discussions about the Paris Rolex Masters. If so, it’s not with us since we haven’t heard from him for months. » For the two responsible, the reason for this silence is simple: mass would be said. If the FFT remains as silent to our requests as to theirs, their premonition finds an echo on the side of Paris La Défense Arena.
Paris La Défense Arena, assets, but no official plan
When contacted, the management of the performance hall refused to comment on this matter. But a manager, contacted by 20 minutes, nevertheless admits that discussions are underway: “There are discussions on this subject. Paris La Défense Arena is a young, modern venue and presents the latest standards and the most efficient technical grill in Europe which allows for a huge number of possibilities. When certain organizers need to make a move, it makes sense that we be consulted. »
Because the new hall in the largest business district in Europe has assets and displays them without batting an eyelid: It hosts international events, hosts Racing 92 rugby matches, has around a hundred boxes and eight lounges for the famous hospitality, those which bring in the most money for the FFT. All with 43,000 seats available and access to important transport which will expand with the future RER E. A heavyweight.
A heavyweight, but one that advances masked. Because if it now seems inevitable that it will host the Paris tournament in the future, nothing has yet leaked about its plans, its projects, nor its proposals to the FFT.
A feeling of helplessness
No more than the reasons which push the federation, whose president Gilles Moretton obtained from its Executive Committee the exclusive management of the negotiations on this file, to remain silent in the face of the calls from the Accor Arena and the Paris City Hall (and from 20 minutes).
“We can hear that the decision is made and that it is not in our favor,” comments Nicolas Dupeux, “if we have hosted it for 37 years, the tournament belongs to them. But we are asking for an official statement and explanation. » Because the director of the Accor Arena can’t find any. “If there are other elements, economic or political that we don’t know… we are ready to hear everything. Except that we are moving because Bercy would not meet the specifications. » The proven good relationship between Moretton and Amélie-Oudéa-Castera, his former CEO at the FFT, escapes no one in the industry, as does the natural proximity of the president of the Nanterre Arena to tennis: Frédéric Longupée, also a former PSG and the Girondins de Bordeaux, worked for a long time at the Tennis Federation in the early 2000s.
Pierre Rabadan reveals the same feeling of helplessness: “We would like to understand the whole equation. It seems that we are missing some points. Because apart from saying that we are moving a tournament that works… A tournament intimately linked to Paris, not its history, by its name. I have always said that tennis in the capital walks on two legs: Roland Garros and Bercy. If he loses one, he will walk less well. »
Paris Rolex Masters without Paris?
Moreover, the elected official assures him, if the tournament is relocated to “La Défense Arena”, “I have difficulty saying Paris La Défense Arena because it is not in Paris”, the relations between the city and the FFT will find themselves “changed”. “I don’t see the city continuing to provide support in terms of communication and events in the event of a move to Nanterre,” adds Nicolas Dupeux.
The director does not forget to launch an appeal through our lines: “The desire to continue is deep among us, as among our spectators and our customers. Also, if the FFT wishes to review its position, we would be honored to continue this story together. »