Paris Masters prepares for bow on 'second biggest court in world'

Paris: The Paris Masters will debut in its new La Defense Arena home this month, with the showpiece court in the venue set to be trumped by only the U...

Paris: The Paris Masters will debut in its new La Defense Arena home this month, with the showpiece court in the venue set to be trumped by only the US Open's Arthur Ashe Stadium on the current global circuit.

Its new base, an indoor arena opened in 2017 in the western suburbs of Paris, is also the home of French Top 14 rugby club Racing 92.

Tournament director Cedric Pioline spoke to AFP ahead of the the 2025 edition of the ATP Masters 1000 event, which will run from October 27 to November 2.

"The centre court will have a capacity of around 17,500 people, making it the second biggest court in the world for perennial events (tournaments held annually), behind the US Open centre court," the former world number five-ranked player revealed.

"There will be just over 4,000 seats on Court No. 1 and 4,000 on Court No. 2. Court No. 3 has a capacity of a few hundred seats."