Nadal Thinks Acapulco Deserves 1000 Masters Status!

Ha ha! Just kidding. Actually it's Djokovic who thinks Dubai deserves 1000 Masters status...

Novak Djokovic is touting the Dubai tournament for possible Masters 1000 status after winning the title for the fourth time in five years.

The world No. 1 is quick to list the benefits of the desert classic, which has been dominated over the last seasons by himself and part-time resident Roger Federer.

"Theres not much to say except the fact that it's elected for last 10 years as the best tournament in the world in '500 series," said the Serb. "You have always at least four, five players from top 10 coming here and always entertaining weeks of tennis with the women's the week before and then men's back-to-back, have over 100,000 people coming to watch.

"I don't know a single player who has played here and has a negative feeling about the tournament. On the contrary, everybody wishes that this tournament is played for a bit longer time, also, like we have Indian Wells and Miami, and I think that this tournament deserves."

http://www.tennistalk.com/en/news/20130304/Djokovic_thinks_Dubai_deserves_1000_Masters_status

Funny Djoko was saying the same thing about Dubai! I think it is obligatory when you win a 500 event to say that it should be a masters event. Almost like thanking the ballboys or something.

Someone didn't actually read the article beyond the title?

Anyway, Dubai tournament director was interviewed in the past and he said there was no point them applying for 1000 status because they got the top players anyway. I think they have to pay a lot money to get 1000 status.

I think that there is too big a gap between 100, 500 and 250. it doesn't make sense to me since you obviously get some 500s that are bigger than others. It should be 1000/800/600/400/250.

Every season each tournament should be reviewed and based on a formula should be considered for "promotion" and "relegation" to the levels either side. The formula could consider prize money offered, stadium size, a fans poll, feedback from fans attending to how well the event was run etc, total attendance, total revenue, player votes, media votes, and history (points for the number of years played). There would also be points given based on the ranking of players that attended as well as based on how far the top players actually progress. That would be a fair and democratic system. At the moment you have a system where you just have to pay to get the 1000 status and it's who's in with the cronies or who knows how they even do it.

Also there should be no such thing as a mandatory tournament.

I think there needs to be a constant evaluation of events, making sure they are attended at the level they once were. Memphis, appears to have been a genuine stop for the top Americans, then became a place where a middling player could win 500 points. Whereas an event in France had del Potro, Berdych, Tsonga etc. for 250 the same week.

Down to a 250 next season though is Memphis.

Ah, I wonder how they worked that downgrade out.

I don't know henman bill i like the simple 4 tier system. There is a nice symmetry to it. I think adding more grades of tournaments simply ends up devaluing the events more than differentiating. I mean having events for 800 doesn't leave the masters with enough prestige and they are already in my mind undervalued. I don't see a real problem with the system we have.

hamburg used to be a great tournament, now it is a shadow of itself at 500.
Not the best quality fields either, no top players ever go.

Henman Bill wrote:Ah, I wonder how they worked that downgrade out.

San Jose (250) was moved to Rio, and Memphis was reduced to a 250, so that Rio could become an ATP 500.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis/2012/04/Features/ATP-Statement-Memphis-Rio-San-Jose.aspx

socal1976 wrote:Funny Djoko was saying the same thing about Dubai! I think it is obligatory when you win a 500 event to say that it should be a masters event. Almost like thanking the ballboys or something.

Socal did you read the article?

Actually all these events have to be evaluated.

I read it, just missed the first line. I blame the bold font below and posting while at work.

There are too many 1000s, and slams are too high in points for me also. Should be relative to toughness/depth of draw.

Slams=1500pts
Iw/Miami/Rome/Madrid/WTF = 1000
Dubai/Mc/Cincy/Canada/Hamburg = 750
Halle, Paris, Shanghai, Mexico etc...= 500
Usual 250s...

Why would you give the 500 to Halle and not Queens?

Fair point...Halle has bigger prize money, bigger facilities, the roof, etc, and slightly stronger draw these days, only Murray out of the big guys goes to Queens plus Tsonga. Berdy goes to Halle. Plus they're on at the same week...if they could separate them then maybe it's a possibility but you don't tend to see 2 events of the same surface and points played geographically close to one another, e.g. US, Europe, in the same week.

Fair enough, personally I would give it to Queens but I see your point.

By the way Berdy is at Queens this year

http://www.espn.co.uk/tennis/sport/story/196230.html

Nice spot carrieg, didn't know that. Will be good to see his game on the quick courts of Queens. The whole thing is stupid though...2 nice events packed into the same week, little time between RG and SW19 and no grass Masters. Maybe one day they'll take a good look at the schedule...

lydian wrote:Nice spot carrieg, didn't know that. Will be good to see his game on the quick courts of Queens. The whole thing is stupid though...2 nice events packed into the same week, little time between RG and SW19 and no grass Masters. Maybe one day they'll take a good look at the schedule...

We can only hope. It is ridiculous how short the grass court season is.

Good job OP for painting another un-necessary target on Nadal's back

Simple. Make Cinncy a Grass Masters and bring it forward.

I care not for the point system. Won't alter who sits at top of the game.

just missed the first line? what about the second part and the reference there to "Novak Djokovic" and"Dubai" and "winning the title for the fourth time in five years."

And in third part "world No. 1" "desert classic", "dominated over the last seasons by himself and part-time resident Roger Federer."

In the next part, "said the Serb".

Rather a fast skim read, I'd say, unless you think Nadal is a world no 1 Serbian and Roger Federer is part time resident in Acapulco!

hehe, just teasing.

The thing with Queens.. it's clearly mid way between a 250 and a 500. Precisely because of tournament like this kind of thing I prefer either 250/400/600/800/1000 or 250/400/750/1000 could also work.

Queens is well ahead of other 250s. It needs to be a 400.

Dubai well ahead of other 500s but needs to be less than a masters...

soz HB, I don't see anything wrong with the points at present, just the tournaments points values.

As there are what half a dozen grass events in a short space of time, i think that is why they aren't classed above a 250, i could be wrong but just a hunch.
If there were more grass events perhaps it would be given a higher status.

I am making numerous simple mistakes recently HB, I blame it on being really busy and years of binge drinking. Made another howler on the IW thread as well, if you like please lambaste me there as well. JK

No way slams should be worth less, the current system is pretty good, look in any classification you will have tournaments that get better fields, have better prize money or better slots in the calendar. For me there isn't a problem with the point distribution in the events.

legendkillarV2 wrote:Good job OP for painting another un-necessary target on Nadal's back

Simple. Make Cinncy a Grass Masters and bring it forward.

I care not for the point system. Won't alter who sits at top of the game.

Ha ha! legendkillarV2. You were the only one who fell for my little joke.