Masters France
Encyclopedia
The Masters France is a professional tennis
exhibition
round robin
singles-only tournament, played on indoor hard courts, specifically Plexicushion
. It is held annually in December at the Palais des Sports de Toulouse in Toulouse
, France, since 2008. The eight players qualified for the event are the top seven French players, based on their performance in the four Association of Tennis Professionals
(ATP) tournaments held in France, the Marseille Open 13
, the Metz Open de Moselle
, the Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon
, and the Paris BNP Paribas Masters
, and an eighth French player receiving a wild card.
In February 2008, during the 2008 Open 13
in Marseille
, three former professional French tennis players, Jean-François Caujolle
, Gilles Moretton
and Jean-Louis Haillet
announced the creation on their impulse, and with the participation of the French Tennis Federation
(Fédération Française de Tennis - FFT) of a special year-end event for French tennis players, intended to reinforce competition in the four existing French ATP events on the tour, recreate an event similar to the defunct French National Singles Championships, and bring back a large tennis event in Toulouse after the discontinuation of the Grand Prix de Tennis de Toulouse in 2000. The Masters France was conceived as a round robin tournament with a prize money of 280,000€, with two groups of four players, to determine the finalists, matches played in two sets and a match tie-break, and including the seven players having won the most ATP points in the four French ATP events of Marseille, Metz, Lyon and Paris, and an additional wild card. The event, first planned to be played in November, right after the BNP Paribas Masters, was moved to late December, and the surface of choice was changed from a fast indoor hard court to a slower Plexicushion
court, to transform the event into a warm-up tournament for the following year's Australian Open
.
The first Masters France was scheduled to be played from December 18 through December 21, with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Paul-Henri Mathieu
, Gilles Simon
, Julien Benneteau
, Adrian Mannarino
, Nicolas Mahut
, Marc Gicquel
and Richard Gasquet
as the wild card. Tsonga decided to withdraw on December 2, explaining he wanted to delay his return to competition, and set up his own preparation at the end of December for the 2009 Australian Open
, and was replaced by Michaël Llodra
. Gasquet also withdrew on December 9, due to a lack of preparation after being sidelined for several weeks due to injury, and was replaced by Arnaud Clément
. Mahut eventually pulled out on December 16, two days before the event, and was replaced by Lyon quarterfinalist and Rennes Challenger
winner Josselin Ouanna
.
Gicquel, Ouanna, Clément and Mannarino were eventually eliminated in the round robin stage of the event, with Julien Benneteau and Paul-Henri Mathieu qualifying for the third place match, and Gilles Simon and Michaël Llodra for the final. The third place match was dominated by Mathieu until 7–5, 4–4, when Benneteau managed to break back, and kept his momentum to win the match tie-break, and clinch the tournament's third place, on the score of 5–7, 6–4, 10–4. The final saw Simon took the early advantage, as the Tennis Masters Cup semifinalist broke Llodra twice to lead 5–1, before the Adelaide
and Rotterdam
titlist lined up 6 straight games to win the set 7–5. Both players broke each other repeatedly in the second set, until the tie-break, where Simon saved two match points for Llodra, and snatched the set 7–6(7). Already diminished by an arm strain, Llodra decided to retire, allowing the World No. 7, winner of Casablanca
, Indianapolis
and Bucharest
during the season, to become the first champion of the Masters France.
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
exhibition
Exhibition game
An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
round robin
Round-robin tournament
A round-robin tournament is a competition "in which each contestant meets all other contestants in turn".-Terminology:...
singles-only tournament, played on indoor hard courts, specifically Plexicushion
Plexicushion
Plexicushion is a tennis surface system made by Plexipave, a company based in Massachusetts, USA.- Description :According to the Plexipave website there are four different types of Plexicushion...
. It is held annually in December at the Palais des Sports de Toulouse in Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
, France, since 2008. The eight players qualified for the event are the top seven French players, based on their performance in the four Association of Tennis Professionals
Association of Tennis Professionals
The Association of Tennis Professionals or ATP was formed in 1972 by Donald Dell, Jack Kramer, and Cliff Drysdale to protect the interests of male professional tennis players. Since 1990, the association has organized the worldwide tennis tour for men and linked the title of the tour with the...
(ATP) tournaments held in France, the Marseille Open 13
Open 13
The Open 13 is an annual men's tennis tournament played in Marseille, France. The tournament is an ATP World Tour 250 series event on the Association of Tennis Professionals tour. It is held for one week in February...
, the Metz Open de Moselle
Open de Moselle
The Open de Moselle is a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It is currently part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the ATP Tour. It has been held annually since 2003. The venue for the tournament was the Arènes until 2010 and is now the Parc des Expositions since 2011...
, the Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon
Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon
The Open Sud de France is a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It is currently part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the ATP Tour. It was held annually at the Palais des Sports de Gerland in Lyon, France, in October, from 1987 through to 2009, before being relocated to...
, and the Paris BNP Paribas Masters
Paris Masters
The Paris Masters is an annual tennis tournament for male professional players held in Paris, France. It is played indoors at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy. The event is part of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 on the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour...
, and an eighth French player receiving a wild card.
Creation
2008 Open 13
The 2008 Open 13 was a tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 16th edition of the Open 13, and was part of the International Series of the 2008 ATP Tour. It took place at the Palais des Sports in Marseille, France, from February 11 through February 17, 2008.The field featured...
in Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
, three former professional French tennis players, Jean-François Caujolle
Jean-François Caujolle
Jean-François Caujolle , is a former professional tennis player from France. He reached a career-high ranking of No. 71 in singles on December 26, 1979....
, Gilles Moretton
Gilles Moretton
Gilles Moretton , is a former professional tennis player from France. He enjoyed most of his tennis success while playing doubles. During his career he won 4 doubles titles. He achieved a career-high doubles ranking of World No...
and Jean-Louis Haillet
Jean-Louis Haillet
Jean-Louis Haillet , is a former professional tennis player from France.Haillet enjoyed most of his tennis success while playing doubles. During his career he won 2 doubles titles.-Doubles titles :-Runner-ups :...
announced the creation on their impulse, and with the participation of the French Tennis Federation
Fédération Française de Tennis
The Fédération Française de Tennis , also known as the FFT is an organisation set up in 1920 that takes charge of the organisation, co-ordination and promotion of tennis in France. It is recognised by the International Tennis Federation and by the French Minister for Sports. Its headquarters are at...
(Fédération Française de Tennis - FFT) of a special year-end event for French tennis players, intended to reinforce competition in the four existing French ATP events on the tour, recreate an event similar to the defunct French National Singles Championships, and bring back a large tennis event in Toulouse after the discontinuation of the Grand Prix de Tennis de Toulouse in 2000. The Masters France was conceived as a round robin tournament with a prize money of 280,000€, with two groups of four players, to determine the finalists, matches played in two sets and a match tie-break, and including the seven players having won the most ATP points in the four French ATP events of Marseille, Metz, Lyon and Paris, and an additional wild card. The event, first planned to be played in November, right after the BNP Paribas Masters, was moved to late December, and the surface of choice was changed from a fast indoor hard court to a slower Plexicushion
Plexicushion
Plexicushion is a tennis surface system made by Plexipave, a company based in Massachusetts, USA.- Description :According to the Plexipave website there are four different types of Plexicushion...
court, to transform the event into a warm-up tournament for the following year's Australian Open
Australian Open
The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam tennis tournament held in the southern hemisphere. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was last contested on grass in 1987. Since 1972 the Australian Open has been held in Melbourne, Victoria. In 1988, the tournament became a hard court...
.
First event
Paul-Henri Mathieu
Paul-Henri Mathieu is a French tennis player.-Tennis career:Mathieu was born in Strasbourg, France. He first began playing tennis at age 3, with his older brother Pierre-Yves. Between 1997 and 2000 he trained at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Bradenton, Florida...
, Gilles Simon
Gilles Simon
Gilles Simon is a French professional tennis player and former world no. 6. He is a nine-time winner on the ATP World Tour...
, Julien Benneteau
Julien Benneteau
Julien Benneteau is a professional male tennis player from France. His career-best singles ranking is ATP world no. 32, which he reached in July 2010. He formerly resided in Boulogne Billancourt and now lives in Geneva...
, Adrian Mannarino
Adrian Mannarino
Adrian Mannarino is a professional tennis player from France. Mannarino competes predominantly on the ATP Challenger Series and Futures circuit. His career high rank is #53, achieved on 16 May 2011....
, Nicolas Mahut
Nicolas Mahut
Nicolas Pierre Armand Mahut is a French tennis player. Mahut is right-handed and has previously won the Orange Bowl in 1999, becoming professional in 2000. He is a good serve and volleyer and a doubles expert, having won many tournaments with his doubles partner Julien Benneteau. His career high...
, Marc Gicquel
Marc Gicquel
Marc Gicquel is a professional male tennis player from France. He turned pro in 1999.-Tennis career:...
and Richard Gasquet
Richard Gasquet
Richard Gasquet is a French professional tennis player. He won the mixed doubles Grand Slam title at the 2004 French Open, partnering Tatiana Golovin. His highest ranking in singles is #7. His best achievements in tennis are reaching the semi-finals of Wimbledon in 2007 and later that year...
as the wild card. Tsonga decided to withdraw on December 2, explaining he wanted to delay his return to competition, and set up his own preparation at the end of December for the 2009 Australian Open
2009 Australian Open
The 2009 Australian Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 97th edition of the Australian Open, and the first Grand Slam event of the year. It took place at the Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, from 19 January through 1 February 2009. The 2009 men's...
, and was replaced by Michaël Llodra
Michaël Llodra
Michaël Llodra is a French professional tennis player. He is a prolific doubles player with three Grand Slam championships, and has also had success in singles.-Life and career:...
. Gasquet also withdrew on December 9, due to a lack of preparation after being sidelined for several weeks due to injury, and was replaced by Arnaud Clément
Arnaud Clément
Arnaud Clément is a professional tennis player from France. His best achievement is reaching the final of the 2001 Australian Open.-Career:Clément was born in Aix-en-Provence, and currently lives in Geneva, Switzerland...
. Mahut eventually pulled out on December 16, two days before the event, and was replaced by Lyon quarterfinalist and Rennes Challenger
2008 ATP Challenger Series
The ATP Challenger Series is the second tier tour for professional tennis organised by the ATP. The ATP Challenger Series includes tournaments with prize money ranging from $25,000 up to $150,000.-January:-February:-March:-April:-May:-June:...
winner Josselin Ouanna
Josselin Ouanna
Josselin Ouanna is a French tennis player. While a junior, he reached the final of the 2004 Australian Open. On October 20, 2008, he beat #46 Ivan Ljubičić in the first round of the Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon as a wild-card entry ranked #182. He then beat #83 Nicolás Lapentti but lost to #10...
.
Gicquel, Ouanna, Clément and Mannarino were eventually eliminated in the round robin stage of the event, with Julien Benneteau and Paul-Henri Mathieu qualifying for the third place match, and Gilles Simon and Michaël Llodra for the final. The third place match was dominated by Mathieu until 7–5, 4–4, when Benneteau managed to break back, and kept his momentum to win the match tie-break, and clinch the tournament's third place, on the score of 5–7, 6–4, 10–4. The final saw Simon took the early advantage, as the Tennis Masters Cup semifinalist broke Llodra twice to lead 5–1, before the Adelaide
2008 Next Generation Adelaide International
The 2008 Next Generation Adelaide International was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 31st edition of the event known that year as the Next Generation Adelaide International, and was part of the International Series of the 2008 ATP Tour...
and Rotterdam
2008 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament
The 2008 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament was a tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 36th edition of the event known that year as the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament, and was part of the ATP International Series Gold of the 2008 ATP Tour...
titlist lined up 6 straight games to win the set 7–5. Both players broke each other repeatedly in the second set, until the tie-break, where Simon saved two match points for Llodra, and snatched the set 7–6(7). Already diminished by an arm strain, Llodra decided to retire, allowing the World No. 7, winner of Casablanca
2008 Grand Prix Hassan II
The 2008 Grand Prix Hassan II was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 24th edition of the Grand Prix Hassan II, and was part of the International Series of the 2008 ATP Tour...
, Indianapolis
2008 Indianapolis Tennis Championships
The 2008 Indianapolis Tennis Championships was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 21st edition of the Indianapolis Tennis Championships, and was part of the International Series of the 2008 ATP Tour. It took place at the Indianapolis Tennis Center in Indianapolis,...
and Bucharest
2008 BCR Open Romania
The 2008 BCR Open Romania was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 16th edition of the event known that year as the BCR Open Romania, and was part of the International Series of the 2008 ATP Tour. It took place at the Arenele BNR in Bucharest, Romania, from September 8...
during the season, to become the first champion of the Masters France.
Past finals
| Year | Champion | Runner-up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 |  Julien BenneteauJulien Benneteau Julien Benneteau is a professional male tennis player from France. His career-best singles ranking is ATP world no. 32, which he reached in July 2010. He formerly resided in Boulogne Billancourt and now lives in Geneva... |
Arnaud Clément Arnaud Clément Arnaud Clément is a professional tennis player from France. His best achievement is reaching the final of the 2001 Australian Open.-Career:Clément was born in Aix-en-Provence, and currently lives in Geneva, Switzerland... |
7–6(2), 6–2 |
| 2008 2008 Masters France - Draw Gilles Simon won in the final 5–7, 7–6, after Michaël Llodra retired due to an arm injury.-Players:# Paul-Henri Mathieu # Gilles Simon # Julien Benneteau # Adrian Mannarino ... |
Gilles Simon Gilles Simon Gilles Simon is a French professional tennis player and former world no. 6. He is a nine-time winner on the ATP World Tour... |
Michaël Llodra Michaël Llodra Michaël Llodra is a French professional tennis player. He is a prolific doubles player with three Grand Slam championships, and has also had success in singles.-Life and career:... |
5–7, 7–6(7) retired |