The ATP Tour continues to announce changes to the calendar after several complaints from players across the 2026 season.
A Saudi Arabian Masters event is imminent, with the ATP 1000 tournament expected to be placed in the calendar in February or March from the 2028 season.
Elsewhere, ATP 250 events, the smallest events in the elite men’s game, are expected to be scaled back in the next few years, much to the chagrin of the lower-ranked players.
Now, the Argentina Open has been confirmed to undergo a big change from the 2028 season.
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The ATP 250 event has been a mainstay during the Golden Swing since 1927, where it has prodominately been played on clay.
The likes of Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, and Casper Ruud have all won the tournament over the past 20 years and it is often one of the best attended ATP 250 events on the calendar.
However, from the 2028 season it has now been confirmed to be switching to a hardcourt tournament.
It should not be a surprise as to why, although it will likely rankle with South Americans.
The Golden Swing, which also features tournaments in Brazil and Chile, takes place in February, at the same time as the Middle Eastern swing, which includes events in Dubai and Qatar.
Those Middle Eastern tournaments are far more lucrative for players, which often means the biggest players on the ATP Tour often opt to play the hardcourt events.
It could be a major risk for the Argentina Open to switch to hardcourt unless they also up the amount they are giving players in appearance fees.
In recent years, only South American players or clay court specialists opt to play the Golden Swing, which is not a significant number of the higher ranked players.
Now the Argentina Open is switching to hardcourts, they could also lose the likes of Ruud, who lifted the title in the 2020 and 2022 season.
That would just leave the likes of Joao Fonseca and Francisco Cerundolo, who would be playing the tournament as they get to play in front of their own fans and closer to home.
While those players are popular, it could leave the Argentina Open scrabbling around to find other players who are guaranteed to put bums on seats.
However, it does make sense to keep the surface swings together, which is potentially why the Argentina Open has decided to make the switch to hardcourt.
It is increasingly difficult to switch from hardcourt to clay, and then back again, which playing the Golden Swing means you have to do. What happens to the events in Brazil and Chile is at this point anyone’s guess.
