The nine Masters events on the ATP Tour calendar have been set in stone for some time, but there have often been calls to expand and add more.
Currently the ATP Masters events consist of Indian Wells, the Miami Open, the Monte Carlo Masters, the Madrid Open, the Italian Open, the Canadian Open, the Cincinnati Open, the Shanghai Masters, and the Paris Masters.
There have often been calls to the ATP Tour for a grass court Masters event to be added, but Novak Djokovic had different ideas back in 2015.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion has won every single Masters event multiple times, but he wanted an existing ATP 500 event to be bumped up to Masters level.
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“There are seven-eight top-10 players that participate at this event. They are doing a great job to attract the best players. We feel welcomed at home. The tournament deserves to become a Masters 1000,” said Djokovic of the Dubai Tennis Championships.
“I think many players agree, because the tournament is very competitive. I don’t know players who have complained of this tournament. Instead, everyone hopes that the tournament will stretch, maybe as Indian Wells and Miami.”
It shouldn’t be a surprise that Djokovic is so fond of the Dubai Tennis Championships as he has a terrific record at the tournament.
Djokovic won the Dubai Tennis Championships four times in five years between 2009 and 2013. He’s won the tournament the second most amount of times, behind only Roger Federer, who collected the title a record seven times.
The Serbian reached another final in his career in Dubai, in 2015, but he was beaten in straight sets by Federer.
As Djokovic’s schedule has become lighter on the ATP Tour, his presence at the event has become more sporadic in recent years.
He last competed at the tournament in 2023, when both he and Carlos Alcaraz were competing for the world No 1 spot. The Serbian retained his right at the top spot by reaching the semi finals of the ATP 500 event, where he was defeated by Daniil Medvedev.
When Djokovic called for the event to become a Masters event, it was well attended by all of the top stars on the ATP Tour.
The likes of Djokovic, Federer, and Andy Murray often stopped off in the Middle East, but it becomes less favourable with the top players in recent years.
The likes of Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner often miss the event, with the Italian last appearing at the tournament in 2022. Alcaraz, meanwhile, has never played the tournament.
With that in mind, it’s unlikely Djokovic will get his wish of the Dubai event being turned into a Masters tournament.
