It is one of only three clay court competitions held at the ATP 1000 level. The tournament takes place at the Monte Carlo Country Club in the prestigious Roquebrune-Cap-Martin area on the borders of Monaco each April.
Often, the event proves to be a popular choice for the ATP’s best players and celebrity fans. The event's close proximity to the affluent Monaco region is appealing to all parties involved. But the competitive, high-level tennis on clay is helpful for players preparing for the clay court major at Roland Garros.
The Monte-Carlo Masters is one of the ATP’s oldest competitions, and it was first known as the Monte Carlo International in 1896. Historically, it was a highly regarded event before becoming an ATP 1000-level competition in 2009.
The event was even considered one of the majors in the Grand Prix Tour, between 1978 and 1989. The tournament takes place over one week at the Monte Carlo Country Club. There is a singles event of 56 entrants. But the doubles competition, which launched in 1969, takes place alongside the singles draw.
Some of the greatest ever ATP players have won in Monte Carlo. But the King of Clay, Rafael Nadal, has won the Monte-Carlo Masters a record 11 times. Nadal was also extremely dominant between 2005 and 2012, when he won the title in eight consecutive seasons.
The doubles competition also saw a period of dominance from one team. Bob and Mike Bryan first won the Monte-Carlo Masters in 2007 and then won six more titles in their career, with their last in 2018.
