By Richard Pagliaro | Tuesday, October 28, 2025Photo credit: Matthew Calvis
Reigning Rolex Paris Masters champion Alexander Zverev gives mixed reviews to the tournament’s new home
This is the first year the Rolex Paris Masters is being staged at the Paris La Defense Arena after years at the Accor Arena in Paris Bercy.
Zverev, who beat Frenchman Ugo Humbert in the Paris final last October, praises the new player locker room but calls the outer courts “a little bit of a mess.”
The world No. 3 says the issue is noise from adjacent courts can be heard on court which is a distraction.
“I think there is stuff that was maybe a little bit better in Bercy. I would say practice courts probably. The second match courts are nicer the way they look, but they’re a little bit of a mess,” Zverev told the media in Paris today. “You know, they’re very loud from the other courts, right? Like, if you’re playing on one of the outside courts, you have noise from Court 1, you have noise from the speakers of Stadium Court. It’s a little bit of, like, there’s a lot going on.
“So, yeah, but again, I have not played on center court yet, and I can probably tell you more tomorrow.”
The third-seeded German, who will play No. 49 Camilo Ugo Carabelli in his opener, isn’t the first player to raise the noise issue in the La Defense Arena.
Tournament Director Cedric Pioline said the tournament chose blackout curtains between courts rather than soundproof curtains to absorb the sound from adjacent courts.
Ultimately, the new Rolex Paris Masters will likely be noisier than previous editions, with the atmosphere more like a lively Roland Garros crowd, Pioline said. Part of that is due to the fact La Defense Arena is larger than Accor Arena, the event’s former home in Bercy, as Pioline says its the second largest stadium court in the sport behind Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York.
The Tournament Director suggests loud cheering shows fans are excited and engaged.
“What we decided to do was rather to opt for blackout curtains rather than soundproof curtains so that the sound could be absorbed,” Pioline told the media in Paris. “Now, I think the way in which we will experience Rolex Paris Masters will evolve. We have a new venue with a new setup.
“Probably the identity of the tournament will be closer to events such as Roland Garros, where there’s a lot of noise, a lot of life simply. This is direction in which we are going.”
The City of Light will be the tournament of sound and light in its new home, the tournament director said.
“Ancillary costs will evolve in terms of capacity, in terms of standards, as well,” Pioline said. “There were some standards that we did not comply with, like the height under the ceiling. There are heightened courts. Four thousand square meters. It’s actually an upgrade.”
