There are ATP Masters 1000s, and then there is Shanghai. The Rolex Shanghai Masters is the only ATP Masters 1000 in Asia, and it has become one of the major events of the Asian swing. The tournament takes place at the Qizhong Tennis Center, famous for its extraordinary magnolia-shaped retractable roof — one of those tennis venues that manages to make you look up from the match. It is also big. Very big. The tournament now runs over two weeks with a 96-player singles draw, so there is an enormous amount of tennis to discover. And then, of course, there is Shanghai itself. A world-class Masters tournament in one of the world's great cities? That is a fairly difficult invitation to refuse.

The Wuhan Open is one of those tournaments that manages to feel both big-time and surprisingly approachable. As a WTA 1000, it attracts one of the strongest fields on the women's tour, but the atmosphere is very different from the giant Grand Slam experience. The tournament is played at the Wuhan Optics Valley International Tennis Center, a purpose-built tennis venue with a striking centre court and a collection of smaller courts around it. And then there's Wuhan itself. A huge, modern Chinese city with the Yangtze running through it, famous for its food, lakes and distinctly local character. So you get elite women's tennis without quite as much of the circus that comes with the biggest tournaments. That's a rather appealing combination.

Sometimes the fun is being there before everyone else discovers it. The Grand Prix Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes is a brand-new ATP 250 bringing top-level men's tennis back to the Lyon area, this time inside the spectacular LDLC Arena. It is an indoor tournament with big ambitions — and with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Thierry Ascione involved, there is plenty of tennis experience behind the scenes. There is no century-old tradition here. Yet. And that is rather exciting.

Ningbo is one of those tournaments that quietly sneaked onto the calendar and then decided it belonged there. It began as a much smaller event, returned to the WTA calendar in 2023 and was promoted to WTA 500 status the following year. So while it doesn't have the history of some of the grand old tournaments, the level of tennis is now considerably bigger than its relatively young age might suggest. And I rather like that. The Ningbo Tennis Center is compact enough to feel like a proper tennis venue rather than a giant entertainment complex, while Ningbo itself gives you the chance to experience a part of China that isn't Shanghai or Beijing. Big tennis, without quite such a big-city fuss.

This is Japanese tennis with the volume turned down a little. The Kinoshita Group Japan Open is a WTA 250 played at the Utsubo Tennis Center in Osaka, a much more intimate setting than the giant arenas used for the biggest tournaments. And that is exactly what makes it appealing. You get international women's tennis, Japanese players competing in front of a home crowd and a city that is almost embarrassingly good at feeding people. It is not trying to be the next Grand Slam. It is simply a chance to get close to the tennis and experience Osaka while you're there. Honestly, that sounds pretty good to me.

There is something rather appealing about an ATP tournament that feels like it is still creating its own identity. The Almaty Open moved from Astana to Kazakhstan's largest city in 2024, bringing ATP tennis to a part of the world that doesn't exactly get overloaded with top-level tournaments. And rather than making it all about tennis, Almaty has turned the event into something closer to a festival — with music, food, fan activities and entertainment around the matches.

The European Open has done something rather brave: after nine editions in Antwerp, it packed up its tennis balls and moved to Brussels. So this is a tournament with some history, but a brand-new chapter. The ING Arena at Brussels Expo gives it a very different setting from its old home, with a 6,000-seat main court and the scale of a proper indoor arena. And because Brussels is the Belgian capital, the tournament suddenly has a very international feel. There is also something rather nice about watching an ATP 250 indoors in October. No rain. No wind. No checking the weather app every seventeen minutes. Just tennis, Belgian chocolate afterwards and Brussels waiting outside.

There are tournaments you attend for the tennis, and then there are tournaments where the city is half the reason you're going. Vienna manages to be both. The Erste Bank Open has been part of the ATP calendar since 1974 and is played indoors at the Wiener Stadthalle, giving it a proper old-school tournament feel despite being a modern ATP 500. And this is Vienna in autumn. Beautiful buildings, coffee houses, cake, schnitzel and some of the best indoor tennis of the year. Honestly, you could do considerably worse with a long weekend.

The Toray Pan Pacific Open has something that money simply can't buy: history. First held in 1973, it is one of the longest-running tournaments on the women's tour, and its roll call includes some of the biggest names in tennis. But it has never become trapped in the past. Now played at Ariake Coliseum in Tokyo, it combines a proper piece of WTA history with one of the most exciting cities in the world. And that combination is rather hard to beat. Big women's tennis, Japanese hospitality and Tokyo just outside the gates. Not bad for a tennis weekend.

The Guangzhou Open has been quietly doing its thing since 2004, making it one of the longer-running tournaments on the Asian swing. And there is a lovely piece of history here: Li Na won the inaugural singles title. Today, the tournament is played on outdoor hard courts at the Nansha International Tennis Center, giving it a more relaxed feel than the enormous WTA events elsewhere in China. It is proper WTA tennis, but without quite so much fuss. Sometimes that is exactly what you want.

There is something wonderfully European about the Swiss Indoors Basel. It has been part of the tennis calendar since 1970 and has grown into one of the biggest indoor tournaments in the world, but it has never lost that feeling of being a tournament rather than a giant sporting machine. And then there is Basel itself. Beautiful, compact, cultured and very easy to fall for. The tennis takes place at St. Jakobshalle, where the indoor setting creates that wonderful late-season atmosphere: big names, fast courts, enthusiastic crowds and absolutely no interest in what the weather is doing outside. If you like your tennis with a little Swiss efficiency on the side, this could be your place.

There is something rather lovely about a tournament that feels like it is helping to build the next chapter of tennis in a country with such a huge love for the sport. The Chennai Open returned to the WTA calendar as a 250 event and is played at the SDAT Tennis Stadium, the same venue that has hosted international tennis in the city for years. It is not the biggest tournament on the calendar. And that is rather the point. You get top-level women's tennis, an enthusiastic home crowd and a proper tennis stadium, all in one of India's most fascinating cities. Come for the tennis. Stay because Chennai is considerably more interesting than your hotel room.

This is Paris doing tennis. The Rolex Paris Masters has been part of the men's game since 1968 and has seen pretty much every generation of great player walk through its doors. Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, Murray — the roll of honour is rather intimidating. And now the tournament has a new home. The move to the enormous Plenitude Arena has given the final Masters 1000 of the season a completely different scale. It is big, modern and unapologetically spectacular. But the thing I love most is the timing. Late-season Paris. Indoor tennis. The best players trying to finish the year strongly. And then, outside, Paris. You really don't need much more convincing.

The Hong Kong Open is one of those tournaments where the city is almost impossible to ignore. Played at Victoria Park in the heart of Hong Kong, it brings WTA tennis into a surprisingly intimate setting, surrounded by one of the world's most exciting cities. The tournament has been around in various forms since 1980 and returned to the WTA calendar in 2014. It has since become an important part of the Asian swing — and rather impressively, has won the WTA 250 Tournament of the Year award more than once. You get good women's tennis, a lively crowd and Hong Kong literally on your doorstep. That is a pretty good combination.

The Nordic Open is one of those tournaments that has a proper tennis pedigree hiding beneath its modern ATP 250 label. The Stockholm event dates all the way back to 1969, and its champions include Björn Borg, John McEnroe, Boris Becker, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. Not exactly a bad guest list. Today it is played indoors at the Kungliga Tennishallen, giving it a much more intimate feel than the huge arenas used for the biggest tournaments. You get serious tennis, Scandinavian calm and a city that knows how to do autumn properly. There is something rather lovely about that.

This is where the tennis year starts to feel like summer. The Brisbane International has a long history of welcoming some very big names, but its real charm is the setting: the Queensland Tennis Centre, the Australian sunshine and that unmistakable feeling that the season is about to begin properly. It is a tournament where you can watch top-level tennis without losing the relaxed Australian atmosphere. And then there is Brisbane itself. Warm weather, riverside bars, good food and a city that seems rather happy to be outside. For a January tennis trip, that is a pretty persuasive combination.

This is where the ATP season wakes up. The Hong Kong Tennis Open opens the Asian swing in early January, bringing men's tennis back to Victoria Park in the heart of Causeway Bay. And that setting is hard to beat. You get an ATP 250, outdoor hard-court tennis and a compact tournament venue — with Hong Kong's skyscrapers, shops, restaurants and neon lights practically on the doorstep. It feels less like travelling to a tennis complex and more like putting tennis into the middle of a city that never really stops.

If Adelaide feels like the polished start to the Australian summer, Auckland feels like the slightly more relaxed cousin. The ASB Classic has been part of the tennis calendar for decades, and its setting at the Manuka Doctor Arena gives it a lovely combination of proper ATP and WTA tennis and New Zealand summer atmosphere. You get sunshine, outdoor tennis, enthusiastic crowds and a venue close enough to Auckland's city centre that the tennis never feels like a separate world. It is tennis without too much fuss. And sometimes that is exactly what you want.

This is the Australian summer tennis experience without the Melbourne crowds. The Adelaide International is played at The Drive, a historic tennis venue that has been transformed into a modern tournament complex. It sits beside the River Torrens, just north of Adelaide's city centre, and has been part of the Australian Open build-up since returning to the calendar. You get serious ATP and WTA tennis, sunshine, a beautiful city and players fine-tuning their games before Melbourne. It's a rather good way to start the year.

Hobart is the little gem of the Australian summer swing. The Hobart International is played at the Domain Tennis Centre, tucked into the Queens Domain just outside the city centre. It is a proper tennis venue, but without the sense that you've wandered into a giant sporting machine. There is sunshine, outdoor tennis, a relaxed atmosphere and Tasmania all around you. It feels rather more like a tennis holiday than a major sporting expedition. And sometimes, that is exactly what you want.

The Australian Open is the Grand Slam that feels like a holiday. Big tennis, blue skies, enormous crowds, live music, food, drinks and thousands of people wandering around Melbourne Park looking for their next match. It is serious tennis wrapped in a summer festival. And then there is Melbourne itself — brilliant coffee, great food, trams, sport everywhere you look and a city that seems perfectly comfortable hosting one of the biggest sporting events in the world. The tennis is obviously the reason you come. But the atmosphere is why you remember it.

Abu Dhabi has managed to create a WTA event that feels distinctly modern: top-level women's tennis, winter sunshine and a proper festival atmosphere around the courts. It may not have decades of history behind it, but it has quickly established itself as one of the more polished and enjoyable stops on the calendar.

Ostrava is a bit of a comeback kid. The city previously hosted a WTA 500 from 2020–22, with Aryna Sabalenka, Anett Kontaveit and Barbora Krejčíková among its champions, before returning as a WTA 250. It may be smaller now, but it hasn't lost the sense that Ostrava takes its tennis seriously.

Transylvania Open has rather quietly become one of the WTA's best-loved 250s. Players voted it the best WTA 250 in the world in both 2022 and 2023, and the combination of a passionate Romanian crowd, indoor tennis and a genuinely modern presentation gives it a personality well beyond its ranking on the calendar.

This is French tennis with the volume turned up indoors. The Open Occitanie has been part of the ATP 250 calendar for years, but its identity has evolved along the way. Now based at the Sud de France Arena in Montpellier, it brings a proper indoor tennis event to southern France. And there is something rather appealing about the timing. February. Indoor hard courts. French players. A lively crowd. Outside, you have Montpellier and the Mediterranean waiting for you. Inside, the tennis is serious.

The Dallas Open is a 250 with rather more swagger than you might expect. Played indoors at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, it brings ATP tennis to a venue normally associated with American football and turns it into a surprisingly impressive tennis stadium. There is a distinctly American feel to the whole thing: big arena, loud crowd, excellent sport infrastructure and plenty of space. It feels less like a small tournament trying to be important and more like a big sporting event that happens to be tennis. And Dallas does everything big. Naturally.

Rotterdam knows how to do indoor tennis. The ABN AMRO Open has been part of the calendar since 1974, and generations of great players have walked onto the court at Rotterdam Ahoy. It has history, but it doesn't feel stuck in it. This is a proper ATP 500: big names, fast indoor hard courts and a crowd that knows its tennis. But there is something else I like. It feels like a tournament designed for people who actually came to watch tennis. Close to the action, plenty happening around the courts and Rotterdam itself just outside the door.

This is the big one in Doha. The Qatar Open has been part of the women's calendar since 2001 and became a WTA 1000, bringing the very best players in the world to the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex. It has already built a rather impressive roll call of champions, from Martina Hingis and Maria Sharapova to Iga Świątek and Aryna Sabalenka.

Buenos Aires is one of those tournaments where the tennis feels deeply connected to the place. Played on clay at the Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club, the Argentina Open has a history and atmosphere that make it feel considerably bigger than your average ATP 250. This is the Cathedral of Argentine tennis. And the crowd knows it. Expect passionate support, plenty of local players and a venue where the tennis feels close enough to touch. Then there's Buenos Aires itself. Beautiful, chaotic, cultured and very good at staying up late. You could hardly ask for a better city in which to watch clay-court tennis.

Some tournaments are all tennis. Delray Beach is tennis plus a beach-town personality — relaxed, lively and gloriously unpretentious. The tournament mixes ATP 250 action with legends, food, wine and plenty of things happening around the courts.

Some tournaments have atmosphere. Rio has Rio. The Rio Open brings ATP 500 clay-court tennis to the Jockey Club Brasileiro, where the backdrop is almost unfairly beautiful and the crowd brings its own energy to the occasion. It is serious tennis, but it doesn't take itself too seriously. Expect samba, sunshine, clay, Brazilian flags and a crowd that knows exactly when to make itself heard. And somewhere beyond the tennis complex, Rio is doing what Rio does best. Not a bad place to spend a week.

Dubai likes to do things properly. Two weeks, two tours, outdoor hard courts and a cast of tennis royalty — all played against a backdrop of skyscrapers, sunshine and the slightly surreal feeling that February has suddenly become summer.

Doha is where the tennis season starts to feel a little bit glamorous. The Qatar Open brings ATP 500 tennis to the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex, with the world's best players trading European winter for sunshine, hard courts and a rather different kind of tennis trip. It is serious tennis with a holiday atmosphere. And frankly, in February, that is a pretty good combination.

Tennis by the Pacific, Mexican energy and a tournament that has repeatedly been voted the best in its ATP 500 category by the players. Acapulco has always understood that tennis is supposed to be fun.

Clay tennis with the Andes as the backdrop. Honestly, that is a difficult view to beat. The ChileOpen has been part of Santiago's tennis life since returning to the ATP calendar in 2020, and the mountain setting gives it an identity all its own.

Mérida has quickly gone from the new kid on the WTA calendar to a WTA 500. Founded in 2023, the tournament has found a rather beautiful setting at the Yucatán Country Club, combining serious tennis with the sunshine, colour and character of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula.

The ATX Open is still a young tournament, but it has quickly found its identity: women’s tennis with a distinctly Austin flavour. Played at Westwood Country Club, it combines a relatively intimate setting with a proper WTA Tour field — and the Texas crowd gives it plenty of personality.

Welcome to Tennis Paradise. Set among the palm trees and mountains of the Coachella Valley, Indian Wells has the scale of a major without actually being a Grand Slam — and the combination of world-class tennis, desert sunshine and a spectacular venue makes it feel rather special. Both the ATP and WTA 1000 events are played here, making it one of the rare places where you can spend a day following both tours.

The Miami Open is where tennis meets Miami. Since moving to Hard Rock Stadium, it has grown into a huge tennis-and-entertainment experience, with both ATP and WTA 1000 events sharing the same campus. Think world-class tennis, palm trees, food, music and a crowd that didn't come all this way to sit quietly.

Charleston has history. The event dates back to 1973 and has been won by some of the biggest names in women's tennis, but it still feels wonderfully approachable. And then there's the rather unusual green clay — the only WTA tournament played on this surface, giving Charleston its own little place in the tennis universe.

Bogotá has been part of the WTA calendar since 1998, making it one of the tour's long-running 250s. Played on the outdoor clay courts of the Country Club de Bogotá, it is also one of the highest-altitude tournaments on the calendar — which gives the tennis a rather different character.

This is American tennis with history. First held in 1910, Houston is the oldest continuously held professional tennis tournament in the United States, and it remains the only ATP Tour event in the country played on clay. The setting at River Oaks Country Club gives it a distinctly traditional, almost old-school tennis feel.

The Grand Prix Hassan II has been part of the ATP Tour since 1990, and since moving from Casablanca to Marrakech in 2016 it has found a rather perfect home. It is the only ATP Tour tournament on the African continent, played on Moroccan clay at the Royal Tennis Club of Marrakech.

The Țiriac Open brings ATP tennis to Romania's capital just as the European clay season gets going. It has a long history — the tournament was first held in 1993 and returned to the ATP calendar in 2024 after an eight-year absence — and its home at the Simona Halep National Tennis Center gives it a distinctly local feel.

There are tennis tournaments, and then there is Monte Carlo. First held in 1897, the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters is played at the Monte-Carlo Country Club, perched above the Mediterranean just outside Monaco. The combination of red clay, sea views and almost ridiculous Riviera scenery makes this one of the most recognisable settings in tennis.

Linz has been on the WTA calendar since 1987 and celebrated its 35th edition in 2026 with a rather dramatic change of scenery: indoor clay for the first time. The tournament is held at the Design Center Linz, making this a very different kind of clay-court experience — no worrying about rain, wind or whether spring has actually arrived.

This isn't just another WTA 500. First played in 1978, Stuttgart's Porsche Tennis Grand Prix is the oldest women's indoor tournament on the WTA calendar, and it has been played at the Porsche Arena since 2006. Then there's the wonderfully unusual prize: the singles champion drives away in a Porsche.

The Conde de Godó has been part of Barcelona's tennis identity since 1953, and its home — the historic Real Club de Tenis Barcelona-1899 — is almost as much a character as the players. Rafael Nadal won it 12 times, and the combination of Spanish clay-court tradition, the city and the club setting gives Barcelona a personality all of its own.

Munich has been part of the tennis calendar for more than 100 years, but it got a serious upgrade when it moved up to ATP 500 level in 2025. The setting is still the lovely MTTC Iphitos club beside the English Garden, giving the tournament a slightly more personal feel than its new status might suggest. It is a rather good combination: world-class tennis, Bavarian surroundings and players you can actually feel close to.

Rouen is one of the newer WTA events, but it has quickly carved out a very clear identity: good women's tennis without the big-event fuss. It moved up from WTA 125 to WTA 250 in 2024 and is played on indoor clay at the Kindarena, making it part of a rather unusual little group of indoor clay tournaments.

Madrid is one of the rare tournaments where both tours come together at Masters 1000 level. The Caja Mágica turns it into a huge tennis playground, with the ATP and WTA playing alongside each other on Madrid's red clay. Add the Spanish sunshine, the city and more than 300,000 spectators a year, and this feels like a proper tennis event rather than simply another stop on the calendar.

Rome has something few tournaments can manufacture: history everywhere you look. The Internazionali BNL d’Italia has been played at the Foro Italico since 1930, where the tennis courts sit among monumental marble statues and historic sporting architecture. And then there's Pietrangeli — probably one of the most recognisable and atmospheric courts in tennis.

Strasbourg has been part of the WTA calendar since 1987, originally as a final stop before Roland-Garros, and was elevated to WTA 500 level in 2024. It has managed to keep the feel of a tournament built around the players and the fans rather than becoming a huge tennis machine. And being in Strasbourg, with its mix of French and Alsatian character, gives the tournament a proper sense of place.

Hamburg has been part of the tennis landscape since 1892, making the Rothenbaum one of the sport's great historic venues. The modern ATP event has an equally impressive roll call of champions, including Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, while the tournament's move to May has given it a new role as one of the final stops before Roland-Garros. And then there is Hamburg itself: elegant, lively and wonderfully different from the Mediterranean cities usually associated with European clay.

Geneva is one of those ATP 250s where the setting does a lot of the talking. The tournament is held at the Tennis Club de Genève in Parc des Eaux-Vives, close to Lake Geneva, combining proper clay-court tennis with one of Switzerland's most attractive cities. The event returned to the ATP Tour in 2015 after a 24-year absence, and has already built some impressive history — Casper Ruud has won three titles, while Novak Djokovic's 2025 victory gave him his 100th tour-level title.

The Lalla Meryem Grand Prix is a little piece of Moroccan tennis history. Founded in 2001 and now firmly established in Rabat, it is the oldest African stop on the WTA Tour and arrives just before Roland-Garros, giving the event a distinctly European clay-season feel with a Moroccan twist.

Roland-Garros is tennis on red clay turned into an entire world of its own. With roots stretching back to 1891 and the stadium at Porte d’Auteuil dating from 1928, this is one of those sporting places where the history is almost impossible to ignore. Add Paris, the red dirt, the crowds and the unique demands of clay-court tennis, and you have a Grand Slam that feels unlike any other.

If Wimbledon is the elegant one and Roland-Garros is the romantic one, the US Open is the one who arrives late, orders another drink and somehow becomes the best night of the summer. There is something wonderfully New York about it. The tennis is enormous, the crowds are loud, the grounds are busy and there is always something happening somewhere. You can watch a superstar in Arthur Ashe Stadium in the afternoon, wander off to a tiny outside court, stop for food, watch a practice session and somehow end up staying until the lights come on. It is also the Grand Slam that feels least precious about itself. You are there to watch extraordinary tennis, certainly, but you're also there to have a day out. Of course, Beyonce and Jay-Z will inevitably draw more attention than the players, and the cameras will be hunting for every celebrity in sight. It can be pretty frustrating for fans who just want the focus to be on the game, but that's all part of the show, I suppose. And that is the US Open's great trick: it makes a major championship feel like a city-wide event that happens to have some of the best tennis players in the world wandering around it.

Guadalajara is one of those tournaments that feels as though it is still deciding what it wants to be when it grows up — and I mean that as a compliment. It arrived on the scene as a WTA 1000, successfully hosted the WTA Finals, and then settled into life as a WTA 500. So there is a slightly unusual combination here: a relatively young tournament with facilities and ambition that belong to something much bigger. But perhaps its greatest asset is the atmosphere. The tournament makes a real effort to turn the tennis into an occasion, with food, entertainment, music and a fan zone alongside the matches. Come for the WTA tennis. Stay because Guadalajara has decided you should probably have some fun too.

There is something rather exciting about watching a tournament being born. The SP Open brought WTA tennis back to São Paulo after a 25-year absence, and instead of hiding itself away in a traditional tennis complex, it has made the Parque Villa-Lobos part of the experience. The result is less "tennis tournament dropped into a city" and more tennis day out in São Paulo. There is a proper WTA 250 happening, but around it you'll find food, restaurants, bars, brand experiences and plenty of reasons for non-tennis people to come along too. It is young, ambitious and still finding its identity. Which, frankly, makes it rather fun to watch.

There is something rather exciting about watching a tournament find its place in a city that already feels like the future. The Singapore Open brings WTA tennis into a setting that is sleek, compact and unmistakably urban. Instead of sprawling across a traditional tennis campus, it sits within Singapore’s carefully designed sporting infrastructure, where everything feels efficient, polished and just a little bit futuristic. The result is less “tennis tournament in a city” and more tennis folded into Singapore’s rhythm. There is a proper WTA 500 happening, but around it you’ll find food, entertainment, and that very Singaporean ability to make even a sporting event feel like a curated experience. It is modern, ambitious, and still shaping its identity. Which, frankly, makes it rather compelling to watch.