The world of tennis is buzzing with excitement and anticipation as the sport enters a pivotal stretch in October 2025. With major tournaments unfolding across the globe—from the Paris Masters’ grand debut at La Defense Arena to the star-studded Six Kings Slam in Riyadh, and the dramatic turns at the Ningbo Open—the stage is set for a whirlwind of action, drama, and high-stakes competition.
Let’s start in Paris, where the Paris Masters is making headlines for more than just the tennis. For the first time, the tournament will be held at the newly upgraded La Defense Arena, a venue that is already turning heads with its sheer scale and modern amenities. Tournament director Cedric Pioline, a former world number five and twice a Grand Slam finalist, proudly declared to AFP, “The centre court will have a capacity of around 17,500 people, making it the second biggest court in the world for (tournaments held annually), behind the US Open centre court.” That’s no small feat! The arena, which recently hosted Olympic swimming events and serves as the home ground for Racing 92 rugby, now stands as a beacon for tennis innovation and fan experience.
The move to La Defense Arena is more than just a change of scenery. After nearly four decades at Bercy Arena, the Paris Masters needed to evolve to maintain its ATP Masters 1000 status. Organizers inked a 10-year contract in early 2024 to secure the event’s future at this sprawling venue, meeting ATP’s requirements for its elite tournaments. “Without any changes on our part, over a medium-term cycle—we are talking about four to five years—there was a possibility of being downgraded (to a Masters 500 or 250 event),” Pioline explained, highlighting the high stakes behind the decision.
Fans and players alike are set to benefit from this upgrade. The venue boasts not only the massive centre court but also two additional courts with just over 4,000 seats each, plus a third court for more intimate matches. “We have also decided to increase the playing surface for the comfort of the players,” Pioline noted. The cramped conditions at Bercy’s outside courts are now a thing of the past, giving athletes more room to showcase their athleticism and tactical prowess.
But that’s not all. The Paris Masters is renowned for its glitzy player walk-ons, and this year, the tradition gets a futuristic twist. “The tunnel that was created (at Bercy) in the 2010s was a great innovation,” Pioline reminisced. “We came to the conclusion that a new venue meant a new show. It will be much more vertical, even more based on laser-type lighting. It has to be a truly immersive experience.” Expect lasers, lights, and a walk-on spectacle that will set a new standard for tennis tournaments worldwide.
On the court, all eyes are on the race for the world number one ranking. Pioline expressed confidence that both Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner—the two standouts of the men’s game—will feature in Paris. “The thousand ATP points awarded to the winner will carry weight” in their battle for year-end supremacy, he argued. Both players have had their share of recent setbacks: Alcaraz skipped the Shanghai Masters after injuring his ankle at the Japan Open, while Sinner withdrew from the same event in the third round. With the ATP Finals looming in Turin from November 9-16 and the Davis Cup finals in Bologna immediately after, the tennis calendar is packed, and every match counts.
Meanwhile, across the globe in China, the Ningbo Open is delivering its own brand of drama. Britain’s Emma Raducanu, the nation’s top-ranked woman in singles, faced a tough first-round exit at the hands of world number 219 Zhu Lin. The three-set battle, which stretched over two hours and 26 minutes, saw Raducanu struggle physically, calling for the physio to check her blood pressure and vital signs in the second set and later requiring back treatment in the third. Despite a promising start—she raced to a 3-0 lead and captured the opening set—her movement and serve faltered as the match wore on. Raducanu’s first and second serve percentages told the story: 51% and 38%, respectively, as fatigue and discomfort took their toll.
It’s been a challenging few weeks for Raducanu. She retired with illness from the Wuhan Open just a week prior, and her lower back issue—an old nemesis—flared up again in Ningbo. The British star has played 50 matches on the WTA Tour this year, her busiest campaign since her breakthrough US Open triumph in 2021. With two tournaments left on her 2025 slate—the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo and the Hong Kong Open—questions linger about whether she’ll push through or take time to recover and regroup for 2026. Notably, her coach Francis Roig, who is contracted through the end of the season, was absent in Ningbo, adding another wrinkle to her end-of-year narrative.
The Ningbo Open itself continues at a frenetic pace. Round of 16 matches on October 15 feature a lineup of top talent, including Karolina Muchova versus Diana Shnaider and Mirra Andreeva against Lin Zhu—the latter fresh off her upset over Raducanu. Tennis fans can catch all the action live on the Tennis Channel or stream it via Fubo, ensuring no rally or upset slips under the radar. The hard-court event is serving up plenty of surprises, and with the likes of Belinda Bencic, Ajla Tomljanovic, and Elena Rybakina still in the hunt, the tournament’s outcome is far from certain.
Shifting gears to Saudi Arabia, the Six Kings Slam 2025 is drawing the tennis world’s elite to Riyadh. This glitzy exhibition tournament, now in its second year, boasts a jaw-dropping $13.5 million prize pool, with a $1.5 million participation fee for each player and a whopping $4.5 million for the winner. The field? Only the best: Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz, Novak Djokovic, and Stefanos Tsitsipas. Defending champion Sinner is joined in the quarter-finals by Zverev, Fritz, and Tsitsipas, while Alcaraz and Djokovic enjoy byes into the semi-finals. With the ATP Finals just weeks away, the Six Kings Slam offers fans a unique chance to watch the sport’s biggest names clash in a high-stakes, low-pressure setting. The tournament airs live on Netflix in the UK, running from October 15 to 18, with a rest day on Friday to comply with ATP rules.
As the tennis world converges on Paris, Ningbo, and Riyadh, storylines abound—from the glimmering lights of La Defense Arena to the battle-scarred courts of China and the luxury of Saudi Arabia’s exhibition showpiece. With the season’s end in sight but so much still to play for, fans can expect twists, triumphs, and perhaps a few more surprises before the final ball is struck.
Whether it’s the grandeur of Paris, the grit of Ningbo, or the glamour of Riyadh, the game of tennis is evolving, captivating, and as unpredictable as ever. Buckle up—this October, the ride is far from over.
