“We had pulled out all the stops”remembers Yves Henri, president of the SAS Moselle Open when it comes to saying a word about the 20e edition of last year's Moselle ATP 250 Tennis tournament. Now, place at 21e : it will take place at the Arènes de Metz from November 2 to 9 and will attempt to shatter the 2023 records.
Match tickets for several matches have been snapped up and the final will be played behind closed doors. This bodes well for trying to do better than last year in terms of attendance, when the tournament welcomed 48,200 spectators. “This is good news to qualify. Because a certain number of people will not be able to get tickets, which is a shame for tennis lovers, and which constitutes a loss of income for society”recalls the president of SAS Moselle Open whose turnover, at 5.3 million euros (excluding tax), is increasing slightly. “The dilapidation of the Arenas is a problem. This 4,000 square meter building was built before the 2000s… We also lack space since each year we build and deconstruct an additional 3,000 square meters for a cost that fluctuates between 300,000 and 400,000 euros. Over 20 years, we would almost have enough to build another building. Parking is also a problem”regrets Yves Henri.
Only finding a building capable of accommodating 5,000 to 6,000 people simultaneously while meeting the demanding specifications imposed by the ATP was not easy. “We would like to move, but there is nothing. We could look towards the Spot (Multipurpose Omnisports Site of Thionville), but if Moselle wishes to continue to host international tournaments, Amnéville [dans la salle du Galaxie] would be ideal »notes Yves Henri who quickly brushes aside the subject, he who does not plan beyond 2025, the date on which the Moselle Open will also be held at the Arènes.
Visibility soon until 2026?
However, the question of what comes next will quickly arrive on the desk of the president in office since 2016. As a reminder, the year was disrupted by the pre-emption of the tournament by the ATP which could lead to a relocation of the date elsewhere than in Moselle. .
The cause of this preemption? The legal drama which still pits shareholders against each other after the takeover of the tournament by Jo-Wilfired Tsonga and Thierry Ascione (whose company All In has 72.95% of the company's shares) in 2022. A new episode is expected on December 12, 2024 with the rendering of the appeal deliberations. For the record, at first instance the court ruled in favor of the majority.
Has this particular situation harmed the preparation of the 2024 edition and the future? If Yves Henri admits that this atmosphere is psychologically heavy, it would have had no influence on the preparation and organization of this edition and will not have any on that of 2025 either. “No other tournament on the circuit has more visibility than us since it is the ATP which sets the calendar for the next two years”argues Yves Henri. At the next ATP general assembly, which will take place during the Masters 1000 in Turin from November 10 to 17, the implementation of the calendar should be on the agenda. We will then know more about what will happen in 2026. “the ATP does not aim for this entrepreneurial side which would cause the date to leave the Moselle. There should be no doubt for 2026”reassures Julien Boutter, the tournament director.
The elite of world tennis are there
In the meantime, the 21e edition opens. The Moselle Open is one of 63 ATP tournaments in the world, which allows it to play in the same league as those in Buenos Aires (Argentina), Atlanta (United States) or Chengdu (China). Enough to attract some of the best tennis players in the world. For this edition, you must be in the top 58 in the world to enter the final table directly without going through qualifying. “ Last year I started working on the table very early and I admit that there was a frustrating side following the cancellation of several players until the last moment. The arrival of each player is discussed with their agent, their coach or the athlete himself.explains Julien Boutter.
This is how on the starting line, we will find the stars Holger Rune (13e world) and Casper Ruud (8e) or Andrey Rublev (7e), but also players from the global top 30, Sebastian Korda (23e), Félix Auger Aliassime (27e) Karen Khachanov (21e world champion), or the veteran Roberto Bautista Agut (46e) who has a Wimbledon semi-final to his credit and who has been part of the world's top 10.
And of course the French Adrian Mannarino (58e) Giovanni Mpetschi Perricard (31e world), without forgetting the regional of the stage and title holder Ugo Humbert (18e world). “When I was little I dreamed of running the 100 meters in the Olympic Games. Today, I dream that Ugo Humbert wins a Grand Slam tournament and that he tells me that he remains faithful to the Moselle Open by continuing to participate in it”reveals Yves Henri.
“I called Rafael Nadal’s agent”
Until the draw open for the first time to the general public and which will take place on 1is November at the Metz Arena, the table is therefore likely to move, including in the direction of arrivals. “Our position in the calendar is strategic, just before the Masters 1000 in Turin”salivates Yves Henri. Strategic because this competition brings together the ten best players in the world in the ATP rankings. However, outsiders at the foot of the world elite like Grigor Dimitrov or Stefanos Tsitsipas could decide, at the very last moment, to participate in the Moselle Open to get the few missing points. “Until the last hours before the draw we could have a good surprise”smiles Yves Henri.
One certainty: Rafael Nadal will not set foot on the Moselle central court. Julien Boutter nevertheless tried: “I called his agent. He replied that he was going to take stock with him to give himself time to think. He called me back shortly after to tell me he wouldn't come.”.
Another source of motivation for players: prize money. Which corresponds to the sum paid by the Moselle Open to the ATP which then redistributes the envelope to the players according to their results. This year, it is increasing, to 579,320 euros compared to 562,815 euros in 2023. The same as the ATP 250 in Montpellier and Lyon, a little less than that in Marseille. The singles winner of this Moselle Open will win 88,125 euros compared to 51,400 euros for the finalist while each player in the winning doubles pair will win 30,610 euros. Overall, the Moselle Open company – which does not receive any subsidies, but which relies on the sale of services to communities and private players – will spend around a million dollars to ensure the week of competition.
On the other side of the court
“During the Olympic Games, there was real harmony throughout France. I want it to happen again during the Moselle Open”insists the president. With the Department of Moselle, conferences will be organized around sport as a means of fighting illness and maintaining health.
Beyond the sporting aspect, spectators will be treated to other surprises on the other side of the court. “The Moselle Open is the combination of tennis, spectacle and the meeting of citizens. » So the 1is November, an exhibition tournament around the fanciful Mansour Bahrami, Jo Wilfried Tsonga, Ugo Humbert, Olivier Mutis, Dustin Brown, the surprising German who defeated Nadal then world number 1 at the Halle tournament in 2014 and Julien Boutter will be organized.
The artists Stomy Bugsy and Passi will ignite the Arena on Monday November 4, Yannick Noah will take over on Wednesday November 6 before French DJ Jenny Preston will bring the crowds to their feet on Friday November 8. As usual, the Moselle Open will welcome 2,000 middle school students who have obtained very good marks in the middle school certificate and a focus on agriculture will be offered to them. Many other highlights will punctuate the week. And for an aperitif, lunch or dinner, a champagne bar and five dining areas ranging from brasserie to high-end will satisfy all taste buds.
On the business side, the tournament – which generates 4.8 million euros in economic benefits (including tax) on the territory going mainly to Metz traders and 1,200 overnight stays – will offer around a hundred spaces in its VIP village to accommodate the 2,400 entrepreneurs of the territory and 240 partners. Local players like Marcotullio, the oldest partner of the sporting event or even DLSI. And other nationals like BNP Paribas or Winamax. Without forgetting the newcomers that are Lexus, which has validated a global partnership with the ATP and which will therefore be present at the Moselle Open, RMC, or Enenvol, the company which will organize a balloon gathering at the Chambley air base in next July.
The Thionville Challenger tournament on the right track
Supported by the All In company of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Thierry Ascione, the project to organize a Challenger tournament in Thionville is on the right track. It should take place in week 10 of the calendar, the first of March 2025. All In has not abandoned its desire to diversify into padel activities, even if for the moment, this activity is on standby -by.
