Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters – spring tennis on the terraces above the sea

The Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters is the spring ritual of Monaco: a week of men's tennis on red clay, played on courts stepped down a hillside with the Mediterranean as a backdrop. It is part of the ATP Masters 1000 series, the tier just below the Grand Slams, and in 2026 it offered more than €6.3 million in prize money. The current champion is Jannik Sinner, who won the 2026 edition.

One detail delights pub-quiz enthusiasts: the Monte Carlo Country Club is not in Monte-Carlo, nor even in Monaco. It stands in the French commune of Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, in the Saint-Roman quarter, about 200 metres from the border.

01From a hotel roof to a hillside club

The first tournament, in 1897, was played on the courts of the Lawn Tennis de Monte-Carlo, laid out on the roof of the Hôtel de Paris wine cellars. Encouraged by Queen Victoria's example, the British were wintering on the Mediterranean in the 1890s, and Monte-Carlo joined an unofficial Riviera circuit with Nice and Cannes. When a new wing of the Hôtel Hermitage was built opposite, the event moved in 1905 to La Condamine and then to the roof of a garage in Beausoleil.

That was too much for George Butler, the American behind the Pall Mall cigarette brand, who felt that champions such as Suzanne Lenglen deserved better. In 1925 he financed a new club, backed by the principality and the Société des Bains de Mer, which bought 3.5 hectares of land in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin. The architect Charles Letrosne designed it, and the courts were inaugurated on 27 February 1928 by the Duke of Connaught in the presence of Prince Louis II. That December they took the name Monte Carlo Country Club.

02The Open era and the Nadal years

The tournament opened to professionals in 1969, when Pancho Gonzales and Pancho Segura took part and Tom Okker won. In 1990 it joined the top tier of the men's tour, today's Masters 1000, and since 2006 it has carried the Rolex name. In 2005 the matches went ahead from 11 to 17 April, but the festivities were cancelled after the death of Prince Rainier III, the patron who had done so much to make Monaco a tennis capital.

Insider tip

Book weekend centre-court seats well in advance.

No one has owned this clay like Rafael Nadal, who won eleven titles: every year from 2005 to 2012, then again from 2016 to 2018.

03Planning your visit

Of the club's twenty or so courts, five are used for matches and six for practice. The centre court has been named Court Rainier III since 2015. The early rounds and qualifying offer the best value: you can wander between the smaller courts, watch the players practise and still catch the view. Book centre-court seats well ahead for the weekend. The tournament traditionally falls in April, so check the official dates for 2027 before booking a hotel in Monte-Carlo.

More on Monaco's districts at VERA PI Monaco and more Riviera events on metromode.co.

For a weekend. For a lifetime.