The 2018 edition of the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters was officially presented to Italian media during the traditional press conference in the NH Hotel in Milano Rho Fiera before the start of the third day of the ATP Next Gen Finals in Milan. The organizers of the Monte-Carlo tournament hold ths press conference in the Northern Italian city to promote the tournament among Italian fans and thank them for the support they show every year.
Zeliko Franulovic, who won the Monte-Carlo Tournament in 1970, highlighted the main facts and figures of the hugely successful 2017 edition of the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters won for the 10th time by Rafael Nadal.
“We hold our annual press conference in Milan during the ATP Next Gen Finals. We have always supported the idea of the ATP to launch this tournament, because it’s very important for the development of our sport. Our tournament has helped launch the career of young players. In the last edition we invited Next Gen players like Borna Coric with wild cards. With this press conference we want to thank our Italian fans for their suppor. They come every year in huge number showing their enthusiasm and their passion for our tournament. No less than 35000 tickets to attend the 2017 edition were sold to Italian fans. To sum up some facts and figures of the 2017 edition we had an impressive line-up with 17 of the best 20 players in the world and eight of the top 10. Rafa Nadal has become the symbol of the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters by winning his 10th title. This year we were blessed by very good weather during the whole week of the tournament. We had 453 journalists from all over the world. We want to thank our French TV partners Canal plus and France Television and Sky Sport Italia. The Draw Ceremony was held in the famous exotic gardens in Monaco. The programme of activities included the the Great Night of Tennis, the Kids day, the Media Tournament, We want to thank our historic partners like Rolex, Sergio Tacchini and Emirates”.
Franulovic, who has been the Tournament Director since 2005 when Nadal won the first of his 10 titles in the Principality, expects another great edition in 2018.
“We expect all the best players to come next year. What makes Monte-Carlo so special is the unique location of the Monte-Carlo Country Club. Our tournament marks the start of the European clay season and this is why all players want to play in Monte-Carlo. We can compare our tournament to the Formula 1 Grand Prix for its prestige. For the next edition we have built a tunnel for the TV production and a new facility for media. To buy the tickets the best way is to go on the website of the Monte-carlo Rolex Masters”.
