Rolex Shanghai Masters set to open with major innovations

As the 2025 Rolex Shanghai Masters gear up to open on Sept 29 at the Shanghai Qizhong Tennis Center in Minhang district, the event is set to welcome players and fans with two major upgrades, according to Charles Smith, representative of ATP Tournament Advisory Council.

To cope with an array of weather conditions, the Grandstand Court, also known as Show Court 2, which can accommodate 5,000 viewers, has been equipped with a retractable roof that can be closed within 10 minutes.

"We're bulletproof now with the weather. We can still play no matter what," Smith said.

The change came after this 12-day ATP1000 tournament was expanded from 56 draws to 96 draws, which significantly increased the volume of matches and participants. Now that the two courts are equipped to handle any inclement weather, eliminating the risk of delays, the schedule can be executed as planned, according to Smith.

"I guarantee you there is no city in the world that can build stadiums as fast as Shanghai," Smith said. "My friends in Europe say this would take three, four, five years (to build) and we did it in about seven, eight months."

The other major upgrade is the transformation of Court 17 into the Royal Caribbean masters training court, with an expansion of seats to 1,200 regular seats and 150 VIP seats, providing fans with a better experience.

Furthermore, with the continuous development of pet culture in Shanghai, this year's tournament has launched a pet-friendly zone: ACE Wonderland. The zone covers approximately 7,000 square meters, allowing pets and owners to play and rest during the matches.

Nearby Show Court 2 highlights another new feature, a historical exhibition hall for the Rolex Shanghai Masters.

"We're developing our history, everyone should take a chance to go through it because, as I always say, to get to this point we've made millions of decisions to build and develop to be here today and it's a pretty great story in tennis," Smith said.

The event takes place from Sept 29 to Oct 12, spanning China's National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holidays.

Li Junfeng contributed to this story.