Queen's Club could be elevated to Masters 1000 status in the future.
The ATP is considering adding a grass-court Masters 1000 tournament as a lead-up event for Wimbledon, ATP CEO Andrea Gaudenzi confirmed to The Times.
Nadal: Room for Improvement
Champions ranging from Lleyton Hewitt to Andy Murray have long called for the first Masters 1000 grass-court tournament, asserting Wimbledon is widely regarded as the sport's top tournament yet grass is the only prominent surface that does not have a Masters 1000 tournament.
Currently, there are six Masters 1000 tournaments played on hard courts and three Masters events—Monte-Carlo, Madrid and Rome—contested on clay. Gaudenzi said he has proposed adding a grass Masters 1000 played the week that of 500-level tournaments Queen's Club and Halle.
"I personally like the concept of having an ATP Masters 1000 tournament on grass the week of Queen's and Halle," Gaudenzi told The Times. "It is something I have proposed to the stakeholders and to the board.
"I like the concept of a strong Masters 1000 leading into Wimbledon. We have a Grand Slam on grass but not a Masters 1000. It is obviously going to have to be discussed by everyone but that could be a way of bringing a big event to the UK."
Photo credit: Queen's Club