Monastir continues to grow as a tennis hub after staging first ATP Challenger Tour event

Wimbledon, Flushing Meadows, Melbourne Park or Roland-Garros are among the most storied venues in tennis history. Yet another kind of tennis “Mecca” lies in North Africa, in Monastir, Tunisia.

Located on the country’s eastern coastline, this city of around 90,000 inhabitants is a captivating blend of history, culture and relaxed Mediterranean charm. Overlooking the turquoise waters of the sea, Monastir attracts visitors with its fine sandy beaches, picturesque bays and rich cultural heritage.

One of its most iconic landmarks is the Ribat of Monastir, a stunning 8th-century fortress that has served as a filming location for numerous movies and offers sweeping views of the city and the Mediterranean. Not far away stands the Mausoleum of Habib Bourguiba, Tunisia’s first president—a marble-and-gold architectural masterpiece of great national significance.

Weekly Tournaments on the ITF Circuit

At the foundation of professional tennis, Monastir has become a true hotspot for international tournaments. In 2025, the city hosted multiple ITF World Tennis Tour events, with around 25 to 30 tournaments combined for men and women throughout the year.

Almost every week, an event is played—mostly in the M15/M25 category for men and W15/W35 for women—primarily held at the Magic Hotel Monastir Skanes Family Resort, located between Monastir and Sousse on the Mediterranean coast. It is difficult to find a player on the Pro Circuit who hasn’t competed here at least once.

Thanks to this dense calendar, Monastir has developed into one of the most active tennis hubs worldwide, providing rising professionals with a consistent opportunity to earn valuable ATP and WTA ranking points.

Challenger Tour Makes Its Debut

In late October, Monastir welcomed a new milestone: the first-ever ATP Challenger Tour event, the Monastir Open. Organized by the Tennis Club Monastir in cooperation with the Dubai-based International Tennis Coaching Company (ITC), which also runs several Challenger events on the Greek island of Crete, the tournament offered players sunny conditions and temperatures above 20°C (68 °F).

During the week, 124 players were accommodated in the 360-room Magic Hotel Monastir Skanes, which also hosted two parallel ITF World Tennis Tour events. Although the hotel will close for renovation until March, tennis remains a vital part of its business outside the peak tourist months of June to August when guests mainly come from Germany and the U.K.

Praise from the Players

“I’ve been here before for Futures events, but the Challenger is another level,” said Croatian rising star Lukas Mikrut, the top seed in Monastir who reached the quarterfinals.

“I like the courts - they’re not too fast, so you can get good rallies. The weather is perfect, not too hot, though the wind can be tricky. It’s also very convenient to have the hotel right on site. Everything is close, and you can even train before your matches.”

Champion Lorenzo Giustino had a slightly different view about the conditions.

“The Center Court is very slow,” noted the 34-year-old Italian. “Courts 1 and 2 are faster, which suits my game more.”

Surprisingly, it was only Giustino’s second time competing in Monastir.

“When I play on the ITF circuit, I usually stay in Spain,” explained the Barcelona-based player, who lives there with his wife and child. “But the courts here are excellent, the bounce is very consistent, and the organization is great. The food is fine, everything is clean—there’s really nothing to complain about,” added the world No. 269 with a smile.

Looking Ahead to 2026

Tournament Director Chiheb Belhaj Youssef, who also serves as President of the Tennis Club Monastir, was pleased with the success of the inaugural Challenger event.

“We’re very satisfied and so are the players,” he said. “Our goal is to promote the city and to give local players a chance to compete internationally. With Malek Jaziri, we’ve already had a Tunisian in the Top 100, and we’d love to see more follow in his footsteps. That’s part of the club’s mission, to develop young talent.”

However, organizing an event of this scale comes with challenges.

“Finding sponsors is not always easy,” Belhaj Youssef admitted.

“We also want to make the tournaments more popular in the region to attract more spectators. We were not happy with the attendance this week but maybe playing more matches in the evening could help. Next year, the hotel will be open longer and fully renovated. We definitely plan to continue hosting the Challenger and might even extend it across multiple weeks. We’ll discuss all these options with the ATP and ITC.”