How ATP No. 1 Club that gave a ‘memory of a lifetime’ with Muster in Monte-Carlo | ATP Tour | Tennis

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How ATP No. 1 Club that gave a ‘memory of a lifetime’ with Muster in Monte-Carlo

The ATP Tour will host Group 1 in Barcelona next week

April 09, 2026

There are not many opportunities to watch one of the world’s most famous competitions and pick the mind of a man who was once the best player in the world.

ATP No. 1 Club gave Ray and Walker Sahag just that at the 2026 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. Two tennis coaches from Mississippi took advantage of Club No. 1’s first hospitality. 1 with the offer to tick visiting the ATP Masters 1000 clay event on their bucket list and enjoyed spending time with one of their tennis heroes, the former No. 1 PIF ATP Rankings Thomas Muster.

A top-class hospitality option with ATP Experiences, ATP No. 1 Club which started this week in Monte-Carlo and is available again for next week’s Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell. Package groups were reserved seats with access to a special lobby area, where guests could watch the games while hanging out in the lounge.

Find out more about ATP No. 1 Club Barcelona 2026

“I’ve coached at four Grand Slams, but I’ve never been to Monte-Carlo,” Walker said. “For the two of us, it was the first trip of our lives, the first on our bucket list for a place to go together.” So, like tennis lovers, it is the same for everyone. This place, for true tennis players, is considered the best place in the world.

Walker and Ray Sahag on Court Rainier III at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. Photo: ATP Tour

ATP Packages No. 1 Club also includes opportunities to attend panel discussions or small Q&A sessions with ATP managers, ranking officials or former World No. 1, which provides a retrospective view of the Journey. Ray and Walker had the opportunity to meet the first person of the No. 1 Muster, the Austrian who was famous for his skills on the clay court, as well as the way he fought from a serious traffic accident in 1989 to reach the top spot after seven years.

“The best thing for me was seeing my all-time favorite player and sitting down with him and talking to him and asking him questions,” said Ray. “How can you beat that? [After the morning meet] he came back in the afternoon with us and said, ‘Hey, is there anything else you want to talk about or ask’? He was generous with his time and went out of his way to make us feel truly taken care of.”

Walker revealed that he enjoyed hearing Muster recount a famous on-court spat he remembers the Austrian had with Brad Gilbert at the 1993 US Open.

“Hearing him give the history of that event was very interesting and we had many more where we followed him and his comeback,” he said, referring to Muster’s miraculous recovery from his injury in 1989. “His comeback inspired so many players.

“Every time we had a player injured, we showed them what he fought to come back, win the French Open and become No. 1 in the world. Every time we had someone seriously injured, we used his example to bring them back.”

Another new experience was in store for Ray, Walker and Muster himself at Villa La Vigie, a historic property overlooking the Monte-Carlo Country Club. This place was the reception area of ​​Club Monte-Carlo No.

“Being a student of architecture, design and the opportunity to go up and see an amazing building, a building as historic as history. [was amazing],” Walker said, “Thomas Muster said he’s been waiting all that time, waiting to get to the same place. That’s how special it was, even he hadn’t had the chance to be there before. Getting inside them was the memory of a lifetime. ”

Ray added: “It’s got to be the best place on the circuit… It’s the best town, the people are friendly, and the villa was beautiful.”