ATP Marrakech, the Hassan II Grand Prix

What it really is

The Hassan II Grand Prix was launched in 1984 by King Hassan II, with the idea of giving Morocco a regular professional fixture. Challenger Series until 1989, it joined the ATP Tour in 1990. The tournament ran in Casablanca until 2015, before moving to Marrakech in 2016. Since then, it has held the Royal Tennis Club in the Guéliz district, against El Harti garden. It is now the only ATP Tour tournament staged on the African continent. Category ATP 250, red-clay surface, one week of main draw. The line-up mixes players settled in the top 100 and young ones climbing from the Challenger, with three Moroccan titles on the record (Hicham Arazi in 1997, Younes El Aynaoui in 2002 and 2003) and older names you would not first tie to Marrakech, such as Thomas Muster or Stan Wawrinka.

Taking it in

Tournament week, the club changes its rhythm. Nine clay courts, seven of them floodlit, open for qualifying on the Saturday and Sunday before. The main draw starts on Monday. Semis fall on Saturday, the final plays on Sunday on the 3,000-seat centre court. The weekend concentrates the best matches, between clay specialists and players hunting points at the start of the European clay season. In recent years, the final has gone to a young Spaniard on the 40th edition, to an Italian the year before, another Italian before that: the tournament captures the moment when future top 20s pass through the draw, without the true top 10 stars making the trip. Public in street clothes, garden open between two courts, Moroccan sponsors, club restaurant busy all week. You move freely between the outside courts in the early rounds: seeing a future top 20 in qualifying three metres away, without a fight for the spot, is one of the real luxuries of this tournament. Bring a cap and sun cream from Tuesday. The centre court sits in full sun until late afternoon and the stands get hot.

Getting there

Ticketing opens on the official site (grandprixhassan2.com) four to six weeks before the tournament. Three classic formats: day tickets (per day, per stand), week passes (access every day), private boxes (per group). Fees are published each year on the programme page. Reckon on tickets available for the first rounds of the week, the final climbing sharply. Getting to the club from the medina: ten to fifteen minutes by taxi (20 to 40 dirhams depending on the hour), or twenty minutes on foot from Jemaa el-Fna. The RTC sits on rue Oued El Makhazine, in central Guéliz, next to El Harti garden. Weather in late March: 20 to 27°C by day, blue sky, cool evenings to plan for from 6pm. Where to stay: Guéliz (five minutes on foot) and Hivernage (ten minutes) for the walk to the club. The Palmeraie forces daily transport. Book three to four weeks ahead. The town gets busy in April between the bloom, European bank-holiday breaks and this tournament.

Pair it with

A week in Marrakech in April lands in the year’s best weather window. Around the sessions, a quiet run out to the Ourika valley or a morning in the Menara and Palmeraie gardens fits without effort. To carry the evening on after a weekend match, a Guéliz rooftop is five minutes on foot (see our rooftops picks). The tournament pairs naturally with a classic sightseeing trip, since neither the mornings nor the late afternoons are locked by the programme.

Who it is for, who it is not

For clay-court enthusiasts looking for a tournament that stays reachable, without the Roland-Garros crowds. For a couple or a group of friends who want a red thread through the week, without turning it into a tennis pilgrimage. For a first ATP with the family: readable line-up, human-scale centre court.

Less for fans of the world top 10, rarely at Marrakech - the ATP calendar sends the big names elsewhere that week. Less for those who want to sleep only in the medina and refuse the twenty daily minutes to Guéliz.

FAQ

When is the next edition? The 41st edition is locked on week 13 of the ATP calendar, from 29 March to 4 April 2027. Official dates published by the ATP as the yearly calendar unfolds.

How do I buy tickets? On the official site grandprixhassan2.com, ticketing opens four to six weeks before the tournament. Day tickets, week passes, boxes available.

Where is the Royal Tennis Club? Rue Oued El Makhazine, Guéliz district, next to El Harti garden. Ten to fifteen minutes by taxi from the medina, twenty minutes on foot from Jemaa el-Fna.

Which day if I only get one ticket? Saturday for the semis: the level is there, the price stays under the final, and two matches play instead of one. Sunday to live the final on centre.

How much are the seats? Fees vary each year, by day and stand category. Grid published on grandprixhassan2.com/programme when ticketing opens.

Which accommodation do you recommend? Guéliz (five minutes on foot from the club) or Hivernage (ten minutes) for the walk and the stress-free evening return. See our where-to-stay hub in Marrakech.

Sheet built from official sources - Hassan II Grand Prix (grandprixhassan2.com), ATP Tour, Royal Moroccan Tennis Federation, Wikipedia results. Next update expected at the release of the official 2027 programme and the opening of ticketing.