Alexander Zverev and Ugo Humbert were barely finished with their post-final warm-downs before the marketing machine for the Paris Masters had exploded into action about the 2025 extravaganza at a new venue.
And it was unreservedly punchy.
"Vibrons plus grand" came the exhortation in French from the publicity team for next year's event at Paris La Défense Arena.
English translations offer a scope of possibilities from: "Thrill up" and "Let's ramp it up" to a common or garden: "Let's get more excited".
But whatever the preference, Bercy, in south-eastern Paris has been dismissed after 38 years in favour of a swanky stadium some 15km to the north-west as the crow flies.
The new site lies outside Paris in the district of Nanterre.
However, non, to a Nanterre Masters, insisted tournament director Cédric Pioline.
"Our ambition is to maintain the identity of our tournament with a focus on innovation and modernity," added the former tennis player.
"I'm convinced that the infrastructure of the ultra-modern Paris La Défense Arena will help us achieve this goal."
From 25 October until 2 November 2025, 64 of the world's top male tennis players will vie for supremacy before capacity crowds of 16,500 inside Europe's largest indoor arena.
The alpha hombres will be regaled with a practice court and three other courts to go with the swish centre court. Bigger, better and more modern facilities have been promised to them too.
The Accor Arena in Bercy wasn't that creaky. The 2024 edition of the tournament pulled in a record 176,451 spectators between 26 October and 3 November. Those numbers were helped in no small part by the performances of the French contingent.
Players
Veteran Adrian Mannarino repaid the faith of the organisers who gave him a wildcard invitation into the first round of the main draw.
The 36-year-old reached the last-16 along with Humbert and the three Arthurs: Fils, Cazaux and Rinderknech.
From the quintet, only Humbert emerged to fly the flag.
France's top player was outclassed in the final. But the week underscored his potential. He was impressively resilient in his three-set win over the second seed Carlos Alcaraz in the last-16.
And then lower ranked adversaries in the shape of Jordan Thompson and Karen Khachanov were dispatched in the quarters and semis respectively.
But Zverev was an altogether different proposition in the showdown.
All week, Humbert had been giving his opponents the runaround with his left-handed spins and slices. Zverev absorbed such slings and arrows and countered with a languid ferocity.
"I grew up playing my brother who's left-handed, so it's not at all unusual for me to play against lefties," said the 27-year-old German drily after his 6-2, 6-2 demolition. "I've seen all the angles from since I was a young kid."
Calm
Zverev exuded otherworldly composure in the face of partisan hostility. His own winners were feted silently and the few from Humbert were accepted calmly. No fist-pumping. No roaring. Zverev, to the crowd, was boring.
"From the first moments of the match, I felt as if I was striking the ball well," Zverev added. "When I have this feeling, I feel good on the court and am perhaps a little more aggressive than usual.
"It's important to feel this way when playing Ugo. He is one of the best players when he is on the attack."
Zverev's surge to the final in Bercy took him to number two in the world behind Jannik Sinner and he will be among the favourites for the season-ending ATP Masters which starts in Turin on 10 November.
Humbert won't be featuring at that eight-man tournament at the Inalpi Arena.
Aim
Instead, 502,000 euros wealthier after his run to the final in Bercy and up four places to 14 in the ATP rankings, the 26-year-old says he will target similar heights and paydays next season.
"I'm not shocked that I beat Carlos and then reached the final," said Humbert. "I've always felt myself capable of such things. I work seriously. I can construct my points and I have a solid game. I'm happy it was all on display at the Paris Masters but I'm really not surprised to see myself at this level."
Humbert could have some competition though for the cachet of French number one from some of his younger compatriots.
Fils, 21, beat him for the first time in their four encounters in the final at the Tokyo Open at the beginning of October.
And Giovanni Mpetshi-Perricard is looming. Just before the Paris Masters, he won the ATP500 tournament in Basel.
Target
After rising 130 places in the ATP rankings since April to sit at number 30, the Lyon-born 21-year-old concedes he will have to improve on the all-court game behind his massive serve to enter the upper echelons of the sport.
"I'm not a complete player and I'm not yet the finished article," he admitted after his loss in the second round at the Paris Masters to Khachanov.
"I feel it. My coach feels it. I've been on the main tour for about four months, I'm 30th in the world and I'm still improving.
"You can look ahead and say it could be incredible. But then again you have to keep your feet on the ground."
Had Humbert won, organisers and the public – not to mention the man himself – would have been in seventh heaven.
In nearly four decades at Bercy, only three Frenchmen have lifted the singles crown: Guy Forget in 1991, Sébastien Grosjean in 2001 and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in 2008.
"When you've seen 15,000 people encourage the French players you can't think of a better stadium," Forget told broadcaster Eurosport at the end of the tournament.
Farewell
"But we're not leaving because we don't like the stadium, we're leaving because there's things like a number one court that isn't really up to modern standards."
And neither is the way the fans are treated. Should the daytime session at Bercy overrun, spectators for the night session are asked to queue outside – sometimes in driving rain – before going into the venue.
Hardly fitting for a tournament promoting itself as a world-class event and not at all equitable as the hospitality box brigades freewheel to their feasts.
No such future horrors for hoi polloi. A large, covered reception hall with catering facilities and giant screens permit what Paris La Défense Arena managers call optimised spectator flow.
"I remember some wonderful moments on the court," Forget reminisced. "The ambiance made us want to perform and so that's why I'm also a bit sad that it's leaving Bercy."
But the welcome in Nanterre will be big, warm and luscious. “We are delighted to accompany the French Tennis Federation on the road to a new era for this prestigious tournament," gushed arena boss Frédéric Longuépée.
"Paris La Defense Arena is keen to bring tennis fans up close with the players in its state-of-the-art, highly adaptable setting."
During last summer's Olympic and Paralympic Games, the venue staged the swimming events.
In one remarkable week, Frenchman Léon Marchand won four gold medals.
Next autumn, Paris La Défense Arena and Paris Masters tournament chiefs will hope Humbert and a couple of his compatriots can make a similar splash.
