Argentinian tennis star Mariano Navone has claimed it feels like the ATP Tour is ‘boycotting’ the South American swing amid changes to the calendar that place the tournament under threat.

The South American Swing — more commonly known as the ‘Golden Swing’ — is one of the most popular swings in the men’s game, with events in South America often attracting huge crowds.

The swing currently consists of three events, with the ATP 250 Argentina Open followed by the ATP 500 Rio Open, and then the ATP 250 Chile Open.

All three events are held on clay courts and held across February and early March, with an array of high-profile stars competing at the events in recent years.

Rafael Nadal won the inaugural Rio Open in 2014, with Grand Slam champions Dominic Thiem and Carlos Alcaraz among those to later win the title.

The Argentina Open was first held back in 1927 and has largely stayed on the calendar since then — with the likes of Alcaraz, Thiem, Nadal, and Guillermo Vilas triumphing in Buenos Aires — while the Chile Open returned to the ATP calendar in 2020.

The 2025 editions of the events saw Joao Fonseca triumph in Buenos Aires, Sebastian Baez defend the title in Rio, and Laslo Djere triumph in Santiago.

However, there is a sense that the swing could be under threat amid changes to the ATP Tour calendar.

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The swing has already gone from four events to three in recent years, with the Cordoba Open in Argentina not held in 2025 after a six-year run from 2019-2024.

The three tournaments are also held away from the rest of the traditional clay-court swing, which takes place across the spring and early summer — culminating in the French Open.

With the Australian Open held shortly before the ‘Golden Swing’, and the Indian Wells and Miami Open held directly afterwards — with the Middle East swing running at the same time — many players, particularly high-ranked players, have not headed to the events in recent seasons.

And, the latest complication for all three tournaments could be the introduction of the new Masters 1000 event in Saudi Arabia, which is set to be launched in 2028.

Though there is not yet any official confirmation of exact days and times for the tournament, it will likely be held in January or February.

Some events will likely be moved in the calendar or even completely removed, with all three South American events potentially at risk.

The debate about the size of the tennis calendar continues to rumble on, and the future of the three events looks far from certain, regardless of their prestige and success in terms of crowds.

Now, world No 72 Navone has spoken at an exhibition event in Argentina about the uncertain future of his home tournament in Buenos Aires.

In quotes reported by tennisuptodate, the former world No 29 — and 2024 Rio Open runner-up — claimed that it was “difficult” to understand the future for the tournaments

He said: “All of this is strange, it is difficult. The ATP’s ideas are sometimes a bit controversial.

“I feel like they [the ATP] are boycotting it. This is the circuit that sells the most tickets. It saddens me because we are a country with an incredible tennis tradition.

“These are obstacles in our path. They are tournaments that sell very well. I don’t understand this perspective.”

While the long-term future of the events is under threat, all three tournaments are on the ATP Tour calendar for 2026.

The Argentina Open will be held from February 9-15, with the Rio Open held from February 16-22, and the Chile Open held from February 23 – March 1.

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