Poor turn out at Chennai Open after spate of pull-outs
Blame it on a field which does not have a star player and the pull out local hero Somdev Devvarman, the Chennai Open had failed to attract the crowd in this ongoing edition.
|Last Updated: Jan 05, 2012, 09:32 PM IST|Source: Bureau
Chennai: Blame it on a field which does not have a star player and the pull out local hero Somdev Devvarman, the Chennai Open had failed to attract the crowd in this ongoing edition.
Two top-10 players -- in Janko Tipsarevic and Nicolas Almagro -- are there in the men`s singles draw but less than two hundred people turned up to watch the tennis matches.
Even the star Indian players Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi failed to bring in the fans, last night when they are in action.
Over the last 16 years, the country`s only Tour has seen big names such as Boris Becker, Patrick Rafter, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Carlos Moya and Rafael Nadal gracing the SDAT courts here, but the ongoing edition is witnessing only a sparse crowd.
Today, before the start of the Yuki Bhambri-Tipsaveric clash, about 100 odd tennis lovers watch the proceedings at the 6,000 capacity centre court.
As the contract between the IMG, license holders of the event, and the Tamil Nadu Tennis Association expires at the end of 2013, there are reports that the TNTA is going it alone to organise the event without IMG`s help.
TNTA secretary CBN Reddy was quoted as saying that they are also looking at the possibility of upgrading the event from 250-point to 500-point to attract more big names such as Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
According to the Tour rules, it`s mandatory for the top players to compete in certain number of 500 events
A spate of withdrawals hasn`t helped the organizers either. Even before the tournament took off, Croat Marin Cilic, twice singles champion (2009 and 2010), withdrew due to injury.
India`s highest ranked singles player Somdev, ranked 84, pulled out due to a recurring shoulder injury on the first day.
With all four bottom seeds have been ousted, the top four seeds ? Tipsarevic (Serbia), Almagro (Spain), defending champion Stanislaus Wawrinka (Switzerland) and Canadian Milos Raonic remain in fray.
The organisers are hoping that there would be greater support from the fans in the remaining three days of the tournament which will witness quarterfinal, semi final and final of both singles and doubles.
According to Reddy, a good turnout is expected for the next three days.
"I am confident about the better turnout for the next three days. The reason for it is that I go by the demand for tickets coming forward from the quarterfinal onwards."
PTI
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.