The organizers of the Rio Open assured that it has the conditions to improve it and reach the highest category after four Grand Slams, while in Argentina they are also excited about the improvement of the Argentina Open category.
The organizers of the Rio de Janeiro Openthe only ATP 500 in South America, ensuring that this Brazilian city is interested and has the conditions to organize ATP Masters 1000the highest category of men’s tournaments after the four Grand Slams. “Until now we have not formalized before the ATP the intention that the tournament in Rio will be promoted in the category from 500 to 1000, but if that is a possibility we are certainly interested in exploring it”the director of the Rio Open, Lui Carvalho, told EFE.
The leader referred to that possibility after British tennis player and former world number one Andy Murray, in a message published on Sunday on his social networks, urged the ATP to organize the Masters 1000 in South America.
Murray’s message, according to Carvalho, shows that outside of South America it is beginning to be realized that countries like Argentina and Brazil have the conditions, public, market and infrastructure for events like the Masters 1000. “Brazil, and especially Rio de Janeiro, has a vocation to organize major events, as happened in the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympic Games in the recent past”said the director of the Rio tournament. For Rio to rise in the category, Carvalho pointed out, a higher financial investment is necessary, “a verification of economic sustainability and organizational capacity”as well as improvements to tournament structures and services for both the public, tennis players and associations.
One of the demands is the increase of a court with a capacity of 10,000 people, while the current Rio center court has 6,200 seats. However, he clarified that it is not necessary to build a permanent stadium, because Monte Carlo, like Rio, organizes its tournament in a club with removable stands. “An ATP 1000 requires a minimum structure that we consider possible to set up if given the opportunity”commented Carvalho, who ensured that the organizers of the Rio Open participated in all the discussions of the ATP Council, where the promotions of the tournament categories were addressed. According to Carvalho, as highlighted by Murray, the main difference of South America is “the passion and energy the public brings to the games”.
Argentina is excited about an ATP 500
In an interview when the IEB+ Argentina Open was held, its director, Martín Jaite, emphasized the history, the experience of its organizers and the support of the companies that allowed the tournament to exist for 24 editions and , currently, “enjoy good financial health”. Despite the lack of public funding on this occasion, there was organization “that was resolved in private support”detailed the former tennis player, seeing the face of the Open for more than two decades.
After this year’s edition, which has Argentine Facundo Díaz Acosta as a champion, a campaign to the networks to request the promotion of the event category to an ATP 500: a video about Spanish Rafael Nadalsecond professional tennis player with the most Grand Slams in history (22), behind only Serbian Novak Djokovic (24) and leading Swiss Roger Federer (20).
Published by one of the partners of Tennium, the powerful international company based in Spain that organizes many tournaments in the world, the video opens with a photo of the Buenos Aires Obelisk and goes through the history of Argentine tennis, which there are names like Guillermo Vilas , Gabriela Sabatini, Gastón Gaudio, Gisela Dulko, Guillermo Coria or David Nalbandián. And Mallorca said: “Buenos Aires deserves the Open 500 because of the history of Argentine tennis and because of the fans, one of the best in the world, without a doubt”.
Almost identical, the message of Murray -who, at the age of 36, is about to hang up his racket- has gained the support of athletes such as Diego Schwartzman, who thanked him for his request and reaffirmed that South American tennis “deserves more” from the ATP, both for the support of fans and for its numbers. So is the Brazilian tennis player Fernando Meligeni applauded the Briton’s gesture and the official Buenos Aires Open account responded: “Let’s make it famous, Andy.”
This is the case, and after countless criticisms received by the organization of the Chile Open (another ATP 250), played in San Carlos de Apoquindo until Sunday, March 3 and where the court stopped a ball without bouncy for a match, it seems that Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro will be the two scenarios with the most options to improve his qualification on the ATP circuit and complete the dream of bringing the Masters 1000 to South America thanks to passion.
Source: Tycsports
I’m Rose Brown , a journalist and writer with over 10 years of experience in the news industry. I specialize in covering tennis-related news for Athletistic, a leading sports media website. My writing is highly regarded for its quick turnaround and accuracy, as well as my ability to tell compelling stories about the sport.
