Jorge Salkeld, Vice President of Octagon: “The ATP was very concerned about the court; We solved it, they saw how the track evolved.

Jorge Salkeld is a fundamental person in the scheme of the ATP South American tour. The former Peruvian tennis player and businessman is vice president of Octagon, the company that owns the Chile Open and which also represents the careers of Nicolás Jarry, Alejandro Tabilo and Tomás Barrios. With his life divided into 30% in Miami and 70% in France, the executive traveled to Santiago for the development of the momentous event and spoke with Sporty.

What do you think of the tournament’s evolution over time?

We produced the first edition three months after the social movement that occurred in Chile. It was magnificent, it was done, it went very well and the public was present. Sponsors were there after a critical moment occurred. People believed in the product, it was very well made. We decided to move from the National Stadium here, to protect the tournament a little from these movements that no one knew what was going to happen…

Then came the pandemic…

Then comes the pandemic, which we cannot play with the public. But luckily we had the support of the sponsors, who continued to support the tournament. We also had the support of the ATP. Players agreed to play cheaper prize money, because it couldn’t be sold the way it needed to be sold. Because people wanted to be competitive, they wanted to have a product. And ATP Media, which deals with television, needed matches to be able to supply all the contracts it has around the world. It was very necessary for the event to work, to happen. So there, we had great support from Movistar, who lent us the screens on the track, we put the teams and the people watching the game. It was fabulous. Because there’s nothing worse than playing on a field with 15 people, the linesmen and nothing else. But there we wrapped ourselves in these screens that Movistar brought us. And we managed to create a somewhat digital environment. And it was good, it was well played. So, those were all really good signs, because on other sites, sponsors were saying “we can’t activate with an audience, there’s no audience, so we’re not going to sponsor.” But here we managed to restart the tournament in this way.

When do they start functioning normally?

Already in 2023 we start to operate normally. Not only normally, but we have increased the central court to 5,000 seats, which is what we have now. We have a pitch that is at this level and it has been improved with the seats, there is a much better view of the pitch and we have invested in that for this edition of the 24th. The Village with the sponsors has also expanded . And the VIP area has also expanded. He bent.

What happened to the court, which was new and yet struggling?

They invested in a new runway here at headquarters. An investment was made, but it failed because it was not used enough to level the land. That’s one of the reasons. In other words, we thought it was better not to use it too much so as not to damage it… That was the mistake. The mistake was that it needed to be used more. So what happened? Since we saw this during qualifying, work started at night when possible. The foundations were redone and a hole was made, brick was laid, one side was mixed and hardened, the other side was hardened… And from Wednesday the improvement was seen and we We have entered a suitable path, so to speak.

There were players like Carballés who said the tournament was no longer necessary. How did you receive this criticism?

I understand, but he also lost his match. Then, I wasn’t very comfortable, because everyone who won didn’t complain; those who lost complained. Let’s see, it’s not to excuse, it’s not for a reason, because yes, the ground was soft and it shouldn’t have been. We realized this and the problem was solved this way. They worked until 4 a.m.

The ATP can fine you for this situation, right?

Yes, of course you can. Of course you sure can and we’ll see what happens. We spoke daily with the ATP, with meetings. They saw how the trail progressed. That’s why they let us play and saw his progress and we’re good now. Yes, this reaction should have been made 10 days before the tournament. This was not done, and it was a mistake to have those 10 days to fix it. because it was already new. The pitch was new three months ago, but it should have been played more. So yes, the ATP was very concerned about the court; We solved it, they saw how the pitch was evolving… Matches were being played, and that’s why we decided to only put three matches in the last few days and put one on the pitch one, and he reacted well, which allowed us to finish playing with a normal clay court.

Is the tournament at risk of not taking place, as has been mentioned on certain social networks?

You run no risk. The problem with social media is that, first of all, what they want to do is create a certain number of followers be able to market yourself; Second, they will subvert reality or what people say to create sensationalism. These social networks that govern things are not there. Accredited as press, no. So you can’t talk to them and explain what’s going on. They create, disrupt what people are saying and multiply issues to create sensationalism. And that’s what happens, not just in tennis, but everywhere. It’s the fight to see who has the most followers. and with those followers they can then be marketed to their sponsors.

In addition, the tournament has been renewed for four more years with you.

Yes, indeed, it is increasing. Every time the goal that we have here and that of SACS, our partners, is to bring new things every year, we have done it. We passed everything that was critical. This year, the infrastructure, as you can see, has developed. Better quality of the shelves, people are very happy because before when we were here we couldn’t see well, now we see it well. The VIP, excellent, the public here, excellent, and we are already talking about it. We had a meeting with the ATP to discuss how we can continue to develop the tournament. I believe what we can continue to develop as a tournament is to have a number one field that is more consistent with the tournament and larger. That is to say, the center and the most coherent court number one and possibly take over a court two in another place and make it grow, because the public is there. We were at 95% sales since Wednesday evening. On Tuesday, we were already at 80.

Is it an option to go to the National Stadium, which has been completely renovated?

Yes, it is something that has already been discussed, the possibility of going to the National Stadium, but I do not believe that the National Stadium can capture this capacity of 5,000 seats or increase it. I know at the time, a few years ago, we asked them and we said, “let’s talk about it, let’s work on it together because there is a possibility of eventually going to the stadium.” But no such conversation took place. And they continued with their plans and the building was rebuilt. Very nice, I saw it on TV. The stadium is beautiful, not just the tennis dome, but what they’ve done with everything else, the swimming pools, the football, the squash, everything they’ve done is fabulous. And I understand that the Pan American Games were excellent, the level of image, the extraordinary public who came to see…

Nacional would therefore be excluded because of its capacity?

Yes, well, I mean, there is the capacity and then there are also the other elements, like where we eat, where we relax, recovery areas . Yes, there are clues, many clues. That’s not the problem. But there are other things attached to it. For example, here in San Carlos de Apoquindo, what the players really like is having this relaxation space. They are quiet here, they have a nice view. The club is nice, it welcomes you, they have their catering area, then the locker room and everything there; There, they only have one warm-up. We have a gym that members use with the players and no one has complained. The players are very comfortable here, so to speak.

And how did you see the Chilean players that Octagon represents?

Everyone has improved. Nico, we already saw what he did last year. Unfortunately, he lost here. Well, it’s tennis. You have to be at your best, because today tennis is very competitive, especially among men, and everyone is committed to winning and has the weapons to do so. And Nico is there. Ale has been in a very good phase since last year and physically he has recovered well after a year with various pains. When you are physically strong, that’s when you can really train on this aspect as well as technically. He managed to do this thanks to the work team they have with Alto Tenis. I think that at the Alto Tenis academy, with Guillermo Gómez, who has four coaches who are behind the work of Tomi and Ale, it is extraordinary.

On the other hand, there has been a lot of talk about the end of the Córdoba ATP. It’s like that?

The ATP started promoting five Masters 1,000, Madrid, Rome, Toronto, Cincinnati and Shanghai, which were stretched to 12 or 13 days, which changed the calendar and it was necessary to free the month of July, because Toronto and Cincinnati. In addition, several ATP 250s have been merged to become 500, which will be available in the same weeks. This is the motivation for the tour. Release a product, so to speak, higher. For the players, this means that they have a little more obligation to play the 1000 and the 500, which are not that difficult obligations in my opinion, because they are good tournaments in all respects; interesting prizes and points. Now what I tend to hear from players is that they don’t like spending two weeks in one place, because if they lose in the first or second round they have to wait 12 days for the next tournament. Well, in terms of your health, it’s better. This is how they rest, replenish, train. But psychologically, players like to play. They are very competitive. In other words, they don’t like to stay… Moreover, when they get injured, what they want most is to return to competition. And sometimes they come back very quickly…

So, is Córdoba off the calendar?

In the South American tour next year, Córdoba will leave the calendar and what we currently have, which is Buenos Aires, Rio and Santiago.