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Rina Chandran

CHENNAI, Dec. 31

INDIA's largest annual global sporting event, the Tata Open, kicked off in the Nungambakkam stadium in Chennai on Monday, with a strong field and the lowest cut-off in the tournament's eight-year history. For Chennaiites, it might be worth skipping some New Year parties and resolving to actually go to the stadium, as the tournament may not return to Chennai next year.

While Chennai is considered the home of Indian tennis, IMG, which owns and organises the $400,000 tournament, is considering moving it to Hyderabad next year, as the city has "a beautiful stadium," and the Government is "very proactive", says Mr Ravi Krishnan, Managing Director, IMG-TWI, South Asia, and Senior International Vice-President, IMG.

"We have spoken to them a couple of times; they are extremely interested, and we owe it to the tournament to take it national," he says.

Before moving to Chennai five years ago, the tournament was held in Delhi, but the unfavourable weather this time of the year and problems with flights caused the tournament to move South. While audiences packed the stadium initially - largely due to the novelty factor and the appearance of some high-profile players like Boris Becker and Pat Rafter - the numbers have dwindled in recent years. This year, again, because the tournament is from December 30-January 5, Mr Krishnan expects to see audience numbers rise only in the latter half. Also, the ICC World Cup and the general economic climate have impacted secondary sponsorships, he says.

Certainly, with a cut-off of 113, the field is arguably the strongest: It includes defending champion Argentine Guillermo Canas (ranked 15), the Thai runner-up, Paradorn Srichaphan (No. 16), and the "Scud" from Down Under, Mark Philipoussis. The tournament itself, one of only seven ATP tournaments in Asia, has won the ATP award of Excellence twice, and been declared the best-promoted IMG tournament in the last five years.

There has been an extensive multi-media ad campaign and several on-the-ground promotional activities leading up to the tournament.

From the looks of it, the tournament has everything going for it: The Tata group has a three-year deal for the title sponsorship. Other sponsors include Air Sahara, Mercedes-Benz, Daikin air conditioners, Taj Coromandel Hotel, Titan, Dunlop Slazenger, ING Vysya and Nike. Besides, it is live on ESPN, with the matches being telecast live in 53 countries, Mr Krishnan says. "There are also more Indian players in the main draw, so there's more of a local flavour, and there are more off-court activities, and more interaction with audiences," he says.

The city has also been a gracious host, according to Mr Fernando Soler, the new Tournament Director.

"The audiences here are warm and closer to the players. Players who have been here before really like to come back," he says. To bring audiences back to the stadium, perhaps all it would take is more Indian players, Mr Soler says. "If the level of the Indian players is higher and if we had local heroes - that would be fantastic for the tournament," he says.

Also, the Government needs to be more involved in leveraging the tournament to promote the city, Mr Krishnan adds. "Look at how New York or London use events to promote their cities, bring in tourists and get locals involved. This is a very good promotional tool for Chennai - but it is not as well used by the Government," he said. So will it be "game, set, match - Hyderabad" next year?

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