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Turkey will host a new ATP World Tour grass-court event in 2017
The ATP today announced enhancements to the 2017 grass-court swing in the lead-up to The Championships at Wimbledon, with the inclusion of a new ATP World Tour 250 event in Antalya, Turkey.
The Kaya Group and GD Tennis Academy will organise the tournament with the support of the Turkish Tennis Federation from 25 June to 1 July 2017.
The tournament will feature a 28-draw singles event and a 16-draw doubles event, with total prize money of €481,615. Seven grass courts will be constructed under the expert guidance of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, Wimbledon. It will be the second ATP World Tour tournament to be held in Turkey, following the successful staging of the TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Open for the past two years.
Chris Kermode, ATP Executive Chairman & President, said: “The addition of Antalya in the ATP World Tour calendar from 2017 represents the latest enhancement to the grass court swing following the introduction of the three-week gap between Roland Garros and Wimbledon last year. We look forward to expanding our presence in an important market such as Turkey where the demand for world class tennis continues to grow, while at the same time giving our players additional grass-court playing opportunities ahead of Wimbledon.”
The tournament will be hosted at the Kaya Palazzo Belek, a luxury hotel resort that includes an 18-hole golf course and multiple football fields where top Turkish and international teams train. The 7 grass courts will be added to facilities that already feature 10 clay courts, 8 hard courts, and 4 indoor courts, with the official hotel in close proximity. Established in 2004, the GD Tennis Academy has significant experience in hosting international tennis events.
Akif Çağatay Kılıç, Turkish Sports Minister, said: “Turkey continues to lead the way in investing in new facilities and infrastructures, hosting numerous international sporting events thanks to its world-class facilities. Our country is playing an important part in the continued growth of international tennis, as well as a number of other sports. The TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Open is just one example of our recent investment into facilities and infrastructure. We are delighted that the Antalya Open will now join the ATP World Tour calendar from 2017, and I would like to thank all the organizations that have contributed to make this a reality.”
Cengiz Durmuş, President of the Turkish Tennis Federation, said, “The Turkish Tennis Federation is very proud to host one of seven ATP grass-court tournaments with the inaugural Antalya Open in Turkey. We hope to continue to grow our presence in tennis through our international events and the success of our players. We are pleased to be increasing our cooperation with the ATP.”
In 2017, the Aegon Open Nottingham, an ATP World Tour 250 grass-court tournament, will also return to Eastbourne, taking place in the same week as Antalya. It was previously held as a combined event at Devonshire Park from 2009 to 2014.
There will be seven ATP World Tour grass-court tournaments in 2017, including two ATP World Tour 500 tournaments, the Gerry Weber Open in Halle and the Aegon Championships in London. There will also be five ATP World Tour 250 events, the MerdedesCup in Stuttgart, the Ricoh Open in 's-Hertogenbosch, the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in Newport, Eastbourne and Antalya.

Hungary to host first ATP World Tour event
The ATP World Tour 250 event in Bucharest, Romania, will relocate to Budapest, Hungary, from 2017, following approval of the tournament request by the ATP Board of Directors at its meetings in Wimbledon.

The tournament, to be operated by the Hungarian Tennis Association, will take place on clay from April 24-30, 2017, in the same week as the Barcelona Open BancSabadell in Spain. The move marks the first time that Hungary will host an ATP World Tour tournament.

“We are very happy to have the opportunity of hosting a great event and are keen to meet the expectations that are there,” said Mr. Lajos Szűcs, President of the Hungarian Tennis Association.

“Hungary has never before staged an ATP World Tour event and this has been the major goal for years now. Being able to host an ATP World Tour event from next year is a great responsibility, but as well a great opportunity. We are very much looking forward to welcoming players and spectators in April 2017,” said Attila Richter, General Secretary of the Hungarian Tennis Association.

“We look forward to a successful collaboration with the Hungarian Tennis Association as we bring the ATP World Tour to Hungary for the first time, giving a new set of fans the chance to experience some of the world’s best players in action,” said Chris Kermode, ATP Executive Chairman & President.

The tournament had taken place in Bucharest since 1993. Its past champions include the likes of Goran Ivanisevic, Thomas Muster, David Ferrer, Gilles Simon, Grigor Dimitrov and Fernando Verdasco.

Odlum Brown VanOpen returns after a one-year hiatus with former player Rik de Voest the new tournament director
A longtime staple of the ATP Challenger Tour has returned to the circuit after a one-year hiatus. With former player and 37-time Challenger doubles winner Rik de Voest at the helm, the Odlum Brown VanOpen is back at the prestigious Hollyburn Country Club.
Nestled on the southern edge of the Coast Mountains in southwestern Canada, with Vancouver Harbour adorning the horizon, the multi-million dollar sports club is a symbol of opulence and for many players on the ATP Challenger Tour it has been a home away from home. The state-of-the-art facility, featuring 25 tennis courts – hard, clay and grass – is rivaled only by the world-class hospitality of its staff.
For 11 years, the Odlum Brown VanOpen was brought to the forefront of the ATP Challenger Tour under the attentive guidance of tournament director Floyd Hill. Following Hill's departure last year, to pursue other interests, the $100,000 event was in search of a new leader. De Voest is eager to take up the responsibility. Having played his last professional event in Vancouver in 2014, nine years after meeting his wife there, the tournament is close to the South African's heart.
"I am very excited to form part of the team reviving the Odlum Brown VanOpen," said De Voest. "I believe bringing world-class tennis back to Vancouver provides great inspiration to the young players who aspire to compete on the ATP World Tour one day. As a past player and having played in many Challenger events, I can honestly say that the Odlum Brown VanOpen was one of the most impressive tournaments in the world. It provides top-class facilities, amazing player accommodation, fantastic crowd support and attracts some of the best players in the world, including future World No. 1s."
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The tournament's unyielding dedication to providing players with top-notch hospitality and amenities made it such an attractive Challenger destination throughout the years, earning the respect of many players. Dudi Sela enjoyed the most success of any player to step through the doors at Hollyburn, posting a staggering 23-1 record including four titles. The Israeli, who claimed the inaugural edition in 2005 and won again in 2008, 2010 and 2015, is one of just five players to capture four titles at a single tournament on the ATP Challenger Tour.
“Vancouver is my favourite tournament,” Sela told ATPWorldTour.com. “I played five times and won four titles. It's a really nice tournament. The city is great, the people who run it are really nice and it's organised really well. Most of the players stay in housing, so we stayed with the tournament doctor. I keep in touch with him and he's come to Israel to visit. We talk a lot on the phone.
“For sure I'm going to go there again and visit the city and the people. Last year there was an Israeli coach and I felt at home. Every night I was going to dinner in a different house. At most other tournaments you are in hotels but not there.”
Born in nearby Vernon, Canada, Vasek Pospisil won the Vancouver title in 2013 after reaching the semi-finals two years prior. The former World No. 25 has fond memories of his local tournament.
“Vancouver is such a special event in so many ways," said Pospisil. "It was the nicest Challenger event that I had ever played and the organisers really knew how to take care of the players and the fans. It was also my home tournament and it was the one where I played my first professional match when I was 15, so I have many great memories from the event.”
Operated in conjunction with Tennis Canada, the Odlum Brown VanOpen thrived in its late-summer slot on the ATP Challenger Tour. In 2015, three former Top 10 players – Ernests Gulbis, Radek Stepanek and Jurgen Melzer – competed in the main draw, which was the most at a Challenger event since 2010.
“I have great memories from Vancouver,” said Marcos Baghdatis, who made two trips to Vancouver and left with a perfect 10-0 record, lifting the trophy in both 2009 and 2014. “It's one of the best Challengers I ever played. I won it twice. Every time I went there and played on the centre court it was packed. It was a nice feeling and the fans are great. I stayed there twice with two different families. They have housing in Vancouver and both of the families were very nice. It is a beautiful city to stay in and experience in my life.”
In years past, the tournament was treated like an ATP World Tour event, providing items such as an exclusive lounge on site, private cars and free housing with local families – luxuries that they intended to reflect the Rogers Cup. De Voest is happy to carry on the tradition of excellence.
"When I first heard about the possibility of the event being brought back, I said I would be happy to assist. I was then approached to be the Tournament Director and was humbled at the request as it is an honour and privilege to manage an event with such a great reputation. I look forward to meeting the challenge and making the 2017 Odlum Brown VanOpen one of the best ever."

The Spaniard was one of the few players available to represent his nation in the Davis Cup clash with Croatia in Osijek earlier this month due to schedule difficulties. Agut claimed a victory in one of the decisive matches on the final day to help Spain book their place in the quarter-finals for the first time since 2012. However, he claims it was a big ask to perform so soon after spending a month on tour in Australia and insists the schedule needs to change. Agut said: “It was a big effort to play Davis Cup after being for a month in Australia. “It's ridiculous. We should rest more and handle better the season. If you play Davis Cup, you never rest.”

Po 42 latach nastąpi koniec turnieju rozgrywanego w Racquet Club w Memphis w stanie Tennessee. Od przyszłego sezonu tenisiści będą rywalizować w Nowym Jorku.


Jak podał właściciel licencji, firma GF Sports, ostatnie dwie edycje Memphis Open przyniosły po milionie dolarów straty. Z tego względu zapadła decyzja, aby przenieść turniej do Nowego Jorku, gdzie organizatorzy liczą na większą publiczność i wypracowanie zysku.


Puchar Davisa: punkty Jordana Thompsona i Nicka Kyrgiosa, Australia o krok od półfinału
Problemy finansowe towarzyszyły imprezie w Memphis od 2011 roku, kiedy wycofał się główny sponsor. Mimo tego Amerykańska Federacja Tenisowa starała się utrzymać turniej na terenie USA i tak też czyniła firma GF Sports, która przejęła licencję w 2015 roku. Nie wiadomo jeszcze dokładnie, gdzie tenisiści będą grać w przyszłym sezonie. Pierwsze doniesienia mówią o przebudowanej hali Nassau Veteran's Memorial Coliseum w Uniondale pod Nowym Jorkiem.
Memphis to kawał historii amerykańskiego tenisa. Zawody te wygrywały takie sławy jak Bjoern Borg, John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Jim Courier, Stefan Edberg, Andre Agassi, Michael Stich, Pete Sampras, Michael Chang, Andy Roddick czy Kei Nishikori, który uczynił to cztery razy z rzędu. Ostatnim mistrzem pozostanie zatem Ryan Harrison. W latach 2002-2013 grały tutaj także panie, a po tytuły sięgały m.in. Wiera Zwonariowa, Venus Williams, Lindsay Davenport, Wiktoria Azarenka i Maria Szarapowa.


Turniej w Memphis dobrze zapisał się także w pamięci Polaków. W 2006 roku o trofeum biła się tutaj Marta Domachowska, ale uległa w trzech setach Sofii Arvidsson. W sezonie 1979 po deblowe mistrzostwo sięgnęli Wojciech Fibak i Holender Tom Okker. Dwukrotnie słynne gitary otrzymali Mariusz Fyrstenberg i Meksykanin Santiago Gonzalez - triumfatorzy z 2015 i 2016 roku.

ATP World Tour 250 tournament to move
The ATP today confirmed that the Memphis Open will relocate to Long Island, New York, from 2018, ensuring the continuation of one of the ATP World Tour’s longest-running tournaments in the United States. The ATP World Tour 250 event will be held from 10-18 February 2018.
GF Sports, a live events and sports media entertainment company, has partnered with Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment (BSE) to move the tournament to the NYCB LIVE, home of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, which is located on Long Island in New York.
“We are proud to partner with Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment to bring the historic Memphis Open to the new Coliseum,” said Gary Fuhrman, Managing Partner at GF Capital and Board Member of GF Sports. “The spotlight of New York will help to elevate this important tournament and this move is part of GF Sports’ larger goal of re-establishing American tennis as a global powerhouse within the sport.”
“This event diversifies our programming mix at NYCB LIVE’s Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum and further delivers on our promise to bring major sporting events back to Long Island,” said Brett Yormark, CEO of Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment. “I also want to thank Gary Fuhrman and his team for the opportunity to bring world-class tennis to Long Island and for working with Jeff Gewirtz, our Executive Vice President of Business Affairs, to consummate our partnership.”
The New York Metropolitan area has a rich tennis history highlighted by the US Open. The arrival of this ATP World Tour event will add another major tennis event to the New York sports calendar, and marks the first time in its 45-year history that the Coliseum will play host to a sanctioned tennis tournament. The event adds to the Coliseum’s growing line-up of top entertainment and sports events following the unveiling of new first-class amenities for fans, performers, and athletes, as part of top-to-bottom renovations, making it Long Island’s premier entertainment destination.
Chris Kermode, ATP Executive Chairman & President, said, "GF Sports has shown a strong commitment to invest in professional tennis with a particular focus on the United States. They have demonstrated their ability to operate ATP tournaments, including the Memphis Open, with the goal of growing the sport. The relocation of the Memphis Open to New York and to the newly renovated Coliseum is consistent with their vision, and will elevate this tournament, with over 40 years of history, to a new level of excellence."
The Memphis Open was established in 1976 and boasts a roll of honour including Andre Agassi, Björn Borg, Jimmy Connors, Jim Courier, Stefan Edberg, Ivan Lendl, John McEnroe, Kei Nishikori, Andy Roddick and Pete Sampras. In recent years, young American players have emerged at the tournament, including 2017 winner Ryan Harrison and 2016 runner-up Taylor Fritz.
Participants and ticket information for the tournament will be announced at a later date. To stay up to date on all the latest news surrounding the event visit NYCBLIVE.com.