India’s only ATP tour event has been shifted out of Chennai after two decades and will now be held in Pune from January 1, 2018.
The tournament will be rechristened the Maharashtra Open and will be played at the Shiv Chatrapati Sports Complex, Mahalunge. The new venue and name were announced on Wednesday.
“We welcome the world class ATP tournament to our state. We are happy to host the Maharashtra Open and sure that we will take it to newer heights by bringing in an elite field every year,” Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said.
Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association (MSLTA) Honorary Secretary Sunder Iyer and Tournament director Prashant Sutar welcomed the move. “We have the best tennis infrastructure in the country. We will strive our best to make the world’s best players and our own, feel at home,” they said in a statement.
Sources associated with the tournament had earlier confirmed to The Field that a Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between event organisers International Management Group and the Maharashtra government on Wednesday.
Political unrest and financial problems for the tournament prompted alternate venues to be sought out. Alongside Pune, Hyderabad was also in the reckoning as an alternate venue for the tournament.
The tournament was first initiated in 1996 in New Delhi by the name of McDowell Open. The subsequent year, in 1997, the tournament was shifted to Chennai where it has had since been held.
It has had been one of the three ATP preparatory tournaments beside the ATP Brisbane and Doha Opens before the start of the Australian Open in January.