The Nitto ATP Finals' success at London's O2 Arena has prompted a slew of suitors interested in hosting the year-end event.
When the tournament's London run expires in two years it could land in any one of 40 different cities, Nitto ATP Finals Managing Director Adam Hogg told Gulf News writer Alaric Gomes.
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"As of now, we’ve got interest from at least 40 cities from around the world," Hogg told Gulf News. "This means we have made people aware of this event. We don’t want to be boastful about it, but I think we’ve made a success out of this event in London. When we moved the event in-house in 2009 we took a risk but in due course, we are reaping the rewards.
"For the moment, London and the Nitto ATP Tour Finals is a winning combination, and we are only thinking on ways to make this event even better and more engaging to the spectators."
Sell-out crowds celebrated the tournament's 10th anniversary at the O2 last week. More than 2.5 million fans have attended the tournament since its debut at the iconic East London venue in 2009, the ATP reports.
The O2 Arena will host the tournament for the next two years.
The question is: Where will the most important event on the ATP calendar land in 2021?
Opinion is divided.
Six-time tournament champion Roger Federer said success at the O2 reinforces a basic tennis and business principle: don't change a winning game plan.
Federer supports keeping the tournament in London.
“If the O2 is happy and the crowds keep flocking and coming to this venue and the Tour has a good deal, obviously why not stay here?" Federer told the media in London. “I don't see a reason to change, unless there is somebody else, a city that really wants it badly and is willing to come in and really support the Tour in a major for many years to come. It's been a winning formula here.”
ATP Player Council President Novak Djokovic advocates moving the tournament to different host cities around the world as a powerful promotional tool to showcase the sport and its premier players to a global audience.
"I just feel the concept of this event is it should be the one that travels," Djokovic said during an appearance on The Jonathan Ross Show in London. "Because this event is the biggest event the ATP owns. You have the best eight players in the world in a unique format of a round-robin system. So you at least see a certain player three times playing. I just feel this is a great leverage and opportunity to promote tennis all around the world.”
Hogg said interest from potential host cities doesn't rule out returning the ATP Finals to London in 2021. Of course, that doesn't mean that ATP can't use international interest as leverage in future negotiations with the O2 either.
"The evaluation of interests from other cities will continue in due course, but that doesn’t mean that just because we are going through that process we will be leaving London," Hogg said. "The event has always been such a huge success at the O2 and now it is time to see what levels of interest are there from others from around the world."
Photo credit: ATP World Tour Finals Facebook