Raonic and Tomic Heading To The Thailand Open

Written by: Staff on 26th July 2012

Raonic and Tomic Heading To The Thailand Open

epa03246467 Milos Raonic of Canada returns to Juan Monaco of Argentina during their third round match for the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, 02 June 2012. EPA/IAN LANGSDON |

Even with the Olympics about to start, smaller ATP events are thick into planning for their own weeks, with the September Thailand Open nailing down two popular entries in Canadian Milos Raonic and Australia ‘s Bernard Tomic.

The young guns who stand No. 1 in their respective countries will be making debuts at the capital’s Impact arena. Also signed on is Serb world No. 8 Janko Tipsarevic,

After wins by Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga during its first decade on the ATP circuit, the indoor hardcourt tournament staged in the last week of September has gone slightly off the boil as the novelty of playing in the Land of Smiles wears thin.

The retirement of local hero Paradorn Srichaphan several seasons ago due to a series of injuries also knocked tennis interest in the Asian kingdom. But local organizers are hoping to revitalize their event at the upcoming anniversary edition.

And Suwant Liptapanlop, head of the Lawn Tennis Association of Thailand, is not ruling out a big-name late signing into the field.

The Thais know they are up against it in a huge summer of tennis, with the London Olympics only adding to the calendar clutter. “As of now, players are concerned about the Olympics and it’s almost three months before the tournament. So, they don’t want to make any decision yet.

“We are talking about some top 20 guys coming over here and should know the answer after the Olympics,” he said.

Tomic has played Challenger-level events in Bangkok but never the Tour tournament. Officials have also announced 2009 champion Gilles Simon , Spain ‘s Fernando Verdasco, injury-prone Gael Monfils and 2011 semi-finalist Richard Gasquet as early entries.

The tournament is starting early in trying to drum up fan interest through contests and sweepstakes to win prizes comprising 10 special Thailand Open experiences: tossing the coin for the final, winning VIP courtside box seats, being a guest reporter and other benefits.

©Daily Tennis News Wire

Topics: Australia tennis news, Bernard Tomic, Canadian tennis news, milos raonic, Sports, Tennis News, Thailand Open 2012