Tennis Tour News

Written by: Staff on 9th November 2013

Tennis Tour News

epa03937534 Serbia's Novak Djokovic returns to Roger Federer of Switzerland during a singles Barclays ATP World Tour Finals tennis match at the O2 Arena in London, Britain, 05 November 2013. EPA/ANDY RAIN |

ATP To Increase Prize Money At ATP 500 Tournaments

The ATP has announced significant prize money increases that will see player compensation increase by an average of 10% annually over the next five years across ATP World Tour 500 tournaments.

The total prize money across the ATP World Tour 500 category will increase from $17.6 million in 2013 to $30.8 million in 2018.

Miami-Dade County Commissioners Approve Crandon Park Tennis Center Expansion

After months of debate, Miami-Dade County commissioners approved a $50 million expansion to the Crandon Park Tennis Center, which hosts the Sony Open.

However, the expansion still needs to be approved by a committee that oversees the future of Crandon Park, which could be a major hurdle. But Sony Open owners plan to challenge that procedural step in court and hope to break ground after the 2014 tournament is completed.

Recreational players have complained that renovation would eliminate six clay courts and two grass courts.

But Parks Director Jack Kardys told the Miami Herald that nine clay courts at the nearby Crandon Park golf course could absorb most of the demand. The county plans to install lights at those courts, convert another court in to clay and extend the hours of operation.

Renovations include footprint of the tennis center’s main stadium, building three new permanent grandstands, and a multi-story structure for a pro shop, restaurants and offices.

IMG, which runs the tournament, has negotiated a contract with the county to take over the year-round management of the tennis center, says it will save the Miami-Dade parks department about $850,000 a year. That contract will have to be renewed after five years.

Grass-Court Season To Be Strengthened in 2015

The ATP will re-categorize Gerry Weber and Queens as ATP World Tour 500 events from 2015, when the calendar will feature a three-week grass-court swing in between Roland Garros and The Championships, Wimbledon.

The decision not only strengthens the 500s category as a whole but also enhances the grass-court season leading into Wimbledon.

Queen’s and Halle will join Rotterdam, Dubai, Rio de Janeiro, Acapulco, Barcelona, Hamburg, Washington, Tokyo, Beijing, Valencia and Basel as ATP World Tour 500 events.

Ralf Weber, Tournament Director of the Gerry Weber Open, said: “This is a very proud moment for us, and a true reflection of the success of the Gerry Weber Open over the past two decades. The ATP has honored our commitment as well as our innovations over the past 21 years, and we are delighted to be joining the ATP World Tour 500 category.

The player commitment for ATP World Tour 500 tournaments throughout the five-year period remains at 4 tournaments, including one after the US Open.

The ATP will announce the full 2015 ATP World Tour calendar in due course.

We Hear—

—That Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf are in a new Wii commercial where Andre ‘Plays like Girl’

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