Newcombe Suggests A Fifth Grand Slam Event

Written by: Bob Larson Tennis on 8th January 2014

ExxonMobil Qatar ATP Open Tennis tournament in Doha

Newcombe Suggests A Fifth Grand Slam Event

epa04005581 Spain's Rafael Nadal serves the ball to Tobias Kamke of Germany during the ExxonMobil Qatar ATP Open Tennis tournament match at the Khalifa Tennis Complex in Doha, Qatar, 01 January 2014. EPA/ALI HAIDER |

There is no prouder upholder of Grand Slam tradition than John Newcombe. The winner of seven major singles titles is one of the most respected faces at the Australian Open and proudly wears his purple and green striped All England Club tie on his annual visit to Wimbledon. However he now thinks the time could be right to inaugurate a fifth Grand Slam event into calendar – staged in China.

Newcombe is basing his claim on both tennis and financial beliefs. He believes top flight tennis is currently in a very good place, thanks to the constant high quality of the Grand Slam finals, but believes it could get better and strengthen itself against competition from other sports. Plus he is insistent a fifth major can strengthen the coffers of the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open and so give them the finance to keep upgrading their own events.

”There has been talk about it over the years. I know that China would love to have the fifth slam,” Newcombe said, speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald. ”I think the four slams should get together and tell China they can have a fifth grand slam for a billion dollars, and they take $250 million each.

”They have got the facilities to do it over there and the financial wherewithal. It would be good for Australia to have $250 million in the kitty.”

Timing would be a major issue but Newcombe’s idea would be to stage the event in late February and early March, which wouldn’t please such influential people in tennis as IMG and Indian Wells owner Larry Ellison. ”You would probably have to hold it around just prior to [Masters events] Indian Wells and Miami, at that time of the year,” said the Aussie icon.

Currently the Australian Open is marketed as the grand slam of the Asia-Pacific region and Asia accounts for more than half of the Open’s media rights and global broadcast audience.

However, both the ATP World Tour and the WTA have prioritized Asia as the focus for global expansion and China Open tournament director Alfred Zhang has made it clear Beijing is keen to hold a fifth major event .

”It might be an unrealistic goal in the near future but it should be the direction we are supposed to go,” Zhang told China Daily in October. ”It’s the motivation that drives us forward. We are running on a fast track but every step we’ve made was pretty solid and foresighted.”

Topics: 10sballs, Atp, Grand Slam, John Newcombe, Sports, Tennis, Tennis News, Wimbledon, Wta

Follow 10SBALLS.COM on:

Facebook:

Twitter:

dusanVemic says:

January 8, 2014 at 8:55 am

“@10sBalls_com: Newcombe Suggests A Fifth Grand Slam Event – http://t.co/aMtRa9dLd9 #tennis #news #sports”
Interesting
Dates r tough though
Yilsencita says:

January 8, 2014 at 9:28 am

RT @dusanVemic: “@10sBalls_com: Newcombe Suggests A Fifth Grand Slam Event – http://t.co/aMtRa9dLd9 #tennis #news #sports”
Interesting
Date…