Fans disappointed to see Chennai Open shift base

“It’s disappointing to see the tournament change its home. People from various facets of life used to come together to witness this one-week carnival in our city. I have loads of memories, which I will cherish for a lifetime. We are sure the event will come back to Chennai in a few years’ time. We will also be travelling to Pune come January as we don’t want to miss India’s only showpiece event,” said Josh Peters, who has been watching the Chennai Open live since 2008. 

Having been South Asia’s only ATP 250 tournament, the event has played host to legends like Paradon Srichaphan, Rafael Nadal, Carlos Moya and Boris Becker. It has served as an epoch-making week for the ardent fans for over two decades. 

“The championship attracted a lot of young kids who wanted to take up the sport in the future. It’s heartbreaking when you realise stars such as Stan Wawrinka, Leander Paes and Marin Cilic won’t be making their trip to Chennai in the coming years. We hope that the state association will resolve this issue and bring back the series to the city”, added another avid supporter, Finney. 

One of the central reasons for the tournament to shift to Pune was the matchday attendance. The interest has dwindled among the general public as some of the key stars in the world circuit gave it a miss in the recent years.

Chennai Open also fought its own battle with its dates clashing with the schedules of Qatar Open and Brisbane International (Australia), which usually take place in the first week of January. 

In spite of the absence of the Chennai Open in 2018, Tamil Nadu lad Ramkumar Ramanathan felt the Maharashtra Open presents Indian players with another opportunity to deliver their best on home soil. “Obviously it’s a pity not to have it (Chennai Open) this time around. But it’s always good to play an ATP tour event in India, no matter where it is. We (Indians) will work hard for it and hopefully we can showcase some good tennis to the Pune crowd,” said Ramkumar.

The ‘Player field’ for the Men’s Singles of the Maharashtra Open was announced last month with 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic being the top attraction. The pairings for the men’s doubles are yet to be released.