Chennai: Shifting of India’s only ATP event from Chennai to Pune after 21 years has left the Amritraj brothers, Vijay and Anand, who played a key role in bringing the event to the city, hugely disappointed. The former Davis Cuppers, who hail from here, had worked hard to bring the tournament here in 1997.
“The tournament has been run for 21 years, which is a very long run. It is sad that the city (Chennai) has lost the event. However, it is good that it will remain in India,” Vijay told this agency. He recalled the efforts made to bring the ATP event to the country and added, “Now that a decision has been made to shift the tournament out of Chennai, it has to be seen how it goes in Pune.”
Anand however, was more cryptic. “It is a shame that the Chennai Open is moving out of the city. I am very disappointed,” he stated. “Pune however, is a good choice. We played a Davis Cup tie there recently and the facilities are good,” he added.
Anand however, was quick to point out that to attract the home fans, Indian players will have to do well in singles. “Whether it is Chennai or Pune, the spectators want to see our players do well in singles. Doubles is one thing, but singles is the main event. Indian players need to do better. Yuki (Bhambri) and Ramkumar Ramanathan have made the quarterfinals in recent years but that isn’t enough,” Anand pointed out.
Press Trust of India
