Tennis is one of the most popular sports in India, with players of all ages taking part. Since the All-India Tennis Association (AITA) was established as the sport's regulating body in India, the sport's popularity has been continuously expanding. AITA now organises a number of tennis events in India, which contribute significantly to the development of young tennis players in the country. Unlike in the past, when only national and state tennis governing organisations were involved in the sport's development, times have changed. Numerous corporations support and organise tennis tournaments in India. Today, we provide you comprehensive coverage of all major tennis tournaments in India, which have aided in the discovery of some undiscovered gems of Indian tennis.
Chennai Open
Since 1997, Chennai has hosted the Chennai Open, South Asia's only Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) competition, during the first week of January. Previously known as the Gold Flake Open and TATA Open, the competition was named after its principal sponsors. When the three-year sponsorship agreement with Tata expired in 2004, the possibility of Chennai losing the ability to host the event loomed large due to the absence of a headline sponsor.
Stanislas Wawrinka, Carlos Moya, Marcos Baghdatis, and Rafael Nadal have all competed in India's lone ATP event. Due to scheduling conflicts, the tournament was shifted to Pune in 2017 and will remain there indefinitely.
O The event is owned by IMG and organised by IMG-Reliance, according to press reports (they are the same people who are responsible for ISL, and for managing domestic Indian football till 2025). The venue was changed following a dispute between IMG Reliance and the Tamil Nadu Tennis Association, which was resolved through a new arrangement with the Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association.
International Premier Tennis League
This is another competition whose viability is in doubt. However, it did appear to be the future of tennis at one point. The International Premier Tennis League started in 2014 and, like the Indian Premier League, including a shorter format, spectators, and franchisees. The matches were also held in other countries, with venues in India, Japan, Singapore, and Manilla.
The franchises included the Indian Aces, Japan Warriors, Manila Mavericks (who played only in 2014 and 2015), UAE Royals, and Singapore Slammers. The second edition's star-studded second edition featured a head-to-head clash between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in Delhi, attracting Indians from throughout the country. Ana Ivanovic, a former World No. 1, and Eugenie Bouchard, a former World No. 5, both competed in front of an Indian crowd.
Delhi Open
Since its inception in 2014, the Delhi Open (or Delhi ATP Challenger) has been held three times. The 2017 event was cancelled. From 1999 to 2008, the New Delhi Challenger served as a forerunner (in a sense).
The tournament is part of the ATP Challenger Tour, commonly referred to as tennis' second circuit. On the aforementioned relevance scale, the ATP Challenger Tour ranks behind (or below) the ATP World Tour 250 Series.
Nationals
The Indian National Tennis Championships have gotten a lot of bad press. For one point, despite the AITA's efforts, India's top tennis players do not compete in the Nationals. The Fenesta Open National Championship, often known as the Fenesta Open, is hosted by the Delhi Lawn Tennis Association. It is open to men and women of all sexes, as well as boys and girls between the ages of 14 and 16. At the 2017 Under 18 Championships, numerous unexpected upsets occurred. The Ramesh Desai Memorial Sub-Junior Nationals is a distinct event for the Sub-Junior categories. According to reports, the MSLTA organises this event for the Under-16 and Under-12 age groups, and it is already in its 12th year as of May 2018.
There is no shortage of growing talent in India; as we write this, Ramkumar Ramanathan is playing in his first ATP semifinal at the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in Newport, Rhode Island. Ankita Raina won her second title of the year in the ITF event in Nonthaburi, Thailand. Meanwhile, Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan won his third ATP Challenger circuit doubles competition and is a contender for India's doubles title. The TOI identifies five female tennis prospects to watch. Meanwhile, Saketh Myneni is secretly aiming to match, if not surpass, his career high of Rank 137.
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