Sporting events with permanent slots on the calendar always possess a certain romantic feel. Chennai Open, which would often usher in the New Year, was one such event; like the Boxing Day Test at the MCG, or the Christmas period fixtures in the Premier League.
With the tournament now set to be reborn as the Maharashtra Open in Pune, there were a flood of memories, from players past and present, but each of them hoped for the new version to be as good as the old.
“It’s a little bit difficult [to imagine the shift],” said Somdev Devvarman, who made his first-ever ATP singles final in Chennai in 2009. “It was a huge thing when I was growing up. I wouldn’t miss a day. I would say I turned pro because of this tournament. Every budding player would watch and learn. In that sense it’s a blow for youngsters in Chennai.”
“But there can be no doubt that it’s good for Indian tennis that it is still in India. There are a lot of tennis enthusiasts in Pune. Lot of young energy in a similar way to Chennai. So I am looking forward to it.”
The legendary Ramesh Krishnan hoped that the tournament would continue to bind the tennis community like it did in Chennai. “It always attracted some wonderful players and brought the tennis community of the city together,” he said.
Chennai Open was the first tournament on the ATP calendar and the climate in the city, the courts and the balls used served as good preparation for the Australian Open, the year’s first Major. It attracted some of the top players like Rafael Nadal, Marin Cilic, Stan Wawrinka, Carlos Moya, Pat Rafter, and Boris Becker.
Pune indeed has the necessary infrastructure and the capability to attract equally good players. But it remains to be seen what effect the weather – colder than Chennai in January – and the location of the stadium – outside the city – have.
“The good thing is that it's not going out of the country,” opined Anand Amritraj, former India Davis Cup captain. “If it goes out of India, it's never going to come back.”
“Problem in Chennai was that there was no Indian interest during the week and crowds built up only during the weekends. We need to do more in developing Indian players. We need someone like Somdev in 2009. Pune will have the same problem though it is very nice stadium. Also Pune is much cooler and a little bit out of the way.”
“India has one tournament a year which I can consider as a home event and I'm happy that it's still in our country, said Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan who won his first ATP doubles title with Rohan Bopanna in Chennai in 2017.
“I grew up watching this prestigious tournament every year and it motivated me so much. We need more tournaments in India through the year to help us because playing at home is a big advantage. This would only be possible if the AITA has any intent of creating a better system.”
