ATP CEO Courts Booming Asian Tennis Market

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Contact: Alison S. Kim
akim@atptennis.com

09/30/04 - ATP CEO Mark Miles, calling Asia a “growth engine” for the sport of tennis, this week visited the vast construction site for the 2005 Tennis Masters Cup to be held in Shanghai and the Thailand Open in Bangkok after a stop last week in Beijing to meet with government and industry leaders. Miles’ visits coincided with the inaugural ATP tournament in Beijing, the China Open, along with this week’s Heineken Open Shanghai and the Thailand Open.

Recognizing the importance and growth of the professional tennis game in Asia, Miles used the visit to define the ATP’s strategy for Asia, which will be home to the prestigious Tennis Masters Cup from 2005-2007 and the Olympic Games in 2008 in Beijing, China. “The ATP is developing a strategy that will benefit all stakeholders in tennis in Asia,” said Miles. “Just as Asia is becoming a growth engine of the world economy, so too will Asia become a growth engine for our sport.”

Unlike other sporting bodies now seeking inroads into the Asian marketplace, tennis has a long-standing tradition within the region. The China Open in Beijing has strengthened the ATP’s established Asian circuit, complementing the Heineken Open Shanghai, Thailand Open in Bangkok, Japan Open in Tokyo and Chennai Open in India. The success of the Tennis Masters Cup held in Shanghai in 2002 prompted the city to bid again to host the season finale.

INDESIT ATP 2004 Race winner Roger Federer, who is playing in Bangkok this week, also has identified Asia as a key market for his own marketing and promotional goals. Last Thursday, Federer spent the day in Hong Kong meeting with many of Asia’s leading media outlets. “I’m excited by the enthusiasm of the fans when I play in Asia and I plan to come back more often to this region,” he said. “The Asian people are very respectful, and I really like their culture. I had a great experience at Tennis Masters Cup Shanghai (2002).”

“The success of these events and particularly the buzz surrounding Tennis Masters Cup Shanghai in 2002 and its return from 2005 has created significant enthusiasm for tennis in the respective communities,” said Brad Drewett, ATP Managing Director, International Group. “The level of interest and participation among young people in Asia is particularly exciting and encouraging.”

The ATP gave Asian tennis a significant vote of confidence earlier this year when it awarded the Tennis Masters Cup to Shanghai for three years from 2005-2007. The tournament, which is co-owned by the ATP, ITF and Grand Slams, will be staged at the new state-of-the-art Qi Zhong (pronounced Chi-Jong) Tennis Center. The tennis facility, which will become Asia’s biggest, is being built on 80 acres in the Minghang district, 27 kilometers southwest of the city.

Miles and Drewett visited the construction site – and attended the sixth edition of the Heineken Open Shanghai – during their visit to Shanghai. Construction at the site is on schedule and phase one, to be completed in July 2005, will include a unique 15,000-seat stadium with a striking magnolia-shaped roof and 10 indoor and 10 outdoor courts. When phase two is completed in 2006, the facility will boast 40 courts including a second indoor/outdoor stadium with an 8,000-seat capacity.

“It will be the number one tennis facility in Asia and one of the finest tennis facilities in the world,” Drewett said. “Built on the platform of success of the 2002 Tennis Masters Cup, the new facility will encourage the development of many promising junior players from China.”

In Shanghai, Miles met with Mr. Yang Xiao Du, Shanghai’s Vice Mayor, Mr. Wang Liqun, the CEO of Ba-Shi Investment Group (promoter of Tennis Masters Cup Shanghai and owner of the Heineken Open) and Mr. Jin, President, Shanghai Administration of Sports.

At the beginning of his tour, Miles visited Beijing, host city of the 2008 Olympic Games and host of the inaugural China Open, which two weeks ago attracted a marquee ATP field that included former World No. 1s Carlos Moya, Juan Carlos Ferrero and Marat Safin (who won the 2004 tournament). “The Beijing Municipal Government is fully supportive of the China Open and plans are in place to grow the event and further improve the facilities over the next five years,” Miles said. “The venue boasts a 10,000-seat stadium and the tournament was very warmly received by the people of Beijing.”

In Beijing, Miles met with Mr. Wang Qishan, Mayor of Beijing, Mr. Sun Kanglin, Director of Sports, Beijing Municipal Government, and Mr. Yang Ning, President, Beijing Sports Federation.

Miles concluded his tour with a visit to the Thailand Open, being played this week in Bangkok. The second-year tournament has attracted sold-out crowds and an elite field, including the world’s two top-ranked players Roger Federer and Andy Roddick and local hero Paradorn Srichaphan. Miles met with Thailand’s Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. “The Prime Minister is encouraging world-class sporting events to come to Thailand and he has been a big supporter of tennis and the ATP Thailand Open,” Miles said. “The tournament has attracted very strong sponsorship, great domestic and regional television coverage and the players have enjoyed the renowned first-class hospitality of the Thai people.”

Mr. Miles also met with Mr. Brian Marcar, the Managing Director of Bec-Tero Entertainment, the Thailand Open’s media partner and domestic broadcaster.

ATP in Asia: At a Glance


ATP Tournament First Held
Tokyo 1972
Chennai 1996
Shanghai 1996
Tennis Masters Cup* 2002
Bangkok 2003
China Open 2004

Asian Players In INDESIT ATP Entry Ranking Top 100
Paradorn Srichaphan/THA** (20)
Hyung-Taik Lee/KOR (64)
Yen-Hsun Lu/TPE (93)

Former World No. 1 Doubles Players
Mahesh Bhupathi/IND
Leander Paes/IND

*Tennis Masters Cup will return to Shanghai from 2005-2007
**Srichaphan last year became the first Asian-born player to break into the Top 10

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