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Salmon


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ATP South Africa!
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Can I just say wow?

http://www.bangkokpost.com/sportsplus/sportsplus.php?id=128378

This is going to replace Las Vegas, by the way, although not necessarily in the same spot. Very well deserved, since South Africa has produced so many good players in the last two decades, plus there's hardly any tennis in Africa (just one Tour and six or seven Challengers). I guess it's obvious that it'll be on hard courts?

Although EDV did this because he's South African, kudos to him as it answers one of the Tour's two biggest problems - clay bias and US bias. This is only the second good thing he has done in his term (the first one was trying to get rid of Monte Carlo).


I hope that they put their Challenger in the week before this. Or else we'll probably have an embarassing qualies draw like the one in Beijing.



Serbia badly deserves an event! As do Belgium and the Czech Republic.

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Drew


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ATP Glasgow has a certain ring to it ?

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Salmon


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It'll never happen, though. Not enough money to be made and that's all anyone cares about. cry.gif I hope Andy will try to use his influence, though. In the past he said that he badly wanted an event in Scotland but nothing came from that.


The best alternative would be a big Challenger in the first week of the Masters Cup, where Andy and Jamie could play in case they don't qualify (may it never happen!). But what's the point in spreading tennis north of London...






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ForeverDelayed


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Good to see South Africa is getting an ATP event, but the calender will need to be shuffled again as the only logical play for it is week 1/2 before the Aussie Open or week 5 as otherwise it won't attract a great entry list.

Serbia, Belgium and Czech Republic all deserve ATP events as well.... and here's the logical solution to it:

Poertschach is replaced by an event in the Czech Republic (either Prague or upgrade Prostjev, as Austria already has 2 ATP events)

Metz/Lyon/Marseille is replaced by an indoor event in Belgium (probably upgrabing Mons as France doesn't need 3 indoor events, not including Paris)

Serbia gets a combined WTA/ATP event somewhere in the season, either in the summer clay swing or during the indoor swing at the start of the season (don't know what it would replace though)



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Salmon


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Main draw entry lists don't have much of a correlation with location/points, though. Memphis is two weeks before two hard court Masters, is an ISG, is in the US, but the field is about as strong as the one in Sunrise. Nottingham is in one of the only two weeks of grass tennis before Wimbly and is in Britain, so it should have a cut of around 60, but people prefer Boodles or Hurlingham.

You often get more money for turning up than for winning a tourney. Sad murder of a sport...


They'll get a good field as long as they get a sponsor who's ready to give them enough. Fed is a possibility given that his mum is South African.

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Count Zero


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i think serbia's problem is at the moment i doubt they have anywhere to host a atp lvl event.
their challnger is at gemax, its a nice facility (i was there a few years ago) but i dont think it large enought for a ATP event, certainly not a combined one.
perhaps with the hightened inertest in the sport it will get more funding and they can build a bigger venue.

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john


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They could always hold the Serbia event in the local Belgrade swimming pool. I hear they're good at improvising like that.

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Salmon


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I don't think they have enough money, though. cry.gif I mean, they have enough to host an event (obviously) but not enough to make a good profit for everyone. Give it another year and maybe tennis will be a bigger industry there with Djoko and Ivanovic both as number 1s...

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Salmon


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john wrote:

They could always hold the Serbia event in the local Belgrade swimming pool. I hear they're good at improvising like that.



rofl.gif

Also, players will have to cook their own meals, play with rackets carved out of driftwood, and all matches will be best of nine sets. The Marathon Des Sables of tennis - a perfect breeding ground for champs of the future.



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johnnylad


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Apparently there's a lovely court half way up a mountain in Serbia too!

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