Press Release – The 2014 ATP World Tour will feature a tournament in Shenzhen, China, following the ATP Board of Directors’ approval of the relocation of the ATP World Tour 250 tournament previously held in Bangkok, Thailand.
The tournament in Shenzhen will be played from September 22-28 at the Shenzhen Longgang Sports Center, a state-of-the-art facility with more than 20 outdoor match courts. The transfer means that, for the first time, China will play host to an ATP World Tour 250, 500 and Masters 1000 event across three successive weeks during the Asia swing from 2014.
Alison Lee, ATP Executive Vice President, International Group, said, “China has long been a growing market for men’s professional tennis and we’re delighted to strengthen our presence in the region through the addition of this ATP World Tour 250 tournament in Shenzhen. The opportunities for growth in China continue to abound, and we look forward to working with the tournament organisers in delivering a first-class event in 2014. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all those who have supported the Thailand Open in Bangkok over the past 11 years.”
Tournament Director, Allon Khakshouri, said, “I want to thank BEC-Tero, the LTAT, and all the sponsors and supporters of the Thailand Open, as well as all the Thai fans, for making this tournament such a success. The entire tennis world will miss the warm and friendly Thai hospitality. At the same time, it is a privilege for me to share my experience as the Tournament Director with the new team in the host city of Shenzhen. The new ATP World Tour event, Shenzhen Open, confirms the exponential growth of tennis in the People’s Republic of China.”
For more than a decade, the ATP has played an instrumental role in the growth of tennis in China through the strategic development of its top tier of tournaments. The Tennis Masters Cup, first held in Shanghai in 2002, and from 2005-‘08, catapulted tennis into the limelight in China. Since 2009, Beijing and Shanghai have hosted ATP World Tour 500 and Masters 1000 events respectively. The addition of the ATP World Tour 250 event in Shenzhen from 2014 means that China becomes the first country outside the United States to host tournaments across all three ATP World Tour tournament categories.
