April 11, 2010
Caesars Tennis Classic a smash; more to come
By Susan Lulgjuraj
ATLANTIC CITY --- There hadn't been a major tennis event in Atlantic City in 14 years.
After Saturday night's Caesars Tennis Classic at Boardwalk Hall, fans won't have to wait that long again. StarGames, the event's promoter, and Harrah's Entertainment announced the return of the event in 2011, and Pete Sampras said he will return. In addition, Boardwalk Hall will host an ice skating event in December with the same promoters.
"It's neat to see the need for tennis outside of the tournaments, especially since there aren't as many tournaments in the U.S. now," said Venus Williams, the only female tennis player to have three Olympic gold medals. "It's nice to see these events popping up. I like it a lot."
Williams served as co-host for the event and did not play, but she was as much of a draw as the athletes who did.
The first match featured Ivan Lendl, who competed publicly for the first time in 16 years, against old rival Mats Wilander. They were followed by Sampras, Marat Safin and Andy Roddick, who competed in a round-robin, one-set format in front of 7,330. Roddick, who won last week's Sony Ericsson Open in KeyBiscayne, Fla., was the only active player in the Classic.
"It's interesting to see events like this where there are different generations of players, because you get to see many different styles of play," said Harj Thandi, 32, who attended the event with Lisa Bagley, both of New York City. "It's great to see all of them in one event."
An event such as the Caesars Tennis Classic allows the fans to see a different side of the players. The crowds aren't hushed during serves as they are at big events. Instead, the players joked with each other and with the crowd.
Roddick had fun with the courtside fans, even giving them rules for a drinking game during his match with Pete Sampras.
Sampras got in the spirit as well. He didn't like his own racket during his match with Roddick and went to his opponent's bag for a new one since Roddick was up 4-2.
"Normally, the way it works is when you want to borrow someone's stuff, you say, 'Hey, Andy, can I borrow this?' And I say no problem," Roddick joked on the court.
Sampras already had thrown his racket to the side and asked for permission. Then, he followed by serving an Andy Roddick-like ace from Roddick's own racket. Sampras grabbed his old racket off the ground and then threw it to a fan as souvenir.
"It's great because the fans are so supportive," Williams said. "We have met so many people in the hotel and the city who are here just for tennis. That's huge. There are a lot of people out there."
Only 13 of the more than 60 events held by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) are in the U.S. The closest the tour ever comes to Atlantic City is in August, when the Legg Mason Tennis Classic is in Washington D.C. and the U.S. Open is in New York City.
Getting an official event is extremely difficult. Exhibition events allow players a chance to stay competitive and bring tennis to areas that normally don't get to see much of the sport in their area.
"If Atlantic City or Philadelphia decided they wanted to have an ATP tournament, it would take five years with luck and a lot of money to buy the event and have it," Lendl said. "If you get a bad date, it conflicts with players and they don't show up. What it really serves, it brings tennis on a high level to places which you would normally not see. I think that is the benefit of the exhibitions, and hopefully people like it."
The Caesars Tennis Classic is coming back, but there is not a long-term contract. They are working on a year-to-year basis, but with good attendance numbers, this could become a staple in the resort.
"This shows the commitment of Harrah's Entertainment bringing a first-class event to Atlantic City," said Caesars spokesperson Chris Jonic. "They want to bring new and exciting events to Atlantic City."