A total of five cities has been shortlisted to host the season-ending ATP Finals from 2021 onwards.
London, who has held the event at the O2 Arena since 2009, faces challenge from both Europe and Asia to host the tournament. Which features the eight best players in the world on the ATP Tour battling it out in a round-robin competition. A total of 40 countries had applied to hold the ATP Finals in the future, but only five have made it through.
The British city of Manchester is hoping to snatch the event. Manchester had previously expressed interest in hosting the WTA Finals, which was awarded to the Chinese city of Shenzhen in a multi-million dollar deal. The Manchester Arena, which has a capacity of 21,000, would presumably be the venue of choice.
Italy is hoping to stage the event for the first time in the country’s history. Turin, which hosted the 2006 Winter Olympic Games, has been placed on the shortlist. Italy already has the ATP Next Gen Finals in Milan. Recently a group of ATP delegates visited the Turin alongside with members of the National Olympic Committee. It has been reported by local media that a budget of 17 million euros has already been allotted to the project.
“The ATP did not know the city, but they have taken a great impression of it and they have no doubts about the venues and the overall offer any more. Now it’s up to them to decide.” Said Italian Open director Sergio Palmieri.
Tokyo, where the first ever ATP Finals took place back in 1970, are also in the running. The Japanese capital also hosts events on both the ATP and WTA Tours, as well as the upcoming 2020 Olympic Games. The Tokyo Ariake Tennis Park is currently undergoing a renovation ahead of the Olympic tennis competition.
Finally, Singapore is hoping that their impressive running of the WTA Finals between 2014-2018 will help attract the tournament to their city. The proposal has been backed by Sport Singapore, the Singapore Tourism Board and the Singapore Sports Hub.
“We have expressed our interest to bring the Nitto ATP Finals to Singapore.” A statement published on November 29th reads.
“This is part of our continued efforts to look out for suitable world-class events that can inspire the enjoyment of sport here, and add to our vibrancy and attractiveness as a sport and lifestyle destination.
“The Singapore Sports Hub is a world class venue and choice for such events.”
ATP CEO Chris Kermode has paid tribute to the cities that have managed to come through the ‘hugely competitive process.’ This year’s tournament, which was won by Germany’s Alexander Zverev, had a prize money pool of $8.5 million.
“The level of interest we have received worldwide throughout the bid application process reflects the rich heritage of this unique tournament,” said Kermode.
“It has been a highly competitive process and the candidate cities on the shortlist deserve huge credit for the passion and creative vision they have shown.”
The successful applicant will not be named before March 2019.