‘Special’ Tata Open Maharashtra awaits fans at Pune’s Balewadi Stadium, assures Tournament Director Prashant Sutar

In 2017, the organisers had just 20 days to decide if they at all wanted to retain the tournament in India. With the help of a corporate association, from Tata Sons, and the Maharashtra government, Pune’s Balewadi stadium was upgraded to stage the event the following year. On Saturday, the Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association (MSLTA) is all set to kick off the fifth edition of the TATA Open Maharashtra, South Asia’s only ATP 250 event, at the Balewadi Stadium. But that is not what makes this edition of the tournament so “special”, as pointed out by Prashant Sutar, Tournament Director of Tata Open Maharashtra and chairman of MSLTA. He has rather been excited by the return of fans to the stadium, having the best-ever player’s field, which includes 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic in the singles draw and three-time Grand Slam champions Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury, and two-time winner Rohan Bopanna in the doubles list, and the change of dates to the original slot in the ATP calendar.

In an exclusive interview with Hindustan Times Digital, Prasanth talks about the 5th Tata Open Maharashtra, the return of Cilic after 2018, and the significance of the event for the Indian players. Here are excerpts…

Q) Fans were not allowed in the last edition because of the Covid restrictions, but they will be back in the stadium this time around. What is the excitement like?

This year is a very special year because we will be completing our fifth edition and it will mean a lot for us. We started from nowhere actually. I remember, we had only 20 days to decide whether we wanted to retain this tournament in India or not, which was back in 2017, when it was not happening in Chennai and we could make it happen in a very short time in Pune. Last year we had Covid restrictions and we managed to pull it off in a fabulous manner and we set an example for all the other sports. This year, it is special because of two things – one, we have the best-ever player’s field and second, it is back before the start of the Australian Open, so players on the way can stop here and play. Spectators are now being allowed inside the stadium, and we have received a lot of responses. Many Indian players are also playing here, we have a youngster from Pune, Manas Dhamne who is getting a wildcard for the main draw.

Q) So on the occasion of completing five years, is Tata Open having something special arranged to celebrate it?

Oh yes. We have the Fan Park back so that the fans can enjoy. We have a Vintage Car display specially for Pune fans which will be held everyday.

Q) You mentioned the decision to retain the tournament in India in 2017. What have been some of the challenges you have faced in organising the event over the last five years?

We have completely been supported by the government of Maharashtra and the local cities. Financially, we never struggled, but where we did was with the visas, which has always been the issue and now even more with the Covid protocol. This year the government has imposed the wearing of masks and RT-PCR tests for players coming from Japan and Thailand. Hopefully, there won’t be any other additions to the restrictions. But other than that, we never really faced any challenge.

Q) One of the biggest factors of the main draw has been the return of Marin Cilic. How big is it for the event to have a Grand Slam winner in the draw?

A Grand Slam player coming back to Pune itself means a lot. He is a legend. It just gives us tremendous satisfaction that we have reached…we don’t have a legacy like we have doing this tournament for 20 years and all, but then again so many big name players always keep coming like Emil Ruusuvuori, and Rohan Bopanna, who loves playing in Pune. These things give us that special feeling that they are appreciating our efforts.

Q) So the dates of the event are back to its original slot in the ATP calendar, before the Australian Open, in a bid to attract the top players?

We had actually requested the AITA saying that look last year we did not have a very good player’s field because post Australian Open everyone wants to take a bit of rest and because they are already playing 7-8 weeks in and around Australia. Hence, many prefer not to play here. So we requested the AITA citing that we have revenue loss and spectator loss and they accepted it and put us back into the original slot.

Q) Indian players have found it tough during the Covid times which resulted in a drop in the singles ranking. However, there has been significant improvement in the doubles category with 9 players in the top 150. What is the significance of the TATA Open for the Indian players?

If you look at last year, Ramkumar Ramanathan had won the doubles with Bopanna. He is now in the top 100. It definitely helped. This tournament has truly been helpful for all Indian players. Saketh and Yuki are in the top 100. Arjun is nearing 150. So for Indians, doubles wise, we are really going ahead, but unfortunately we are still struggling with singles where there hasn’t been much of an addition lately as well. The AITA and the state associations must be looking into it with a broader picture.