India lose only ATP tournament after 27 editions going back to 1996

India’s only ATP tournament has moved to Hong Kong after 27 editions going back to 1996. The tournament, which garners 250 ranking points for the champion, was last organised in Pune as Tata Open Maharashtra. The Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association (MSLTA) had come in in 2018 when Tamil Nadu Tennis Association (TNTA) gave up on hosting the tournament having kept it in Chennai for 13 years. The tournament was a joint operation between MSLTA, Maharashtra government, IMG and RISE Worldwide (an initiative of the Reliance Group), the owner of the tournament. “The contract with IMG and RISE stands successfully completed, MSLTA has undertaken all its commitments towards successful conduct of the event for 5 years,” MSLTA Secretary Sunder Iyer and Tournament Director Prashant Sutar said in a statement. “We still have a commitment from both the Government of Maharashtra and our sponsors TATA for promoting Tennis in Maharashtra and India when we have the right opportunities to organise any other major event which we are pursuing in right earnest currently in interest of our players and Indian tennis fraternity,” they added. In the absence of homegrown stars and players going deep, costs of hosting a tournament rises. MSLTA reportedly shelled out approximately Rs 75 crore (Rs 15 crore per year) to honour their five year agreement that began in 2018. Out of that, Rs 5.2 crore is required as prize money with rest going into expenses such as hospitality, organisation, player appearances fees and royalties. While not official yet, PTI reports the tournament will move to Hong Kong. With ATP 250 level tournament going away, India can now focus on Challengers which require less financial commitment. Chennai, Bengaluru and Pune hosted Challenger tournaments in February. Read all the Latest News, Trending News,  Cricket News, Bollywood News,  India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.