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Tuesday October 6, 2009

Stars’ positive response to maiden tourney bodes well for its future

By LIM TEIK HUAT

KUALA LUMPUR: World-class players were the selling point of the just concluded Proton Malaysian Open tennis championships and if their response was anything to go by, the organisers certainly have a lot of positive things to work on for the event next year.

Malaysia are set to be one of the Asian stops on the ATP World Tour for the next four years.

Whether the status of the championships is upgraded from the current 250 ranking points will very much depend on the depth in the pockets of the title sponsors and their willingness to get the big names to play in Kuala Lumpur.

But the organisers certainly have a headstart in preparing for the next edition of the championships.

Champion Nikolay Davydenko of Russia, who was the tournament’s highest ranked player at No. 8, said that he enjoyed playing in KL and would definitely return to defend the title.

“I didn’t get the chance to see the sights in the city but it was a great trip being my first time,” said the Russian, who defeated second seed Fernando Verdasco of Spain 6-4, 7-5 in the final at the Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil.

“One place I wanted to visit but never got the chance was the local zoo. I hope to be able to do that the next time.”

The No. 9 ranked Verdasco may have failed in a bid to land a second title on the ATP World Tour this year but nevertheless enjoyed the experience of playing in this part of the world for the first time.

“I came here without having played much tennis because of my foot injury (suffered at the US Open),” said Verdasco, who reached his first Grand Slam semi-finals at the Australian Open this year.

“It was important to get some confidence and rhythm for the next tournament. I enjoy it here and hopefully, I will come back next year.”

The atmosphere in the stadium for the last three days of competition was electric and at times deafening as the fans enjoyed the feast of world-class tennis.

Tournament director Nick Freyer said that they would be scratching their heads in working on the field for next year’s event as most of the higher ranked players were interested to make the appearance.

“The top four seeds are willing to play next year and at the same time, we are always open to bringing in new players. We have to see how things go,” he said.

“It has been a week of spectacular tennis. We have had no pull-outs from all the top ranked players who agreed to participate and that is something for a first-year tournament on the ATP calendar. I hope the fans really enjoyed themselves out there.”

While the tournament was a huge success, it is hoped that the organisers will consider lengthening the distance from the sidelines to the spectator seating areas.

The hardcourt venue set up for the tournament was too close for comfort and the ball struck the spectators on a few occasions. It can be a painful experience to be struck by a high-speed ball, which can travel past 200kph.

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