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October 12, 2015

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Home » Supplement » Tennis Masters Cup

Players love playing in front of Shanghai fans

By Ma Yue | October 12, 2015, Monday | Print Edition

The 2015 Shanghai Rolex Masters is to be staged at Qizhong Tennis Center in Minhang District from October 10 to 18. This year’s event will once again feature a star-studded lineup of the world’s top ranked male players including Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal, Kei Nishikori and Stan Wawrinka.

World No. 2 Federer has always listed the Shanghai event as one of his favorite tournaments and confirmed his participation with a video clip to his fans.

“I look forward to defend my title in Shanghai this year,” he said. “I have returned many years now — the Shanghai Masters Cup from the beginning and now the Shanghai Rolex Masters. It’s a great tournament, very professional with all the best players. For me, to play in front of my fans is a great feeling. I can’t wait as I’ve always had a blast playing in Shanghai.”

Top ranked Djokovic is undoubtedly the favorite heading into the tournament. The Serb has won twice in Shanghai, but was defeated by Federer in the semifinals last year. But in their latest grudge match at the US Open final, Djokovic defeated Federer in four sets to claim his 10th career Grand Slam.

“I have always enjoyed playing in China,” said Djokovic. “I’m very much expecting to return to Shanghai in October. The city has a great venue and enthusiastic fans.”

It’s the seventh straight year Shanghai has hosted the ATP 1000 tournament. The city first held an international tennis tournament — the Heineken Open — in 1998, and then the ATP Masters Cup in 2002.

According to organizer Juss Event, all tickets for the semifinals and finals had been sold out by the beginning of September — six weeks before the first ball is served.

“The tournament is the most successful international sports event in Shanghai and enjoys a mature fan base thanks to years of accumulation,” said Yang Yibin, tournament director of Juss Event.

According to Yang, the Shanghai Rolex Masters has entered the “harvest season” in terms of its brand value. Apart from title sponsor Rolex and long-term partners like Mercedes-Benz, Heineken and ANZ bank, this year’s tournament has three new sponsors — handset manufacturer Huawei, tire giant Michelin and a personal finance management company. Each company pays at least 3 million yuan (US$470,817) to be listed as a sponsor.

“The quality of our sponsors and partners illustrates the commercial value of the Shanghai event, and we will continue to build the annual tournament into an influential brand,” Yang said.

The organizers said they would continue to encourage and help sponsors set up tennis-themed games and activities for fans around the arena during the tournament. A “fan’s market” will also be set up to provide a platform for tennis followers to show off and exchange their souvenirs and make friends.

The Shanghai Rolex Masters had been voted by players as the best ATP 1000 Masters tournament from 2009 to 2013. The honor was however taken by Indian Wells last year.

“The result means there is still room to improve,” Yang said. “Shanghai’s attendance rate for mid-week matches is one of the lowest among the ATP 1000 tournaments, which is one way we can improve going forward.”

The Qizhong Tennis Center’s location in suburban Minhang District makes it difficult for many fans to attend on weekdays since it takes a long time to commute from downtown after work.

Despite the inconvenience, the organizers also noticed that an increasing number of fans have started targeting mid-week tickets this year as the top-seeded players will compete in the second round matches scheduled on Wednesday and Thursday.

Tennis Masters Cup


 

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