Somber Chennai gives tennis a miss on New Years Day

Move around the stadium complex and you notice that the number of visitors to witness the second day of qualifying can be counted on one hand.

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Move around the stadium and the number of visitors to witness Day 2 of qualifying can be counted on one hand. (Source: Express Photo by Tanuj Lakhina)

Chennai wears a deserted look and why should it not – it is a Sunday and the first day of the year. The city is adorn with huge hoardings of political leaders especially Jayalalithaa and one can see that even if Amma might not be there anymore at Poes Garden, Chennaites won’t forget her easily – if at all.

Move along during the middle of the afternoon with the sun shining brightly and the scorching rays of sunshine sparkling on car mirrors, you make your way through to a sleepy side of the city in Nungambakkam. This part of the metropolitan city is awash with commercial establishments ranging from government offices, foreign consulates, shopping malls and the venue for the Chennai Open – the SDAT Tennis Stadium. This is in some contrast to Nungambakkam being one of the oldest parts of Chennai with a rich history.

Good start from injury return for @yukibhambri. Into the @chennaiopen main draw with 63 61 win vs Kicker pic.twitter.com/xycmBUbfKP

— Tanuj Lakhina (@tanujlakhina) 1 January 2017

Navigating through tiny lanes with auto rickshaw drivers reading the paper with nothing much to do, one such lane leads to the SDAT Tennis Stadium where the 22nd edition of the Chennai Open is being staged. This has been the venue for India’s only ATP Tour event since 1997 after the 1996 edition was played in Delhi under its then name of Gold Flake Open.

Move around the stadium complex and you notice that the number of visitors to witness the second day of qualifying can be counted on one hand. The work to get the promotional hoardings up and signage installed is on in full flow with the main draw action starting on Monday.

One would expect, or hope, that the crowd starts to come in when the action begins. The tournament has been losing its appeal over the years with two more tournaments beginning the season on the same day –Brisbane and Doha. And the marquee players of the tennis world have opted to participate in these tournaments including the three time defending champion Stan Wawrinka (playing in Brisbane). But the organisers of the Chennai Open have managed to draw one top-10 player and a Grand Slam winner in Marin Cilic. The Croat comes in as the top seed and with a first round bye in the main draw, the crowd would have to wait to get a glimpse of the 2014 US Open winner. And possibly with that, the crowd might stay away for another few days unless the doubles – India’s dominant event – can draw in the numbers.