NEW DELHI, Aug 8: PL Reddy, who has been sanctioned the 1997 Chennai Challenger, has handed over the tournament to the Indian Tennis Players Association (ITPA) for this year. In a letter to the All India Tennis Association (AITA) dated July 30, Reddy said that the ``ITPA had approached me to give them the Chennai Challenger. Considering the fact that the ITPA has never made as much money as the State Associations by getting sponsorship for Challenger, I have given them the Challenger free of cost this year,'' Reddy wrote.According to Reddy, the ATP, in a fax dated July 31, has confirmed that ITPA can conduct the tournament.But as of now, the dispute regarding the dates of the Challenger continues. While Reddy - and not the ITPA - wants the Chennai Challenger in the week after the Davis Cup, that is from September 22 to 29, AITA would like to them to hold in the week before the Cup (September 8 to 14) or alternatively from November 24 to 30, that is after the Asia Cup.Reddy feels the week before the Cup is unsuitable for Indian players because they will be required to adjust from Decoturf (Chennai surface) to grass (the surface for Davis Cup in Delhi) in so short a span. As for the period after Asia Cup, Reddy contends in his letter to the AITA that Chennai has its monsoon then.Even as the dates remain undecided, the ITPA chairman, Mr Justice Mohan, a former Supreme court judge, and Karthik Chidambaram in his capacity as chairman of the ITPA organising committee, are involved in a big way, said Reddy, over the telephone from Chennai. Karthik is also on the board of directors of corporate houses in Chennai. So finding sponsors should not be a difficult task. Further, Reddy assured, ``I will not charge a paisa from ITPA.''Reddy's explanation for not taking any money from ITPA is that, ``ITPA is a players body and they should be given a platform to develop on the lines of the ATP,'' he says.But Reddy is yet to reply to the request for a waiver for the fee of Rs. three lakhs from the Gujarat Association which is planning to conduct the other Challenger allotted to Reddy.
