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Journalism of Courage
When Sania Mirza steps out to defend her sole WTA title next February, there’s a strong possibility she’ll be doing it in Bangalore, not hometown Hyderabad where she won it. Reason: The organisers have raised the profile from a Tier-IV event to a Tier-III, but are unsure of raising the additional money required in Hyderabad.
In fact, the WTA calendar for 2006 currently lists the WTA as a Tier-III event in Bangalore, scheduled to start from February 13 — the same week the Hyderabad Open has been held for the past three years.
ATP media representative Darrell Fry, when contacted, explained the change in an e-mail to The Indian Express. ‘‘Tennis in India is growing rapidly, thanks in part to the rise of Sania Mirza, and the Hyderabad Open has been a successful event. To capitalise on the growth and potential of tennis in that region, the owners of the Hyderabad Open seized an opportunity to upgrade to a Tier III event in Bangalore.’’
That’s right, says Mahesh Bhupathi, who is also MD and CEO of tournament owners Globosport. ‘‘At the end of the day it all depends on who supports or funds the event.’’
WTA rules state that a Tier-III event must offer minimum prize money of $175,000 — $30,000 more than a Tier IV event.
So does it mean Hyderabad is not interested. ‘‘They are very interested’’, Bhupathi says, ‘‘but there are a few things to be discussed with them. Bangalore is not confirmed, the venue will be confirmed by next week.’’
He rules out the possibility of WTA events in both Bangalore and Hyderabad. ‘‘It’s hard to be allotted one’’, he says.
Of the 36 countries that the WTA Tour has on its map, India incidentally is one of the ten countries on the tour to host more than one WTA event.
