"It was our commitment to Indian tennis to bring back this tournament and we are glad we are doing so" - Tata Open Maharashtra Tournament Director
Tata Open Maharashtra Tournament Director Prashant Sutar is overjoyed that the Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association (MSLTA) can make good on their promise to bring the ATP 250 event back to the calendary for the benefit of Indian tennis.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, Sutar revealed that the tournament has been a good platform for Indian tennis players in the past. The latest edition, he believes, will continue to uphold this tradition.
"It was our commitment to Indian tennis to bring back this tournament and we are glad we are successful in doing so. A lot of Indians have benefited from playing here," Sutar said. "We are here for the players and I believe this edition too will be a great platform for them. Despite the challenges, many players showed their interest and we have got a strong line up this year too."
Considering the current situation and Omicron scare, #TataOpenMaharashtra 2022 will be held in a bio secure bubble without spectators in the stadium.
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Sutar emphasized that the tournament will proceed with necessary safety precautions, with only players who are double-vaccinated allowed entry. Furthermore, RT-PCR tests are scheduled every three days as well as daily Rapid Antigen Tests.
"Double vaccination is mandatory and RT-PCR tests will be conducted every third day as per government guidelines along with Rapid Antigen Tests that will be carried out daily for officials and players," Sutar said. "We will be playing this tournament in a controlled environment and the movements of players will be restricted and they will be kept away from any public or outside interferences."
Sutar regretted the fact that fans would not be allowed to observe proceedings. But at the same time, he did not want to overlook the risk posed by the Omicron variant in India.
The tournament director, however, assured fans that if the situation improved, a limited number of seats would be open to the public.
"As much as we want fans to come to the stadium, we can’t forget about the risk involved due to this new variant of the virus. There are protocols in place as agreed upon by the Organizers and for everybody’s best interest we need to follow them," Sutar said. "We hope situation improves and we can allow limited number of people at the galleries."
History of the Tata Open Maharashtra
The Tata Open was held for the first time in New Delhi in 1996 and then moved to Chennai for the next 21 years, until 2018.
The most successful player in the history of the tournament in singles is three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka. The Swiss won the tournament four times (2011 and 2014-2016).
The event has played host to several former World No. 1s in the past, including Boris Becker, Patrick Rafter and Yevgeny Kafelnikov. 2021 US Open champion Daniil Medvedev competed in 2017, finishing as the runner-up to current World No. 18 Roberto Bautista Agut.
The 2022 Tata Open Maharashtra begins on January 31 and will run until February 6, with qualifiers scheduled to take place on January 30-31. The 26th edition of the ATP event will be held at Mhalunge Balewadi Tennis Complex in Pune on the same hardcourts that have hosted the event since 2018.
The COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent rescheduling of the Australian Open in 2021 prevented the tournament from taking place last year. But this year, MSLTA, in association with the Government of Maharashtra, has announced the return of the Tata Open Maharashtra with a strong line-up that boasts nine players in the top 100.
Also check out: Updated ATP Men's Tennis Rankings