Tour Finals to remain in London until 2015

LONDON (AFP) –

Britain’s Andy Murray walks on court to play Serbia’s Novak Djokovic in the round robin stage on the third day of the ATP World Tour Finals tennis tournament in London on November 7, 2012. London was on Wednesday confirmed as the host city of the ATP Tour Finals for an extra two years until 2015.

London was on Wednesday confirmed as the host city of the ATP Tour Finals for an extra two years until 2015.

The ATP’s season-ending event has been a huge success since it was first staged at the O2 Arena in south-east London in 2009 following the move from the tournament’s previous venue in Shanghai.

Tour Finals organisers initially agreed a five-year contract to bring the competition to London and, with most matches played to sell-out crowds and unanimous support from the players, that deal has now been extended despite interest from Rio in taking over the event.

ATP executive chairman and president Brad Drewett said: “We are very happy to announce the extension of our original commitment in London for a further two years.

“We are very proud of our marquee event, the ultimate showcase of the best of men’s tennis. The excitement created by our season-ending tournament in London has been fantastic, with fans, players, media and commercial partners all supporting the event in an unprecedented manner.

“This week we look forward to welcoming our one millionth fan through the gates at the O2 since 2009. We thank everyone of those fans for helping to create an electric atmosphere.”

This year’s Tour Finals started on Monday, with Roger Federer aiming to win the title for the seventh time.

The event, won by legendary stars like Federer, John McEnroe, Pete Sampras and Boris Becker, has been staged in 14 different cities, including Tokyo, New York and Sydney, in its 42-year history.