LONDON: The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), the governing body of men’s professional tennis, announced Friday the final shortlist of candidates bidding to host the season-ending ATP Finals tournament.
The cities of Manchester, Singapore, Tokyo and Turin have been selected by the ATP to progress and will now be assessed alongside London in the final phase of the bidding process to host the crown jewel event from 2021 to 2025. The decision will be finalized by March 2019.
The announcement of the final shortlist follows an extensive bid application process that began in August 2018 in which more than 40 cities worldwide expressed an interest in hosting the prestigious season-ending event.
ATP President and executive chairman Chris Kermode said: “The level of interest we have received worldwide throughout the bid application process reflects the rich heritage of this unique tournament, as well as the success of the event at The O2 since 2009. It has been a highly competitive process, and the candidate cities on the shortlist deserve huge credit for the passion and creative vision they have shown in their respective plans to continue the growth of our showpiece event.
“The ATP Finals have never stood still, remaining vibrant and relevant to fans, sponsors and media worldwide at every turn. There’s no question that London has set a very high benchmark and, with the final shortlist announced today, we believe we will be well-placed to determine the next exciting chapter of a tournament that has come to represent the absolute pinnacle in men’s professional tennis.”
The tournament is to be held through 2020 at The O2 in London, where it has been staged to wide acclaim since 2009. The event has successfully established itself as one of the major annual sporting events worldwide, broadcast in more than 180 territories with global viewership figures reaching an average of 95 million each year.
The ATP is working with The Sports Business Group at Deloitte to manage the bidding process.
