The South Has Something To Say: Charleston's tournament director Bob Moran explains why this event is for real

The tennis season is jam-packed with tournaments spanning the globe, on different surfaces and with different expectations for fans and players. And while no tournament can ever duplicate the prestige of Wimbledon, or electricity of the US Open, some tour stops just seem to resonate with the pros and local residents more than others. As WTA Credit One Open tournament director Bob Moran can attest to, his tour stop in Charleston is one such tournament.

"We're here every day, promoting tennis and teaching tennis," Moran explained to Kamau Murray on the TENNIS.com Podcast. "I think that's why we've been able to build a fanbase and continue to grow the way we're growing."

The tournament continues to grow in size and stature, both figurately and, in the case of the 2022 edition, literally. A new state-of-the-art stadium in Charleston added luxury suites and many more seats for the fans, while maintaining the same cozy atmosphere that has become a staple of the event. Moran understands that you have to keep up with the times, and to continue attracting the very best field of players requires constant evaluation and upgrades.

As for the players, they remain the most crucial element of any tennis equation. And yet Moran acknowledges how the top players are not the only ones that deserve promotion and reverence.

"I was on a call with Billie Jean King once and a reporter asked her why people should come to see a player who was number 75," the president of Charleston Tennis LLC recalled. "And she said, 'Why do you think the 75th best player in the world in something she chooses to do isn't worth seeing?' And I took that to heart."

And speaking of those media opportunities, Moran made it a point to credit the partnership with Tennis Channel as a gamechanger. The desk at the tournament every single day was major point of emphasis, and has provided each winning player to discuss their big result, and the opportunity that the tournament presents. It's also enabled the tournament to promote itself, and everything the wonderful city of Charleston has to offer.

There are some real discussions in this podcast about the organization or lack thereof in tennis, & the possibility of creating a combined event featuring the ATP's biggest & brightest stars in Charleston. Throughout it all, Moran gives reasonable, measured, and most importantly honest answers. So when you're considering the most tradition-filled tournaments, and the events that consistently pump out fan support from the first ball to the last, remember Charleston. This podcast sure won't let you forget it.