ATP CEO Brad Drewett tells *USA Today* that he’s not worried about the future of pro tennis in the United States. Next year, the U.S. will lose two longstanding tournaments in San Jose and Los Angeles. After the tournament in San Jose is completed in early February, its owners will move its ATP 250 sanction to Memphis, which has already sold its ATP 500 sanction to a group in Rio de Janiero, Brazil.
Los Angeles is in the process of selling its sanction to a group from Bogotá, Colombia. In 1980, there were 36 ATP tournaments in the United States (including the U.S. Open). In 2014, there will only be 12.
“America is a cornerstone of our tour, commercially and traditionally. So very important,” Drewett said. “But these things do go in cycles. At the moment the epicenter is South America and it’s enormous. There is obviously an appetite to have events there. The only way you can have a new event on our tour, because we don’t make new ones, is to buy one. Obviously L.A. has struggled for a few years. Market forces will decide. I think for me in America, you have U.S. Open, Cincinnati, Indian Wells, Miami, Washington, Newport, which is wonderful. You got Atlanta, which was great this year. I’m not worried about the future of tennis in America. You’ve always got to have some movement dealing with market forces.”
Drewett also said the ATP is leaving open the option of moving the Latin American clay-court swing from February to the fall. Currently there are four weeks of clay tournaments in Latin America, which could grow to five weeks in 2014 with the additions of Rio and Bogotá.
“All options are talked about,” he said. “Any option, whatever we do here has an impact over here. I call it like a Rubik’s cube. Whatever you do has an impact. It’s about a balancing act, trying for me to decide what’s best long-term for the interests.”