It’s unclear how the resignation
of U.S. Tennis Association chief exectuive Arlen Kantarian will affect the Indianapolis Tennis Championships. Kantarian, 55,
announced his resignation from the USTA this afternoon after eight years with the organization.
Kantarian launched and championed the U.S. Open Series, which the local tournament kicked off for the past several years. The U.S. Open Series is a branded circuit of summer hard court events culminating with the U.S. Open. Kantarian shepherded the USTA during an era that saw the U.S. Open, which the organization owns, hit record revenue. Kantarian, tennis experts said, also was bent on seeing the U.S. Open Series thrive.
Kantarian also recently spoke with Indianapolis Tennis Championships officials about ways to strengthen their finances. “He was keen to help this local tournament survive,” a tennis insider said. "He knew it needed help."
Kantarian and ITC officials were unavailable for comment this afternoon.
Back to Top
IBJ Conversations
8 Comments
Add Comment
The signs are everywhere. Some of the organizations, events, and venues that helped put Indianapolis on the sports map are increasingly neglected and long in the tooth.
The Velodrome, Natatorium, Track Stadium, Tennis Center, downtown ice rink -- all seem to be withering right in front of our nose. We've spent mucho-bucks on mega structures like Conseco and Lucas. Fine facilities, but access to both are limited, the cost of admission is often prohibitive. Those other facilities are much more user-friendly and accessible.
How strong is our committment to the many sports organizations and associations headquartered here? Are they also neglected? Taken for granted? Quietly considering relocation?
Seems like the drive, desire, and public committment that attracted many of those organizations and events in the first place has waivered. The same winds that brought it all in, can also sweep it away.
Is it time for a city gut-check and recommittment, or is it time to let them go? Anyone considered it, or do we care anymore?
A clear effort was made this year to try to boost the tournament by alotting it more points in the US Open Series challenge, but, given that some players were saving their energy for the Olympics, it's impossible to tell what kind of effect that will have in the future.
I doubt the tournament will be eliminated, however, since many of these smaller tournaments offer inexperienced players an opporunity to compete in a main draw. But until Indianapolis's financial committment to the tournament goes back up, don't expect to see the likes of Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal sightseeing around downtown.
The fact is, there is no story here, aside from the fact the blog writer is unclear whether Kantarian's departure will have an impact or not. Kantarian is one person and the tournament's business plan does not hang on the acts of any one individual.
In my opinion, this post was a waste of time. Let's deal in hard facts, not guess work. Blog writer -- pick up the phone and call Kantarian and ask for an opinion. Talk to someone willing to go on record. This tennis insider stuff I could have made up myself. Just because you blog doesn't mean you do not have a responsibility to cover the issue appropriately.
If we want to maintain Indianapolis's status as an international sports center, tennis, with it's ever-increasing international audience, HAS to be part of that discussion. If we sit on our hands and wait for cold hard facts, we may find the next cold hard facts we get are that the tournament has been disbanded.
The analogy to the NBA doesn't quite hold here, however, since the ATP plays a much more important role in the structure of the tennis season than the USTA. Kantarian worked quite closely with the ATP in adding solidarity and continuity to the summer US hardcourt season. If his concept of a US Open Series is lost, a lack of financing in Indianapolis could lead the ATP to look to elsewhere.