NEWPORT – The International Tennis Hall of Fame is losing a slot on the men’s professional tennis circuit with the “retirement” of the tournament’s sanction by the tour’s governing association.
International Tennis Hall of Fame officials on Wednesday confirmed the final Infosys Hall of Fame Open will be held in July 2024. However, the nonprofit organization vowed to find a replacement, and will be “introducing new professional tennis events in Newport in 2025,” it said in a press release.
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While no specifics were offered, Eric Starelli, executive vice president of ATP Americas, announced Wednesday that professional tennis in Newport will be entering “a new chapter” and the organization “looks forward to continuing to work with the International Tennis Hall of Fame, one of our sport’s most historic venues, in the years ahead.”
The Infosys Hall of Fame Open, known as an ATP 250 level contest, is scheduled from July 14 to 21, 2024.
Under its “OneVision” strategic plan unveiled in 2022, the ATP Tour has moved to reform its circuit schedule, partly by prioritizing top tier “Masters 1000” events and increasing prize winnings.
CEO Dan Faber said Wednesday that “World-class tennis has been part of the fabric of Newport for nearly 150 years and will continue to have an ongoing presence at the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
The hall is “actively exploring” the opportunities to host new professional tennis events in Newport and is “in the process of reimagining professional tennis in Newport with the expectation that beginning in 2025 a new era of pro tennis on the historic courts will begin,” Faber said.
Appointed CEO in March, Faber was previously head of the United States Tennis Association Foundation. He told PBN back in May he hoped to increase the organization’s international presence, including “developing closer relationships with the ATP” and other professional tennis associations.
The ATP said several tournaments would be “upgraded to ATP 500 status” in 2025, while three ATP 250 tournaments, including in Newport’s Hall of Fame Open, will be cease to exist, “part of an unprecedented set of reforms to strengthen the tennis calendar.”
The U.S. National Lawn Tennis Championship, the first tennis tournament ever staged in the U.S., was held at what was then the Newport Casino in 1881 and later became the U.S. Open. Averaging 15,000 attendees annually, the Hall of Fame Open is the only professional tournament played on grass outside of Europe.
Hall of Fame spokesperson Megan Erbes on Wednesday said part of the ATP’s reasoning for leaving Newport off the tour schedule was its placement directly after the Wimbledon Championships in London, which is seen as the unofficial end of the “grass courts” season.
“It’s always been a grass courts event happening in hard courts season” she said.
Erbes said 2023 tournament attendance combined with “Enshrinement Weekend” induction events exceeded 16,000, while total economic impact to the city was approximately $20 million.
Professional tennis in Newport “is not going anywhere,” said Erbes. The organization has convened a task force to explore any new opportunities for summer 2025, which could include a women’s tour event or some other alternative.
“Right now, all options are on the table,” she said. “With future induction ceremonies and new professional tennis events, we are looking forward to sustaining and potentially increasing the economic impact.”
City leaders were optimistic the change could end up being an opportunity for growth.
“Certainly, there’s a level of nostalgia, given the history and tenure of the ATP tour stop in Newport, but it’s coupled with excitement for what is to come,” said Evan Smith, CEO and president of Discover Newport. “I see this as an evolution rather than an ending.”
Newport City Council member and CEO at Midtown Oyster Bar and the Surf Club, Charlie Holder, said that while local business is usually booming during July weekends whether there is a large-scale event or not, the important symbolism of keeping professional tennis in the city can’t be overstated.
“It’s always been great to get that international exposure,” he said. “It’s the Hall of Fame. So, we need to continue to have that connection.”
(UPDATE: Comment from Smith added in 16th paragraph)
Christopher Allen is a PBN staff writer. You may contact him at Allen@PBN.com
