Scott Dunlop: Another Grand Slam?

January 25, 2011

There are apparently a number of Asian and Mid East contenders for another Grand Slam event. These efforts are reviewed in an article by BBC writer Jonathan Overend.

The notion that any other tournament would be a Slam seems preposterous given the historical relevance of the four major tournaments. However, the rapid growth of tennis as a sport means money is pouring in from sponsors and there are many ways that money can work wonders.

“The Open is doing well in Beijing while Shanghai will host a Masters 1000 event. The Qatar Open in Doha kicks off the season and the end-of-season WTA Championships are staged at the same venue.”

It seems the jockeying right now is for titles like “World Championships” .

Although it seems clear it is very unlikely another Grand Slam event would be accepted, I can see the day when another tennis event will supersede a Slam in significance. All it would take is for a venue and prize money to become undeniably more prestigious. The Australian Open is trying to head this off in Asia by taking on the title of the “Asian and Pacifc” Grand Slam. However a change of name may not be enough. Money often talks louder.

A New Reality By Nicolas Pereira

August 9, 2020

This past week in the World Team Tennis ‘Bubble” I have seen the efforts to keep everyone safe while carrying on a team competition with around 60/70 players and coaches onsite. Counting organizers, officials, media, and support personnel are around 150 people trying hard to make this happen. I am very impressed by how the strict protocol has been handled and how everyone is invested in making this event a success, but The Open is a completely different scale of details.

ONcourt Interviews NGTL Co-Founder Yves Boulais

July 30, 2020

It does not matter that you get your rating playing locally or that you had spent an insidious amount of money playing the ITF junior tour tournaments. Your rating is your level of play (you get no bonus for playing more or playing far away). This allows us to break free of the ITF competitive structure potentially saving us time, money, and headache. We see this as a great opportunity to improve the logistic of our sport.

Brandon Burke (son of ACE President Doug Burke) Elected to WTA Board

July 8, 2020

As revealed in a recent news release issued by the WTA Tour – Brandon Burke has been elected to the WTA Board of Directors (to start officially in September). Oncourt got together with Brandon to delve a bit more into his background and to gain some insight into this wonderful appointment he has attained at such a young age.