The All India Tennis Association (AITA) announced on Tuesday that India would host up to four ATP Challenger tennis events in early 2023. The tennis events will mark the return of the ATP Challenger Tour to the nation after a two-year gap. The last ATP Challenger event held in India was the 2020 Bengaluru Open.Three of the events will be ATP Challenger 100s, held in Chennai, Bengaluru, and Pune, respectively. Meanwhile, Nagpur will host its first ATP Challenger 50 tournament. While the specific dates are yet to be revealed, the events will take place in early 2023, following India’s Davis Cup World Group Playoffs in February.
“We are sure that Indian tennis players will be tremendously benefitted from these events and our players will make maximum use of the opportunities that AITA has created for players,” AITA Secretary General Anil Dhupar said as quoted by Olympics.com. “The two years of COVID took its toll on the tournaments in India, but the record events will help our players bounce back, improve their international rankings, and prove their mettle,” Dhupar added.
In addition to the four ATP Challengers, India will host eight ITF men’s tournaments, nine ITF women’s events, and 11 ITF junior events, two each of Grade 2, Grade 3, and Grade 4, and five Grade 5, between November and March of this year. Grade 2 competitions will be held in New Delhi and Kolkata, Grade 3 competitions in Pune and Chandigarh, Grade 4 competitions in Delhi and Guwahati, and Grade 5 competitions in Indore, Gurugram, Dehradun, Bhilai, and Madurai.
All of the activities will take place in 13 different states around the country. Earlier, the Indian tennis team could not overcome their Davis Cup 2022 World Group I opponent Norway, ending in a 3-1 loss for them. India will now compete in the World Group I play-off round for the following year’s competition.