The USA would wake up to a sad reality at the final of the Hall of Fame Open tomorrow. It would be the last time that American tennis stars would be able to show their tennis skills to the home crowd. With the change in the ATP schedule, fans will be robbed of watching tennis grow on the grass courts of Newport and Atlanta (from next week). Moreover, the top players, including Ben Shelton, Frances Tiafoe, and Taylor Fritz, would not get a chance next year to win at home. Let’s dive into the what and why of this heartbreak.

Starting with what is happening: It was announced way back in 2023 that the Hall of Fame Open would not take place in Newport after its 2024 edition. However, many would have thought that the decision might be rolled back in due course of time. However, all the prayers went unanswered, and the hopes quashed, as to accommodate the Masters 1000 events, the ATP is firm in shutting the doors of the ATP 250 event in the USA. Stephen Amritraj also shared this heart-breaking stark reality on his X account.

Amritraj highlighted how in the last 20 years America, instead of attracting more ATP tournaments, has been facing a decline. First was Los Angeles, Memphis, and San Jose, and now 2 more are added to the list. He tweeted, “US markets losing ATP events with a longstanding tradition in the last 20 years: LA, Indy, Memphis, San Jose, Scottsdale, Atlanta next week, and (my personal favorite) Newport tomorrow. Obvious downstream effects in visibility, ranking points, and interest in one generation.” Now the question arises, why is this happening?

It’s not just to accommodate the bigger events but also the longer duration of some tournaments that these Opens would be struck off from the ATP list. The Masters 1000 tournament would extend from a week to 12 days. This would lead to less stress on the players, as they would have more time to relax and recover in between the t matches. Moreover, this might also indicate the bigger geopolitics coming into play, as new venues such as Jeddah come into the ATP schedule.

This change would be a huge one for American tennis fans. This year itself, more than 10 Americans participated at the Newport event. With the decline in ATP 250 events, it would lead to fewer avenues to garner points, and therefore visibility for American tennis stars. Certainly, the upcoming generation would have preferred a continuation of the flourishing tennis era. Sadly, that would have to wait unless things turn in favor of the USA.

The USA’s story of lost ATP tournaments: Los Angeles, and Memphis?

Back in 2012, the Los Angeles Open gave up its spot in the ATP after suffering losses for years. It came into play back in 1984, each summer at the celebrated UCLA. However, today one can only say, “Those were the days.” When big stars such as Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Jim Courier, and Michael Chang would drive up to LA for their home crowd, leading to a sold-out court.

However, in 2012, big appearances meant big dollars. For instance, it would have taken ~$2 million for Roger Federer to play the ATP 250 in LA. Unable to attract big players, it finally stopped its operations in 2012, after it was sold to Colombia. Coming to Memphis, back in 2014, the tournament was functioning without a sponsor. Despite the efforts of the USTA, the tournament was relocated to New York after 41 years of courtship in Tennessee.

A stark change of times, as back in the 1990s USA hosted 24 of the 55 ATP tournaments, which reduced to 11 in 63 in 2019. And now the country is down to 2 more. If this trend continues, the USA might lose its favored spot in the tennis circuit, as paradox clouds its position. Despite producing the legends, the country is fighting for tournaments.