via Imago
Image credits – Imago
via Imago
Image credits – Imago
The tennis community has always witnessed Cincinnati Open taking place in its city of origin, for almost a hundred years now. But with the relocation plans of the Charlotte Council, the outdoor hardcourt event in Ohio was all set to move to a new home that would have a brand-new tennis complex. In order to persuade the owner of the Western and Southern Open, the authorities further proposed a whopping $400 million development plan to move the tournament right across the Charlotte River.
The tournament’s latest announcement made by Novak Djokovic and Coco Gauff, however, has now quashed all these ‘relocation’ rumors. Though Charlotte and the current council have reached an agreement, the Masters 1000 event will undergo one drastic change. Let’s find out here.
Cincinnati Open announces a major ‘sponsorship’ change
Both the newly crowned US Open champions recently announced that the historic hardcourt tournament isn’t going anywhere as it will stay in the suburb of Cincinnati Mason, Ohio. It came after the county leaders and the current host city agreed on a new deal that kept the Cincinnati Masters from relocating to Charlotte.
Coco Gauff & Novak Djokovic announce that Western & Southern Open will stay in Cincinnati!
More than $200,000,000 will be invested in stadium improvements to raise the tournaments prestige worldwide.
It will be a 2 week event by 2025.
Great news. ❤️
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) October 10, 2023
Considering the recent agreement, many would have assumed that no significant changes would occur. However, this isn’t the case as the title sponsor of the Masters 1000 event, Western & Southern Financial Group is now stepping down. According to an exclusive report from the WCPO, the naming rights change was a part of the deal agreed between the two councils.
Emphasizing the sponsorship change after a two-decade run, the Western & Southern CEO John Barrett asserted that he was just worried about keeping the tournament in its city of origin. He also said,“Those will go for much higher numbers to somebody else, probably not in the region”.
Apart from the naming rights holder, the Cincinnati Open will undergo some other changes in terms of format and scheduling.
The historic hardcourt event will now witness more participants
With more than $200,000,000 being invested in the development plans of the Cincinnati Masters, the tournament will become a 2-week event after two seasons. Being one of the biggest sporting events involving both the ATP and WTA players, the Masters 1000 event will expand from nine to 12 days. Apart from this, the number of participants will also increase as the Cincinnati Open will allow 96 players instead of 56 now in the singles event.
What do you think of the sponsorship and format changes announced by the Cincinnati Open? Let us know in the comments section.
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