And yet! Iga ¦wiatek can play in Poland. There hasn’t been such a big tournament for years. Tennis

At the beginning of March, a meeting of journalists with the new Minister of Sport, Sławomir Nitras, took place. The politician announced, among other things, that the ministry will strive to organize large tennis tournaments in our country. – There is no project, no one who can guarantee that it is a long-term product. We should define a goal, and in my opinion this should be the ATP 500 and WTA 500 tournaments in Poland – said the minister.

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Minister’s announcements

The idea is very ambitious. In the last three years, a WTA 250 event was held (first in Gdynia, two subsequent editions in Warsaw). Last season, Iga Świątek won in the capital. Unfortunately, at the end of last year, the organizers announced that there would be no continuation of the competition. The tournament was dropped from the calendar of the Women’s Tennis Organization.

Sławomir Nitras wants not only the return of the WTA 250 competition, but also the creation of events that have not been held in our country for years. Now you need to reach an agreement with the WTA and ATP federations.

– I’m ready for this conversation. 2025 is a realistic date for the WTA 250 tournament to return to Poland, and I can talk honestly with the tennis community about a broader offer, the construction of target courts, and not modernizing the existing ones. From the government’s side, I can declare that we are ready for such a serious project, not ad hoc action. Let’s build a serious, target project, said Nitras.

The president of the PZT comments

What does the Polish Tennis Association say about this? President Dariusz Łukaszewski confirms that talks on this subject are ongoing. – We are talking to the minister about it and I really value these good relations. However, we should not talk about details at this point. The fact that we want it is one thing, but we still need to reach an agreement with the tennis authorities. However, fighting for it and having Iga and Hubert’s teams behind us, we are closer to organizing a large men’s or women’s tournament – says Łukaszewski in an interview with Sport.pl.

The Men’s Tennis Organization has already announced the calendar for next season and any changes in it will probably be very difficult to implement. The chances are greater at the WTA level, where officials can make corrections even overnight.

A few days ago, the WTA announced that the Polish Open tournament will be held in Warsaw on August 5 – the same as last year in Kozerki – with WTA rank 125. At the Thursday conference, the head of the PZT revealed that they had managed to agree on another date, just before the Olympic Games in Paris. The tennis players will play in the capital from July 21 to 27. A few hours after Łukaszewski’s declaration, there was a corresponding change on the WTA website in the “calendar” tab.

The return of the WTA 250 event itself would be a big event for our tennis. The upcoming edition of the Polish Open will be – due to the category – the largest tournament this year on Polish courts. In turn, plans to organize ATP 500 and WTA 500 events could lead to a real breakthrough for the discipline in Poland.

Tournaments of such high rank guarantee the arrival of more tennis stars. A year ago, Iga Świątek performed in Warsaw, and Roland Garros finalist Karolina Muchova was able to compete thanks to the so-called wild card. For example, the entry list in Stuttgart (also WTA 500) – the competition taking place from April 15 – includes, among others: Iga Świątek, Aryna Sabalenka, Jelena Rybakina, Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula and Ons Jabeur. The biggest of the biggest.

This season, the WTA calendar includes 500-rank tournaments in: Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Linz, Abu Dhabi, San Diego, Charleston, Stuttgart, Strasbourg, Berlin, Bad Homburg, Eastbourne, Washington, Monterrey, Guadalajara, Seoul, Zhengzhou and Tokyo . The ATP schedule includes: Rotterdam, Rio de Janeiro, Dubai, Acapulco, Barcelona, ​​Halle, Queens’Club, Hamburg, Washington, Beijing, Tokyo, Basel and Vienna.

Like Radwańska in 2006

There hasn’t been a similarly strong tournament bracket in our country since 2007. Back then, J&S Cup tournaments were organized on the Warszawianka courts. The biggest names of that time performed in the capital, including: Venus Williams, Justine Henin, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Amelie Mauresmo.

It was also a great opportunity for Polish tennis, which Agnieszka Radwañska took advantage of. The then 17-year-old from Krakow, acting as a wild card, won against former Roland Garros champion (2004), Anastazja Myszkina, achieving her first major success in her adult career.

If such a history were to repeat itself in Poland, we need to organize events announced by the minister and the president of the PZT. This is the only way to attract the great stars of world tennis to Poland. The next edition of the Polish Open event is a joy, but due to the importance and date – just before the Olympics – the biggest names in tennis will not be there for obvious reasons.

2024-04-05 14:02:00
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