Dubai's ATP reign ends, Doha shares spoils

Sport360 staff 16:29 07/01/2016
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  • Dubai was dethroned by Queen's Club.

    The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships’ seven year reign as the ATP’s best World Tour 500 event has been ended by the Aegon Championships.

    There was better news for the Qatar ExxonMobil Open as it was jointly named the top ATP 200 tournament of 2015, alongside the St. Petersburg Open.

    The Tournament of the Year awards, voted annually by ATP players, recognises the leading standards set across the three tournament categories on the Tour.

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    Indian Wells repeats at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 level, while The Queen’s Club in London takes Dubai’s trophy in its first year as a 500 tournament. Both Doha and St. Petersburg are winners for the first time in their respective histories.

    For the first time since 2004 and the fourth time overall (since 1986), two events have been named joint winners in the ATP World Tour 250 category.

    The Qatar Open is currently hosting its 24th edition and tournament director Karim Alami is delighted that the event has been recognised by the tour’s top players as a leading 250 event.

    “Our aim is always to make a great event where players can feel relaxed and at home, where they can perform at their best, where they want to return year after year,” said Alami.

    “We are always listening to the opinions and feedback from the organisation and from the players and trying to learn from our mistakes and past experiences to keep improving and to keep raising the bar every year.

    “To achieve the recognition of the players for these efforts and be selected by them as the best ATP World Tour 250 tournament for the year 2015 makes us all very proud and gives us the strength and motivation to continue improving and making our event better and better.”

    Retaining its title as the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Tournament of the Year, the BNP Paribas Open continued its on-site improvements in 2015, unveiling a newly renovated player restaurant with expanded dining options and free Wi-Fi throughout the site. The tournament welcomed more than 450,000 fans through the gates over the fortnight.

    “It is very rewarding for the BNP Paribas Open to be recognised as the 2015 Masters 1000 Tournament of the Year,” said Tournament Director Raymond Moore.

    “Our event is focused on improving each and every year in all areas and aspects, and receiving this award for the second year in a row is another validation that our actions – such as providing Hawk-Eye electronic line calling technology on every match court – are being appreciated by the players.

    “It only intensifies our desire to reach new heights in 2016 and ensure that the experience at the tournament is nothing short of exceptional.”

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