Vinay Nayudu
Doha
After 25 years of successful conduct of premier tennis tournaments in Doha, the Qatar Tennis Federation (QTF) is planning to build a new state-of-the-art retractable roof stadium very soon.
The Qatar ExxonMobil Open 2017, which marked the 25th anniversary of the event in Doha and concluded on Saturday, saw crowds thronging Khalifa International Squash and Tennis Complex with the demand for tickets being huge.
The interest in tennis in Qatar has been growing over the years and many fans are unable to find their way into the stadium. This could well become a thing of the past soon.
Tournament Director of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open, Karim Alami, speaking exclusively to Qatar Tribune said that a new stadium is in the offing soon.
"We have a new project. We are going to start building a new stadium very soon. It will be a 12,000-seater close-and-open roof stadium. The capacity will surely cater to all tennis lovers in Qatar and from around the world," said Alami, a former professional tennis player who defeated former World No. 1 Pete Sampras in the first round of the 1994 Doha tournament.
"The present stadium is always full, people are always asking for tickets and more and more top players are coming to Doha to play.
"We aim to raise the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) tournament from the current 250 ranking points status to level 2000.
"Hopefully in the near future we will also have a chance to host a bigger tournament. For now, the demand for tennis lovers to be at the stadium is a positive worry. It's a good problem.
"The details of the new stadium have not been finalised but we are surely waiting for a new tournament to be played there. We are in the planning stages and hopefully we will get a bigger tournament soon Inshaallah,"Alami explained.
The Khalifa Complex which has been holding tennis tournaments (including the WTA Qatar Total Open) was opened on December 16, 1992, and the first Qatar Open was held in January 1993.
It contains 27 hard courts and a stadium court with a capacity of 4,106 spectators which was enhanced to 6,911 in 2008.
Alami said the QTF aims to constantly strive to excel and raise the standards.
"It is important for us to raise the bar every year. Our goal is to make the crowds happy and also to make the players feel at home. We ensure that we take care of every detail and little details do make a difference.
"And this year's final between the World No. 1 Andy Murray and No.2 Novak Djokovic was special. The standard of play was very high and the stadium was full, so we are very happy as organisers.
The Serbian Djokovic, who retained the trophy he won in Doha in 2016 on Saturday, also had a special mention about what makes Qatar Open a preferred destination for world's top tennis players.
"Now it's the third year in a row that I'm in Doha and really pleased to start off the year in this tournament that now traditionally for some time has been voted the best for integrity. And deservedly so, because they have been really trying to make sure that every player is feeling like at home," Djokovic said while playing the 2017 edition of the tournament.
"The facilities here are great. The hotels are of very high-quality. You have the beach. You can bring your families and have a nice time. The stadium is very close. You have plenty of courts to practice. The matches start late in the day, which allows us to avoid the heat.
"You can see every single year you get at least a couple of top players from Top-5 of the world. You have at least four, five players from top 10. That says enough about what I personally, and we all as players, feel about this tournament. It's a great way to start off the season."