The ATP World Tour Finals, which Andy Murray will set rolling against Kei Nishikori on Sunday, might be London’s to cherish at least until the Scot and most of his peers stop playing tennis. There are no guarantees – the Association of Tennis Professionals will decide in March whether or not to extend the capital’s stewardship of the game’s high-profile finale beyond 2015 – but the signs are encouraging.
Chris Kermode, the visionary administrator central to the growth of the tournament since its arrival in the capital in 2009 and who last year took up the game’s premier administrative job with the ATP, says he has to balance the obvious economic success of the event in a sporting goldmine with the obligation to spread the game.
“There are so many things to consider,” he said last night. “We have to make a balanced decision.”
It is understood eastern Europe is in his sights rather than the Americas; that is the expansion argument. Viable commercial options are not immediately apparent: South America? Too far away at the end of the European season.
South Africa? Likewise. The United States? No top 10 players. China? Too soon. Russia? Perhaps. Moving it to Australia in December, just ahead of the Open in Melbourne in January, is as good a bet as any. Kermode, however, acknowledges the obvious: two sets of guaranteed sold-out crowds for seven days, amounting to a live audience of more than a quarter of a million, is a hard number to walk away from.
There was a long stretch in its previous incarnation when this tournament’s natural home was Madison Square Garden – but Pete Sampras was the world No1 then, pushed hard by Andre Agassi. The landscape has changed significantly since. The power base in men’s – and women’s – tennis has shifted dramatically towards Europe.
Industry insiders said on Wednesday it would take a compelling argument to move the event to another city given the tournament inside London’s easily identifiable dome has been a go-to November sporting event for five years. It is a ridiculously easy sell.
Any lingering notions, meanwhile, that Novak Djokovic might not be the best player in the world were dashed in the final Masters tournament of the season in Paris, when he blitzed the US Open finalist Nishikori and the dangerous young Canadian Milos Raonic for the loss of a mere 10 games. It is unlikely the consensus will be disturbed next week, when the three of them join the other five leading players on the banks of the Thames.
Nishikori blocked his way to the title in the semi-finals in New York, and Raonic tried meekly to bar his progress in the Paris final. Djokovic, who has not lost indoors in 27 matches, is their daddy now – and he has not lost since he became a father to Stefan, although he is still three children shy of Roger Federer’s collection of two sets of twins.
Tennis is not a sport that encourages domestic bliss; it is a place of sacrifice, demanding long flights, lonely nights and much boredom. Federer, aided by his wife Mirka, a former player, and a well organised entourage, has bucked the trend for years; it will be fascinating to see if Djokovic, holding the 33-year-old Swiss at bay at the top of the rankings, can emulate him.
Not many of their rivals are so encumbered – or, rather, blessed. Murray is engaged but not committed to a wedding date with his long-time partner Kim Sears and there are no other loud wedding bells evident on the Tour.
“It was the most beautiful thing that ever happened in my life and [Jelena’s] life,” Djokovic said of the birth of his son. He looks tired but not drained.
Last year Djokovic said he was exhausted after winning the London final – before escaping to South America with Rafael Nadal (absent through illness this year). But there can be little doubt they give their all until the last ball is struck.
So, here they all have fetched up in Greenwich, en famille – or not. It is an unusual scenario, altogether. Tennis neither encourages nor discourages fatherhood, obviously, and there is no reason to assume the Djokovic and Federer clans will not enjoy the occasion. But their paternal representatives will have to put all that behind them.
Murray, who made the final eight seven years in a row before missing last year through back surgery, opens the week-long event against Nishikori on Sunday. If he beats the dangerous but frail Japanese, then gets past Federer and Raonic, he will almost certainly be pitched from his group of four into a semi-final with Djokovic – and victory for the Scot there will set the tournament alight.
Murray bulldozed his way into the obligatory top eight to contest the end-of-season jamboree with wins in three tournaments after a stretch as barren as nearly any he has endured since he joined the Tour as a teenager. Murray needs London – and London needs Murray. Tennis needs both of them. Could there be a more perfect end to the season?
