Men's pro tennis says goodbye to New Haven

The future of professional sports in New Haven grows dimmer by the day. Local government brass has emphasized its commitment to professional sports in the Elm City throughout the tenure of Mayor John DeStefano, Jr. Yet on Thurs., Oct. 8, the city announced that the Pilot Pen International men's tennis tournament will not return to New Haven next year.

MIKE FIDA/NEWSMAKERS Pete Sampras' early exit in this year's Pilot Pen tournament may have contributed to the demise of men's draw.

Kitzbuhel, Austria's Gernerali Open, bought the tournament from Connecticut Professional Tennis on Thurs., Oct. 8 for $1.7 million.

The Pilot Pen lost $1 million last year and is reporting losses of $1.3 million this year. "[The $1.7 million] will be used to pay off the vendors," Mike Davies, president and chief operating officer of the tournament, said. "[The current debt] is just over $2 million. Everybody will get paid off. Basically, we'll be starting on a level playing ground."

Davies acknowledged that the tournament still has some outstanding debts to pay. "None of [the money] will be returned to the investors at this point. If the women can make it, then we'll be able to repay them in a few years." The investors are owed approximately $1.5 million.

In terms of the women's position in the Pilot Pen tournament, Davies seemed optimstic of its future. The women's event was held in New Haven for the first time this year and was fairly popular, though not profitable. Tournament organizers are currently talking with the United States Tennis Association and Women's Tennis Association about increasing the tournament's draw size from 28 players to 48.

Besides the Pilot Pen's loss of money in the last few years, an additional factor in considered was the Association of Tennis Professionals' decision to schedule the men's tournament a week earlier. Previously, the men's tournament had been two weeks before the U.S. Open, with the women's tournament falling a week before.

Michael Kuczkowski, spokesman for the mayor, admitted, "It's disappointing to lose the men's tournament." He said that the men's draw was a positive event for the city and claimed that the city did make an effort to retain the tournament. "The mayor met with the organizers of the tournament back in August. The tournament had high fees that they had to pay to get the top players. The men's tournament was fairly successful, but not exciting. [Ultimately] the gap was too great. The mayor was not willing to use additional taxpayer money for the tournament."

Kuczkowski also emphasized the success that the women's tournament had this year. "The women's turned out to be more successful than expected." Though the women's tournament did not net a profit this year, organizers are hoping to build upon the first year's unexpected success and turn the tournament into a legitimately profitable event.

On the bright side, according to the mayor's office, New Haven may not have seen the last of a men's tennis tournament. "We'll try to get a men's draw back here," Kuczowski said. "We'll wait a couple of years and examine what happened with the Pilot Pen, but I think this had more to do with the nature of the [men's] tour. The women's tour has celebrities, and the game is more fun for fans."

But Davies did not share Kuzcowski's optimism. "I don't know anything of [that]. If it's possible, obviously [we'd look into it], but if it didn't make it here before..." he said, sounding skeptical of the idea. "The ATP is looking to cut down events in the world. There are over 80 tournaments in the world out there, and the players can't play 52 weeks a year."

Though the mayor and his spokesman speak of the eventual reinstatement of a men's tournament in New Haven, what the Elm City has now appears tenuous.

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