International men’s tennis will return to Hong Kong in January for the first time in more than 20 years, according to an important statement made by the ATP Tour on Monday.
The event will serve as a lead-up to the Australian Open will take place from December 31 to January 7 on outdoor hard courts.
Pune, India, which hosted the competition at the same dates this year, will be replaced by Hong Kong. Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Boris Becker, and Michael Chang, all Grand Slam champions, competed in the final ATP Tour event held in Hong Kong in 2002.
The prize money pool for the forthcoming tournament in Hong Kong will be significant and approach $650,000.
Its date, right before the 2024 Australian Open, heightens its relevance by giving players a chance to polish their techniques ahead of the year’s first Grand Slam. The Australian Open is set to start on January 15, thus the Hong Kong tournament provides players with the best opportunity to get ready for the illustrious competition.
The president of Hong Kong’s tennis association, Philip Mok, commented: “Our goal has been to bring an ATP Tour level event back to Hong Kong for several years and we are
thrilled to make it a reality.”
