Tennis Australia to back future Hobart International tournaments

Tennis Australia is to support future editions of the struggling Hobart International tennis tournaments.

The $250,000 event, usually a warm up tournament prior to the Australian Open, is currently operating without a major sponsor.

According to a report from AAP, Tennis Australia President Steve Healy recently stated “we’d love it to be profitable.

“(It will) probably break even or maybe even slightly against will. We will continue to support it though where necessary.”

Healy said not all Tennis Australia events make a profit but that it’s important to bring players to Australia ahead of the Australian Open, rather than having them prepare elsewhere.

Healy added “we want a major event in every city and we want as many of the world’s best players preparing in Australia so we will continue to support it.”

Healy added that attempts to attract a “big name” to the event this year had been fruitless.

Healy wants to steer at least one top ranked player away from the Sydney International to Hobart in the future praising the difficulty of the tournament.

He added “it is a very strong, deep field and a very tough tournament to win.

“And traditionally the players who have done well here have done very well in the Australian Open and I think that’s a great selling point.”

Last year, the Hobart International became one of five marquee events rebranded as the Emirates Australian Open Series as part of a sponsorship agreement between Tennis Australia and Emirates Airline.

This year Perth’s Hopman Cup also operated without a main naming-rights sponsor.

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