TENNIS.COM: The organizational requirements for tournaments are becoming increasingly complex. What do you find most challenging?
BJÖRN KROLL: We have to distinguish between ATP and ITF events. The ATP’s requirements have increased tremendously in recent years. You receive a detailed manual that specifies everything—down to how many kilos of laundry a bag must hold. Since I also work at major ATP and WTA tournaments, I can compare, and the expectations are becoming very similar. You sometimes wonder why, and the explanation is that the ATP wants tournaments to become more professional. That makes sense, but it also means higher costs and more organization. Many tournament directors are struggling to keep up.
With the ITF, it’s not as extreme; the requirements have increased, but at a reasonable pace. The ATP’s expectations, however, are very high, and that’s making it harder for many events to survive. Additionally, there’s a growing focus on hosting more tournaments in Asia and Saudi Arabia. It’ll be interesting to see how that develops.
In Germany, following a DTB (German Tennis Federation) initiative, we’ve gained many smaller 15K and 25K ITF events, but at the higher levels, more tournaments are disappearing. That’s a pity, because we need all of them to offer players a proper platform—especially in winter, when the tournament landscape here is quite thin.
TENNIS.COM: So, will we see this tournament in the same format and location again next year?
BJÖRN KROLL: Most likely not at this venue. A lot is changing here. The hall is very old, even under monument protection, and quite run-down. The Hamburg Tennis Association is currently discussing what needs to be done during this winter season. Our goal is to move the tournament outdoors in the summer as a combined event. There are different options, but we’d like to keep two or three tournaments in Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein.
We believe we’re capable of continuing to organize them financially and with the necessary manpower. We receive strong support from the City of Hamburg, the regional sports federation in Kiel, the North-East regional league, and the German Tennis Federation. The only question is finding the right slot. Demand for summer Challenger dates is extremely high, so we’ll apply early with the ATP. But ultimately, the decision isn’t in our hands.
