SEVILLA/STARNBERG, September 3, 2023

The LX Copa Sevilla is kicking off today with the qualifying. To understand the multiple tasks that come with the sports management and organization of the ATP Challenger Tour clay-court event, the press team of the Copa Sevilla spoke with Ángel Arias, who is the right-hand man to the tournament director, Santiago Pérez.

Arias is the Sports Director of the Real Club de Tenis Betis, responsible for overseeing the tennis and paddle tennis schools and coordinating all competition teams from juniors to veterans, both male and female.

Before the ATP Challenger tournament begins, Ángel takes care of everything the players need for their training, from arranging practice sessions, court availability, balls, water, stringing services, hotel reservations, and transportation. He also organizes the pickup of referees and linesmen.

Question: Once the official matches start, what additional responsibilities does Arias have?

Ángel Arias: It’s essential to ensure that nothing is missing on the court – that everyone is present, including umpires, linesmen, ball boys and girls, hostesses, and that there are enough balls, water, chairs, towels, umbrellas, and that all the equipment used by the staff is in good condition. I also work on the daily order of play with the ATP supervisor and coordinate with the hotel every night. My main goal is to ensure that everything goes smoothly.

Of all these tasks, which ones stress you out the most or make you feel overwhelmed?

To be honest, there’s none that stresses me out too much. Although it may seem trivial, missing a few bananas, a towel, or an ice bag for a player can make me a bit anxious, but that’s about it, really.

And which of these tasks brings you the most satisfaction?

In general, I really enjoy my work. I’m on the court, making sure everything runs smoothly, watching the tennis players compete and enjoy themselves. I don’t consider any of my tasks as particularly bad or good; I just enjoy watching the matches and making sure the tournament goes well. However, there is one thing that I particularly liked, something we started doing last year, which was conducting post-match interviews with winners right on the court. I enjoyed that because it allowed me to talk and connect with the players after their matches.

What are the procedures and feelings in case of rainy days?

The first thing I feel is sadness. Firstly, because we can’t play, we can’t carry out our work, and people can’t watch tennis. Regarding the procedures, the first step is to contact the ground staff around 6 in the morning to assess the situation. Then, we monitor the weather, talk to the tournament director, Santi Pérez, and the ATP supervisor, Jorge Mandl. After that, we communicate with all the staff, just as Mandl does with the players. From that point on, we keep a close eye on the weather and the ground staff, ensuring that the rain stops so that the ground staff can prepare the courts for optimal playing conditions.

Jornada aplazada por lluvia. Nueva información a las 16:00h pic.twitter.com/4ZDyGrk2oO

— Copa Sevilla (@CopaSevillaCh) September 3, 2023