STARNBERG, August 17, 2021
Professional tennis will return to the Canary Islands later this year. The Abama Tennis Academy in Tenerife will host a WTA 250 tournament from October 18 to 24 followed by an ATP Challenger 80 event with a total prize money of €44,820 from November 1 to 7, 2021
The tournaments are the result of the agreement between the Spanish Tennis Federation (RFET) and Italian organizers MEF Tennis Events, which also staged two Challenger events at the El Cortijo Tennis Academy in Gran Canaria in February and March.
Tournament director of both events will be David Marrero. “These tournaments are a great opportunity for the Canary Islands. People will be able to attend the matches of the best tennis players in the world,” the former Doubles World No. 5 said.
“It will be the first time that one of these islands will host a WTA 250 tournament. Tenerife will prove to be up to it and clearly also from a tourism point of view it will be a huge chance. I hope the players will feel right at home and I am sure that the entry list will be of the highest level. Two weeks after our tournament, the WTA Finals will be held, so important points will be up for grabs in Tenerife. I expect a great show in front of an enthusiastic audience.”
Il grande #tennis maschile e femminile vola sull’isola di #Tenerife. 👇
📅 18-24 ottobre | @WTA 250 Tenerife Ladies Open
📅 1-7 novembre | @ATPChallenger Tenerife Challenger
📍Abama TennisClicca qui https://t.co/k0lkdH5RFC#WTA | #ATPChallenger | #meftennisevents pic.twitter.com/SkKadIN6wv
— MEF tennis events (@meftennisevents) August 17, 2021
Tenerife is the largest and with about 920,000 inhabitants the most populous island of the eight Canary Islands. Approximately five million tourists visit the island each year, making it the most visited island in the archipelago.
Tenerife has already been home to Challenger tournaments two times in 1993, won by Frenchman Jean-Philippe Fleurian, and 2009 when Marcho Chiudinelli from Switzerland lifted the trophy.
The seven courts at the Abama Tennis complex are all are equipped with illumination and Flexi®-Pave surfaces in the style of the courts at the US Open and Australian Open and are situated inside the luxury Abama resort. The Centre Court can accommodate 600 spectators and the remaining six courts feature grandstands and covered rest areas for players.
“The climatic conditions of the island are ideal for playing tennis. It will be the third men’s event of the year after the two Gran Canaria Challengers,” Marrero said.
11 Challengers to be held in Spain this year
The direct financial support of the RFET in the last four years has been key so that Spain has gone from having only two ATP Challenger tournaments in 2017 to 11 this season.
“This wide network of tournaments allows Spanish tennis players to have the opportunity to take the leap to the highest level of the professional circuit, without the cost of going out to compete outside of our country,” the RFET stated on its website.
ATP Challenger calendar in Spain 2021
22-28/02 ATP Challenger Las Palmas-1 (44.820€)
01-07/03 ATP Challenger Las Palmas-2 (44.820€)
29-04/04 ATP Challenger Marbella (44.820€)
19-25/07 ATP Challenger Pozoblanco (44.820€)
26-01/08 ATP Challenger Segovia (66.640€)
30-05/09 ATP Challenger Mallorca (44.820€)
06-12/09 ATP Challenger Sevilla (66.640€)
27-03/10 ATP Challenger Murcia (44.820€)
04-10/10 ATP Challenger Barcelona (44.820€)
11-17/10 ATP Challenger Alicante (44.820€)
01-07/11 ATP Challenger Tenerife (44.820€)
