Pune to host first ever Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP)

Pune: Tennis is back in the city with Maharashtra Lawn Tennis Association (MSLTA) hosting the first ever $50,000 Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) tennis in state which is to be held from August 20.
This was disclosed by Sunder Iyer, the secretary of the MSLTA while talking to dna on Monday. "This is for the first time a championship of this magnitude is being held in the city,"said Iyer
All the Indian Davis Cup players will be seen in action . We will get to witness, Somdev Devvarman, Rohan Bopanna, Saketh Myneni and Yuki Bhambri,"said the MSLTA secretary Iyer.
MSLTA has made many initiatives to spread the game in rural areas of the state. They have entered Naxal affected areas of the state and has given a new lease of life for budding players from these areas.
Some tribal youth, including four girls, have been selected by the ATC from six districts of Vidarbha region - including a few from Gadchiroli. The tennis enthusiast were trained by Arjun Sutar and Kapil Chutele, both All India Tennis Association recognised coaches for around eight hours a day.
This will be double-leg ATP championship, the first to be held in Indore and soon followed to be held at the Balewadi tennis courts. Pune has hosted three Davis Cup championships which were played in Deccan Gymkhana. It was in the year 1963 when India took on Pakistan which was followed by Japan (1969 and West Germany (1970) and the last against Russia at the same venue in the year 1974.