There is a void that has remained vacant for the past twenty-five years; tennis at the world’s greatest indoor arena – Madison Square Garden. Once upon a time, in the greatest city in the world, tennis fans were spoiled. Unfortunately, this is no longer true for the men’s and women’s season ending championships left not only MSG, but New York in 1990 and 2001 respectively.
It was not only an incredible opportunity to watch the cream of the crop battle it out in the world’s preeminent sporting arena, it more than compensated for the over-sized Louis Armstrong Stadium at the US Open where fans might spend more time navigating the grounds and courts than actually watching tennis!
Tennis and Madison Square Garden: The Overdue Reunion
In the 1980’s, the Nabisco Grand Prix Masters gradually evolved into the ultimate men’s tennis showdown with an elite field that included Connors, McEnroe, Borg, Lendl, Becker, Edberg and Wilander competing against one another in a round robin format with the two having the best won-loss record advancing to the finals.
During the same time period, the Virginia Slims Championships on the WTA Tour boasted a field that included Navratilova, Evert, Graf, Seles and Sabatini. Every match was tantamount to a grand slam final and in that respect, exceeded fans’ expectations.
Why were both these year-ending championships relocated to Europe and then Asia? Both tournaments consistently sold out so poor attendance cannot be cited as justification. Were loyal NYC fans sold out to the highest bidder? Europe already hosts two of the four Grand Slam championships so why are they permitted to also maintain the year-ending championships for both the ATP and WTA?
Some had suggested that the tournaments be rotated to a new venue every few years which they were, e.g., Frankfurt, Shanghai and eventually London for the men and Munich, Istanbul and now Singapore for the women. I contend they both belong and should remain where they had their longest run and greatest success – New York City! I refuse to apologize for my greed; greed is good especially when it entails watching the elite play tennis in the greatest venue.
Roger Federer, having never played at MSG, jumped at the opportunity to play Pete Sampras in an exhibition match in 2008. I too jumped for I knew this opportunity most likely, was not to be repeated. The crowd was buzzing and the atmosphere charged. Though Sampras had retired six years earlier, the match was closely contested with Federer winning in three, thrilling tight sets.
The historical significance of this match was not lost on the enthusiastic NYC crowd; the top two Grand Slam singles champions battling it out on a fast indoor court at the legendary sporting arena. It had never happened before and most probably would not be duplicated. New Yorker’s had gotten a taste of what they had been missing all these years and were insatiable.
The WTA Tour in contrast, has never been as popular or successful as the ATP Tour. Restoring the WTA season ending championships to the Garden would create much needed buzz and interest in the women’s tour. Having the top eight women playing night matches at the Garden would help familiarize the tennis public and TV audiences in general, with the current crop of top players.
Undeniably, the days of captivating rivalries dominating the women’s tour are long gone; there’s no Navratilova vs Evert or Graf vs. Seles. The void has been omnipresent and it’s highly doubtful it will be filled any time soon.
The passionate tennis devotee, let alone the semi-invested fan, cannot easily follow the ever revolving door of number one female players. Consequently, the rankings are invariably in flux making it difficult to cultivate and maintain a loyal fan base for any given player not to mention the lack of interesting and enduring rivalries.
There is no “Big Four” on the WTA Tour comparable to that which dominates the ATP Tour and allows for fans to follow not only their favorite player, but that player’s main rivals.
Now is the time for the ultimate comeback. I don’t care what you call it, just make sure it comes home and is contested at the Garden. Let me once again bring my dad for his birthday, get two hot dogs and diet cokes and luxuriate in our cathedral of tennis.
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