AITA releases schedule of international tournaments on home soil

There's some good news for tennis enthusiasts, as the AITA (All India Tennis Association), has announced a long list of international tournaments to be held in India.

February of 2024 will see the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu once more host an ATP Challenger each. Additionally, the MSLTA (Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association) will also be organizing a WTA event in the same month, with a total of $125,000 up for grabs in terms of prize money.

Fans will also get to witness players in action in the men's and women's ITF events, where prize money will range between $15,000 to $40,000.

In more immediate terms, Mumbai and Bangalore are set to hold a $25,000 men's and women's events, respectively, later this week. For the men, the competition will continue on to Kalaburagi with a tournament for the same amount.

Meanwhile, the women head to Ahmedabad for a $15,000 event. They will follow that up with $25,000 and $40,000 competitions in Solapur and Navi Mumbai next month.

January will see three $25,000 tournaments for men in Mandya, Bhopal and Chennai.

AITA secretary general hoping for rise in ranking following Indian leg of events

While announcing the schedule for the upcoming months in a release, the secretary general of the All India Tennis Association, Anil Dhupar stated that he hopes that this long string of events will benefit Indian players.

According to Dhupar, this is a great chance for domestic players to earn ranking points and prize money on home ground.

“I hope our players make the most of the chance to compete at home, in terms of earning valuable international ranking points and prize money. Our players, men, women and juniors can compete at home for about six months, and save on the big cost of international travel,” he said.

Dhupar expects to see a rise in rankings for Indian players post the events and intends to provide Indian officials with gainful employment.

“We expect many of our players to go up in ranking. The tournaments in India will also help our international officials with gainful employment over the next six months," he said.