'Having opportunities to play at home paramount for India players': Director of ATP Challenger Tour Eric Lamquet

On the sidelines of ATP 250 event in Pune in January this year, Sumit Nagal had lamented the absence of home tournaments. Covid was harsh on Indian players. In 2020, India hosted only one event - Bengaluru Challenger tournament. It was however cancelled in the next year while the Tata Open remained a constant on the ATP calendar. Bengaluru Open returned in 2022 with "two successful back-to-back Challenger 80 tournaments". The two other tournaments - Challenger events in Chennai and Pune - returned after three-year gap in 2023. Home tournaments are often seen as an easy and comfortable option for local players to boost their ranking while also cutting the expense of travelling abroad.

Indian players had failed to leave an impression during that period, but with the return of ATP Challenger Tour in India - with back-to-back events in Chennai, Bengaluru and Pune - after two years gap, Nagal had left a big impression. He was the sole Indian to secure main draw wins in all the three events while reaching the semis in Chennai. Eric Lamquet, the director of ATP Challenger Tour, following Nagal's impressive run in Chennai, admitted that "having opportunities to play at home paramount for India players".

In an exclusive interview with Hindustan Times Digital, Lamquet talked about the tennis culture in India, the fate of Nagpur Challenger event, and and ATP's "significant" step to publicise Challenger Tour across the globe. Here are excerpts

Q) Let's start the interview by talking about you. What's the story behind being the ATP Challenger Tour director?

The story started in 1999 when I decided to become a tennis umpire and worked my way up the echelons of international officiating. In 2006, I received my White Badge chair umpire certification after successfully passing the examinations in Malmo, Sweden. Two years later, my satisfactory evaluations and hard work on the international circuits gave me the possibility to climb up one step and receive my Bronze Badge. That opened the doors to the Grand Slams and opportunities to expand my network. After I graduated from university in 2008, I had a one-year stint in human resources in my hometown of Brussels, and then decided to explore the world as an umpire. That opened the door to a job at the International Tennis Federation in London. My experience and the excellent relationships I built over the years landed me a job with the ATP. The rest is all hard work, commitment, and a great deal of patience!

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Q) Were you always into tennis or probably an aspiring tennis player?

I very quickly realised I had no future as a tennis player, so decided to climb up the steps of the umpire’s chair.

Q) Was this your first trip to India? What has it been like? How much did you enjoy?

It was my second trip to India, the first one being 2018. India is just fascinating, there is no way to not enjoy it! The people make you feel welcome the minute you get off the airplane and once you leave the airport you are immersed in a world of beautiful colours and contrasts.

Q) What has been your impression of the tennis culture in India? How has the arrangements been for the Bengaluru Open? Any specific area that impressed you the most?

India has a rich history of tennis. In that respect, it was great the tournament invited a titan of Indian tennis in Vijay Armitraj. It was also a true privilege and honour to be able to exchange on the Challenger tour with him. The Bengaluru Open runs like clockwork because it has an experienced, committed and friendly management and a very supportive State government behind it. The tournament organisers understand the players’ need to find a ‘home outside of their home’ at each event. The inaugural event adds a nice touch of Incredible India!

Q) If you could talk about the return of ATP Challenger tour to India after a gap of 2 years with an addition of an extra - the Nagpur Challenger.

I cannot currently comment on the addition of a Challenger in Nagpur, but each application goes through a rigorous assessment process before receiving the ATP’s stamp of approval. I just would like to clarify that India made its return on our calendar in 2022, when Bengaluru ran two successful back-to-back Challenger 80 tournaments in February. In that respect, it was only a one-year gap (2021) as Bengaluru also ran a Challenger 125 in 2020 before the ATP calendar was suspended due to the pandemic.

Q) How important is it for Indian players, who like many others around the world were affected by the Covid and have rued the absence of home tournaments?

It is paramount for any player, regardless of their nationality, to have playing opportunities at home or ‘close to home’ as it reduces their expenses drastically, but also administrative issues such as visa applications whenever required.

Q) Do you see these four events as part of the ATP Challenger Tour in India a constant for long? Probably an addition of few others?

We always hope our Challenger story will be one of long-standing commitment! We celebrated our longest-running (40 years uninterrupted!) event on the circuit in 2022 after all!

Q) Lastly, if you could talk about the complete overhaul in the Challenger Tour in recent months and how could such events also become a crowd puller.

The ATP has made significant investments in the Challenger Tour’s social media platforms to grow awareness of the circuit on both a global and regional basis. Linked to this, we are launching a new brand positioning for the Challenger Tour later this year. This will allow us to tell our story in an improved and fresher way. Globally we have seen that tournaments that have been on the calendar for several years manage to secure good crowds. Consistency, legacy and history are important ways to build awareness and interest in individual events.

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