Toulouse. Marc Tiersonnier: “We tick almost all the boxes”
With two editions in 2018 and 2019 on the ITF circuit, the Stadium organized for the first time a paying tournament for the ATP Challenger circuit.
What is your first feeling at the end of this 1st edition?
I’m exhausted (laughs). More justified, the results are very positive on all fronts. First of all there is the sporting aspect with very high level matches, including in the qualifying table. And as a bonus, we were able to witness a final full of suspense. Special mention to Maxime Janvier, titled doubles on Saturday at the end of the day and singles finalist. And congratulations of course to the winner, a very nice Belgian. Then there is the aspect of pure organization. Once again, I would like to thank all the people who contributed to the smooth running of the event, namely the referees, the line judges, the drivers, the ball boys, the people who maintained the pitches, those who were in charge of reception, and our partners. We knew it, with an ATP Challenger tournament, the specifications were going to be much more substantial than for the ITF circuit. In the end, I think we tick almost all the boxes. Feedback from players is very positive. So we can be proud of all the work done.
Among the positive points, there is also the public, who come in large numbers every day.
Initially, with these tournament dates falling during the start of the school year, we had some doubts about the attendance we were going to have. Without forgetting that we had launched communication around the tournament late. On arrival we were pleasantly surprised. The stands were full every day. I think back to Saturday and everyone still there to watch the doubles final. Usually, in this discipline, the players are rather accustomed to playing in front of almost empty stands. I don’t forget the weather either. We were lucky.
What about next year?
We can’t wait to do it again. But we don’t want to rush anything in terms of the tournament prize pool. The priority is to stabilize in this “Challenger Category 80”. As for the dates of 2023, the ideal would be to have as a slot the second week of Roland-Garros, or at worst the first week of the Parisian Grand Slam. But this late August-early September slot isn’t bad either. We will see.