With Olympics, Chicago could become a tennis town
Dunja Antunovic
Issue date: 9/28/09 Section: Sports
As the Olympics decision day approaches, local tennis officials are eager to see a brighter future for the Chicago tennis scene.
"Chicago would make a spectacular venue for the Olympics and Paralympics," Jon Vegosen, First Vice President of the USTA and Board Liaison for Chicago 2016 said. "The first thing [the USTA] can do is to be supportive of the bid and the process."
While Chicago is famous for its wide range of colors on the palette of sports, tennis has not been on the forefront in the past few years. Mainly due to the lack of an adequate outdoor facility, professional events have not been flourishing in the area. The Games, however, could change that.
"It's incredibly disappointing that we don't have a professional tournament in Chicago," Mark Ardizzone, head women's tennis coach at DePaul University and a Chicago native said. "The Olympics would give Chicago a big-time tennis event again and we'd have a venue."
In the past some of the professional tournaments were held in the UIC Pavilion. That indoor space did not permit tournaments of a larger caliber and the cold was not the most tempting condition either.
"Professional tennis has not been able to find a home in Chicago because of the scheduling in the winter," long time sportswriter Melissa Isaacson explained. "It would take hours to get to the downtown area [because of the snow] and they would have three people in the stands."
The new facility would allow professional competition outdoors.
"If we get the Games, the stadium would be built in Wavelend Park," Vegosen said. "It would be possible, if the Park District agrees, to leave the stadium up and we could have the US Open Series, the Fed Cup and the Davis Cup there."
The brand new courts would be there, but tennis will have some tough competition with the 25 other sports that are scheduled for the 2016 Games. "The Olympics are an enormous spectacle and tennis could get lost in the shuffle," Isaacson said. "But the Games are a good excuse for Chicago to grow the game and it would give [the city] a little boost."
"Chicago would make a spectacular venue for the Olympics and Paralympics," Jon Vegosen, First Vice President of the USTA and Board Liaison for Chicago 2016 said. "The first thing [the USTA] can do is to be supportive of the bid and the process."
While Chicago is famous for its wide range of colors on the palette of sports, tennis has not been on the forefront in the past few years. Mainly due to the lack of an adequate outdoor facility, professional events have not been flourishing in the area. The Games, however, could change that.
"It's incredibly disappointing that we don't have a professional tournament in Chicago," Mark Ardizzone, head women's tennis coach at DePaul University and a Chicago native said. "The Olympics would give Chicago a big-time tennis event again and we'd have a venue."
In the past some of the professional tournaments were held in the UIC Pavilion. That indoor space did not permit tournaments of a larger caliber and the cold was not the most tempting condition either.
"Professional tennis has not been able to find a home in Chicago because of the scheduling in the winter," long time sportswriter Melissa Isaacson explained. "It would take hours to get to the downtown area [because of the snow] and they would have three people in the stands."
The new facility would allow professional competition outdoors.
"If we get the Games, the stadium would be built in Wavelend Park," Vegosen said. "It would be possible, if the Park District agrees, to leave the stadium up and we could have the US Open Series, the Fed Cup and the Davis Cup there."
The brand new courts would be there, but tennis will have some tough competition with the 25 other sports that are scheduled for the 2016 Games. "The Olympics are an enormous spectacle and tennis could get lost in the shuffle," Isaacson said. "But the Games are a good excuse for Chicago to grow the game and it would give [the city] a little boost."
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