Atlanta: One Of The ATP World Tour's Most Unique Stops

Taylor Fritz was all ready to practice last week at the BB&T Atlanta Open. The #NextGen player had his racquets and his racquet bag. He just couldn’t find the practice courts.

“I actually walked right by it when I was trying to find my court,” he said. “I didn’t think there were courts down there.”

By “down there” Fritz means, down there. Before this week’s tournament, the BB&T Atlanta Open built new four new practice courts in a parking garage in Atlantic Station, the shopping, dining and residential area in midtown Atlanta where the tournament is being held for a fifth year in a row.

The brand-new blue courts are three levels beneath the ground level, which lets fans watch from up top. The courts are also just the latest unique offering the ATP World Tour 250 event has produced.

For five years now, the tournament’s two show courts have been placed in the middle of a parking lot, with stands built around them. Everything, including restaurants, practice courts and the player hotel, is within a five-minute walk.

“Everything is unique here,” said Frenchman Julien Benneteau, who, along with 10 other players, made their Atlanta debut this week. “Centre court is in a parking lot but outside there are a lot of shops, dining stops. There’s a parking lot with four practice courts just 10 metres from the hotel. I think they managed to create a unique thing here… and it’s very, very well sold.”

The convenience was intentional, said Eddie Gonzalez, who’s in his third year as the BB&T Atlanta Open tournament director. Five years ago, he also was involved in the decision to bring the tournament from a suburban tennis club to midtown Atlanta.

“We were bringing the venue into the heart of a major international city,” Gonzalez said.

He and others frequently sell the tournament’s ease of access to players. “We want to be that easily accessible venue for you,” he tells ATP World Tour players.

Three-time defending champion John Isner especially appreciates the convenience factor. Maybe that, along with the fast conditions, is why the former University of Georgia Bulldog enjoys playing in Atlanta so much. This week marks his seventh time at the tournament.

“It’s very different but I think no one can say it’s not convenient,” Isner said. “You walk out of your hotel room and you walk across the street, [you’re at] the practice courts. You walk across the street and you’re at the main centre court. It’s a unique set-up… and it’s very, very easy.”

Aussie Nick Kyrgios, who’s also making his Atlanta debut, said he hasn’t seen anything like it, with the practice courts in the parking garage. But he’s with Isner. “I like the convenience of it,” Kyrgios said.

Because players can walk everywhere and don’t need to drive anywhere, they don’t have to worry about spending time in traffic and can structure their days much more easily, Kyrgios said.

Kevin Anderson, who returned to Atlanta this year for the sixth time, said the ATP World Tour 250 tournament is one of his “favourite events”.

“Where the location is… it’s a really easy stop on the tour,” he said.

The different set-up “surprised” 32-year-old Spaniard Fernando Verdasco, another player who made his Atlanta debut this week. But Verdasco, who’s been on tour for the past 15 years, appreciates visiting somewhere new.

“It’s always nice to play tournaments different than the other ones and this is for sure one of them,” he said. “I’m very comfortable, I’m very happy to be here.”

Gonzalez said the tournament, which will be played at Atlantic Station again next year, likely will have more surprises for returning players.

“We just continue to try to think outside the box,” he said.