Fantastic For Fans & Players: The Unique Cincinnati Experience

Just after midnight Wednesday morning at the Lindner Family Tennis Centre in Cincinnati, Carlos Alcaraz battled Jordan Thompson on centre court for a place in the third round of the Western & Southern Open.

Outside the stadium waiting at the players’ entrance was Nkeiru Green, a 46-year-old fan from New York who was hoping to meet Felix Auger-Aliassime. The Canadian had lost his doubles match earlier in the evening. One of the perks of being a fan at the Cincinnati ATP Masters 1000 event is that fans have several opportunities to be close to their favourite stars.

“The intimacy of it, it’s not as vast as New York. And you get the chance to actually feel as though you’re much closer to the players, and you get to see all of them,” Green said. “So it’s hard to see that many stars in one location [elsewhere]. And like I said, the intimacy of it, and also the accessibility of it — it’s not so difficult to get here.”

At about 12:30 a.m., Auger-Aliassime walked out of the players’ lounge and was happy to meet Green, who has family in Cincinnati and has been attending the event every year it has been held in Mason since 2014. Throughout the day, passers-by will see dozens of fans like her camped out at the same player walkway to ask for autographs and selfies.

^{Nkeiru Green poses for a photo near the players’ entrance in Cincinnati.}
According to Western & Southern Open Tournament Director Todd Martin, the professionalisation of athletes and the tennis business in general have seen an evolution of the stars’ relationship with the community. But the Lindner Family Tennis Centre is designed to encourage plenty of interaction.

“Our property allows the fans still a closer look, and more opportunity to get an autograph or a picture. And so I think we can continue to upgrade the experience for the fan and for the player, create an even better experience for the player relative to the rest of the Tour,” Martin said. “The fan comes first and we just have to be more and more intentional about providing them access to the player, but appropriate access and access that the player is accustomed to: public interviews on stage, sponsor hospitality visits, autograph signings.

“It’s that level of structure that still has, at its core, a high level of player security and isolation without [the players] being in a bubble.”

Fans do not only get excited to see stars like Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic, either. Throughout the grounds it is common to find crowds several people deep to watch practice regardless of who the player is.

Robin Haase was practising early in the tournament and was at the net working on his volleys. With onlookers just metres away, the Dutchman hit a volley into the net and joked with the crowd that he was supposed to hit over the net.

“I think in general for crowds to be able to look at practices, to be able to be that close at practice where they almost can catch a ball, I think that’s a great experience for them,” Haase said. “But also for players I think it’s a good thing because when the crowd is watching, you play a little bit differently, even in practice. So I think it’s a good thing, it helps both of us.”

Martin understands the player-fan relationship in Cincinnati well, having competed in the singles event 10 times. The former No. 4 player in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings also attended college in the same geographic region, at Nortwestern University.

“For me, it was the pinnacle of Midwest tennis, first of all. Two, it was an opportunity to bump into loads of people that I cared to bump into. And my friends and I turned it into a bit of a annual reunion. Probably shouldn’t forget that it was easier for my parents to get to and all that,” Martin said. “I came here in the early ‘90s for the first time. But even then, there was a distinct sense of intimacy, accessibility and community that pervaded through the property.”

The players have also been impressed with upgrades to the player areas this year. The players’ lounge was completely refreshed and some of the many games that have long been available to the athletes were moved to a newly furnished outdoor location to give the stars more space.

There was also new furniture added to a patio on the third floor, providing another space for competitors and their teams to relax, prepare for a match or unwind after one. On the same floor, there is also a special recovery room to support the players.

The efforts by tournament organisers were recognised by several athletes, including World No. 1 Alcaraz.

“A lot of things changed since last year,” the Spaniard said. “I think the tournament grew up a lot.”