When we think of Las Vegas, we immediately conjure images of vast casinos with endless square feet of roulette wheels, card tables and slots. It’s the one place on every player’s bucket list, and with digital operators opening up across North America, betting has become more popular online. This popularity has made destinations like Vegas one where everyone wants to visit. You can go to this post to find out more.
But there is more to Vegas, and it’s a little-known fact that the city also attracts top sporting events. One sport that has yet to come here on a regular basis is tennis, but that may be about to change.
Top of the Tennis Tree
The ATP Tour is the elite circuit for men’s tennis around the world. All of the top players take part and the competition includes all four of the sport’s Grand Slams. The overall schedule provides a total of 63 tournaments across 29 countries.
Along with the big four – the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open, other important events include the Madrid Open, the Miami Open and the Indian Wells Open. A high percentage of competitions take place in the United States, but could Las Vegas be added to the list in the near future?
Past Glories
Las Vegas has previously taken part in the ATP Tour. Currently, the area hosts the The Las Vegas Open, which is a part of the second-tier Challenger Tour. It’s another competition with a staggered history, with the first two editions played in 1997 and 1998. The Las Vegas Challenger returned in 2000, but subsequently dropped off the circuit for another 15 years. The history of Vegas and top-class tennis is a patchy one.
The ATP Tour came here semi-regularly until the Alan King Tennis Classic ended in 1985. A hiatus of more than twenty years followed before the Las Vegas Open came along, but now that has come to a close.
It’s a schedule that leaves sports fans in the city wondering where the next tournament will come from, which is a shame, because this is a region that deserves better.
Vegas’ Current Sporting Landscape
Las Vegas already provides top class events in other sports. There’s a willing audience inside and outside of the state, and there would be no shortage of interest if the ATP Tour were to come here.
Golf already comes to Vegas with multiple events on the PGA Tour. The CJ Cup and the Shriners Children’s Open are just two examples.
In other sports, the much-traveled NFL franchise, the Raiders, have now made their home here. The Las Vegas Raiders play at the Allegiant Stadium as part of the AFC West Division. By moving around, the franchise has lost some supporters along the way, but they currently enjoy an enthusiastic new fanbase.
Along with golf and NFL, sports followers in Vegas can also enjoy top level hockey with the Vegas Golden Knights flying the flag in the NHL. Similarly to the Raiders in the NFL, there are talks over baseball’s Oakland Athletics relocating to Vegas in 2025.
Boxing and NASCAR are among the other sports played here. In fact, the only thing missing from the Las Vegas roster is top level tennis.
Facilities in Place
It’s unclear why Las Vegas has such a stop-start relationship with the ATP Tour. The city has been a more than adequate location for the sport, and there is an obvious attraction for traveling fans.
After losing the Alan King Tennis Classic in 1985, the city saw a new venue open eight years later. 1993 saw the inception of the Frank and Vicki Fertitta Tennis Complex. It’s situated on the University of Las Vegas campus and is regularly used by the men’s and women’s college teams.
The facility features 12 courts, and it can accommodate up to 2,000 spectators. The UNLV teams are strong, so there is already great interest in the sport here. While there are bigger locations on the circuit, the Frank and Vicki Fertitta Tennis Complex is adequate for top level tournaments and is ready for whenever the ATP Tour wants to return.
Las Vegas is ideally placed to hold major tennis tournaments, and it would be a perfect fit for the ATP Tour moving forward. It has world-class tennis facilities, a local audience who love their sport, plus those regular tourists looking for other attractions away from the casinos.
Whether this location will make a return to the Tour anytime soon remains to be seen, but everything is in place, and many spectators and top athletes would love to see Vegas involved once again.
