Tennis Australia and State Government strike deal to host Adelaide International for next 10 years at Memorial Drive
A 10-year deal will keep the Adelaide International at Memorial Drive – and an innovation team will seek out other events to hold at the upgraded stadium.
SA News
Don't miss out on the headlines from SA News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Adelaide’s home of tennis will host a world-class event for at least the next decade as part of a deal to be revealed today.
Question marks remain over Australia’s tennis season due to the challenge of bringing players in from other countries still in the grip of the coronavirus pandemic.
But Tennis Australia and the State Government have struck a deal for the Adelaide International to be held at Memorial Drive for the next 10 years, although it is unclear if it will go ahead in 2021. The Memorial Drive Tennis Centre, which was promised a $44m upgrade in the State Budget, will also play host to Australia’s next Davis Cup or Billie Jean King Cup home tie.
And SA is expected to be a frontrunner for any expansion of the ATP Cup which last year served as the Australian Open warm-up for stars Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.
Tennis Australia also committed to establishing a world-leading Innovation Sports Hub at Memorial Drive.
The Tennis Australia innovation team will be relocated to the centre where it will look for business opportunities focused on sport, technology and entertainment, such as e-sports.
In time, it is expected Adelaide could host e-sports events such as the Fortnite Summer Smash Series.
That event, held at the Australian Open last year, drew players from all over the world and included a $500,000 prize pool.
Premier Steven Marshall said today’s announcement would further cement SA as a leading state for major events.
“The Adelaide International is a world-class event and to have it locked in for a decade is a huge coup for SA,” he said.
The announcement follows concerns – first raised last week – that Adelaide could face a potential summer without tennis as officials consider playing all major tournaments in Melbourne over interstate coronavirus quarantine conditions. That decision is still pending.
Today’s announcement follows the decision to cut the V8 Supercars race through Adelaide streets.
Infrastructure Minister Corey Wingard said the inaugural Adelaide International was a “roaring success” and the new deal “shows that SA is open for sporting business. In a post-COVID world, open-air venues such as Memorial Drive are a smart investment,” he said.
Tennis Australia chief executive Craig Tiley said the investment in the sport with the new 10-year deal should be commended and would see the “ ongoing evolution of Memorial Drive into an absolute world-class sport and entertainment venue that will continue to benefit South Australians for generations.
“It will maintain the vital historical significance of a precinct that has been the scene of some of Australia’s greatest sporting performances, while attracting the best in sport, entertainment, technology and innovation,” he said.
