Is It Time For a Fifth Tennis Major? China, Russia, South America…Who’s Next?

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: January 12, 2011

commentComment        

Should there be another Grand Slam Tournament?

It seems inevitable that tennis will add another Major. The world has gotten smaller yet tennis has grown exponentially. New markets around the world will demand recognition that only a Grand Slam can bring. As well adding a slam will add to tennis’s popularity and if managed properly could be a way to cut back on the number of tournaments required by the players.

Currently there are four Slams: Australian, French, Wimbledon and the US Open. But there are wide swaths of the tennis world that are not represented.

The Australian Open was the last Slam added in 1905 and was rarely visited by foreigners until the 1980’s—a logistical problem, and something that should be considered in GOAT arguments Borg only played the Australian Open once—1974.

The French Open began in 1891 and was called the French Closed Championship—because they wouldn’t let foreigners play. Wimbledon started in 1877 and the US Open started in 1881.

Though the Australian Open started in 1905, the International Lawn Tennis Federation did not designate it a major championship until 1924. So there exists a precedent for allowing new majors.

China has an estimated 30,000 tennis courts and 14 million players—up from 1 million in 1988. Supposedly the Chinese government is trying to increase that number by 15 percent, or about two million, per year. At its current rate it will catch up with the US in less than 10 years.

So what about The Peking Slam?

As a major super power just beginning to flex its tennis muscles, I’d imagine there has already been some discussion within the Chinese Tennis Association in this regard. China is a giant economic power and market; it would be ridiculous for the International Tennis Federation to ignore Grand Slam representation in Asia let alone China.

Or what about a Russian ...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Tennis

Latest News


Comments

Comments are closed.

Sponsors

Bruins Tickets The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Red Wings Tickets The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League.

Penguins Tickets The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New York Rangers Tickets play their home games at Madison Square Garden, they are one of the oldest teams in the NHL, having joined in 1926 as an expansion franchise, and are part of the group of teams referred to as the Original Six.

San Jose Sharks Tickets The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, United States.

Toronto Maple Leafs Tickets The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New Jersey Devils Tickets The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Washington Capitals Tickets The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C.

Buffalo Sabres Tickets The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League. Get the Sabres and all of your NHL Tickets here.

NASCAR season is on of the most attended sports in the world. NASCAR Tickets to the best tracks is a must every year. Some of these tracks are: Talladega Tickets, Lowes Motor Speedway Tickets, Pocono Raceway Tickets, located in Ridgeway Virginia you have Martinsville Speedway Tickets and southern US you have two of the most popular Atlanta Motor Speedway Tickets and Texas Motor Speedway Tickets. Don't miss all the racing events this year!

Boston Red Sox Tickets The Boston Red Sox are a member of the Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Since 1912, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park. This is one of the hottest MLB Tickets sales of any team in the major league.

New York Yankees Tickets The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the borough of the Bronx, in New York City, New York and are a member of Major League Baseball's American League East Division. Get tickets to one of the hottest games of the season Yankees Red Sox Tickets.

Chicago Cubs Tickets The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League.

Phillies Tickets The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883.

Orioles Tickets The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland.

Do you love wrestling? Get your WWE Tickets and WWE Survivor Series Tickets today!