Despite >losing out on Stan Wawrinka , the Chennai Open tennis championship could still have an ace up its sleeve.
It has been reliably learnt that the organisers are in talks with former US Open champions Marin Cilic and Juan Martin del Potro, and at least one of them is certain to play.
Cilic, the 2014 US Open champion is no stranger to the event, having won the tournament twice — first in 2009 beating India’s Somdev Devvarman and then in 2010 beating Wawrinka. If the Croatian returns, it will be his sixth appearance.
del Potro, meanwhile, is a proven crowd-puller.
The 2009 US Open champion is on a comeback trail after losing a couple of years to injuries, but has already beaten the likes of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray this season and claimed the silver at the Rio Olympics. If he makes it, it will be his maiden visit to Chennai.
Strong association Wawrinka is a three-time defending Chennai Open champion and had developed a strong association with the city and its fanbase, having made eight appearances.
But it is understood that the ever-rising stock of the Swiss star, who won his third Grand Slam title at the US Open this year, meant that the tournament could no longer afford to pay the appearance fee of the player.
Ideal weather Despite having had to compete with cash-rich tournaments in Doha and Brisbane during the same week, the Chennai Open has regularly attracted some of the top players. The weather in the city in early January is seen as ideal preparation for the Australian Open which follows a couple of weeks later.
“We will definitely have a strong field next year with some exciting young talent and a Grand Slam winner,” said a highly-placed source. “We have always been able to attract promising youngsters and continue to do so.
“We have seen the likes of David Goffin, Kyle Edmund, Karen Khachanov among others turn out here very early in their careers. Look at where they are all now!,” the source added.
Edmund recently broke into the top-50 while 20-year-old Khachanov won the ATP 250 event in Chengdu, China last week. Goffin, the Belgian currently ranked 12 in the world, had reached the quarterfinals in 2012 even when ranked 174. At least two among the three are likely to return to Chennai.
