Winning serve: this Friday, November 8 marked the officialization of the creation of a professional Tennis tournament in Thionville. As a symbol, the announcement was made from a VIP lounge at the Moselle Open (ATP 250).
The connection between the two events is natural: they have the same parents, namely the company All in Moselle, represented by the former headliner of French tennis, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, and his partner and former coach, Thierry Ascione . Without forgetting Yves Henry, the essential president of the Moselle Open, who outlined the contours of this newcomer on the French tennis scene: “This tournament will count for the ATP Challenger Tour circuit. Her prize money (total sum redistributed to players, Editor's note) is 90,000 dollars. » Far from the Moselle Open, therefore, a juggernaut evolving in the very closed circle of the ATP 250: “But you have to start modestly,” says Yves Henry. The goal is to get further.” A statement taken up on the fly by Thierry Ascione: “We have to go through this stage of the ATP 75, it’s an obligation. But you know our ambition…” We also know that of Pierre Cuny.
Esch-sur-Alzette, doubles partner?
The mayor of Thionville has been engaged in a “territorial marketing” approach for a long time. To put it simply, the elected official wants to get people talking about his city, “and we know that the two most attractive elements are culture and sport. In this sense, this tennis open is an event with very high attractiveness value! » Like all stages of the ATP Challenger Tour, the Thionville Open will be broadcast by the Bein and L'Équipe TV channels from March 2 to 9. This media exposure should appeal to neighboring Luxembourg. Because let's not forget that at the genesis of this organization, Thionville planned to play doubles with the town of Esch-sur-Alzette: “In the basket of our twinning, there was this desire to co-organize a tennis tournament , recalls Pierre Cuny. The Luxembourg national tennis center will be built in Esch so, very soon, I will relaunch Georges Mischo, former mayor and current Luxembourg Minister of Sports, on the subject. »
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“They are not the ones who fill the coffers” |
It is undoubtedly also this potential international dimension of the tournament which pushed All in Moselle to invest in the north of Moselle. In the stands of Spot, the organizing company hopes to bring together a cosmopolitan audience from Wallonia, the Grand Duchy and Rhineland-Palatinate. The quality of the players served on a platter, “whose world ranking will go from 87th to 200th place”, will place Thionville on the world tennis map. And could potentially do the business of Yves Henry, an entrepreneur more adept at the forehand than the backhand: “Tennis lovers will enjoy the tournament. But they are not the ones who fill the coffers,” he declared this Friday in his direct style. As midday approached, the commercial boxes of the Moselle Open began to fill up with partners…
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