Video by Sophia Pedroso
Cover by Olivia Goodson
Last year, Beemok Capital had acquired the rights to the Western and Southern Open, known as the Cincinnati Open, and considered moving the event to the Queen City. In hopes of having its shot with tennis, Charlotte put up the funds for a new tennis facility.
A Charlotte city council member, Malcolm Graham, spoke on Charlotte’s efforts.
[Malcolm Graham SOT] “We the city put up $65 million, Mecklenburg County put up $30 million, the state of North Carolina contributed another $20 million, to lore them to the community.”
Ultimately, Beemok Capital decided to keep the event in Cincinnati, dimming Charlotte’s hopes.
However, a new event is coming to Charlotte on December 6th, giving those hopes a new light.
Tennis fans, from Charlotte and beyond, will fill the Spectrum Center for the Charlotte Invitational… they will spend their day in the Queen City to watch some of the biggest names in tennis.
Carlos Alcaraz, recent Wimbledon champion, will face off against Frances Tiafoe, who made it to the US Open Semi-final this year. Sloane Stephens, the 2017 US Open champion, will go against Madison Keys, who won the 2019 Cincinnati Open.
The event, organized by the Charlotte Sports Foundation, is unlike any before. Miller Yoho from the Foundation spoke with me about the scope of the event.
[Miller Yoho SOT] “What we wanna look at is how are those 48 hours, as in the biggest impact from the people watching the game, to the people afterwards, being able to experience what this could do for the Charlotte community as a whole.”
While Charlotte is used to bringing economic and cultural opportunities through other entertainment and athletic events, bringing tennis into the city opens up a new door.
The International Tennis Federation has over 200 member nations, making it one of the largest organizations for international sport. Considering it’s wide reach, hosting an event for tennis with some of the current biggest upcoming names in the sport, could help bring international attention to North Carolina’s very own Queen City.
Adam Rhew, CEO of a development nonprofit in Charlotte, had insights regarding the potential impact of the invitational for the entire city.
[Adam Rhew SOT] “Someone comes in for the Charlotte invitational, they get to see an amazing tennis match, they leave saying ‘wow Charlotte was really something, I’d like to come back, when are we planning our next trip’. That’s a win for us.
The Charlotte Invitational will be an exciting opportunity for tennis fans from across the Tar Heel state. I’m Sophia Pedroso reporting.
