Aditya ChaudhuriIn tune with its “Sportification of India” theme, Tata Motors, India’s leading multinational automobile manufacturer, will continue to proactively support the Maharashtra Open for the fourth consecutive year. The tournament is set to be held from January 31 to February 6, 2022, at the Balewadi Stadium.
This year, India’s safest hatchback Tata Altroz, on its second anniversary, will be the lead car from Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles.
The Tata Open Maharashtra, South Asia’s only ATP tournament and the country’s oldest sporting international event, is a flagship and an important association for Tata Motors, which has been at the forefront of India’s mobility revolution for 75+ years and continues to offer an extensive range of smart, sustainable and integrated mobility solutions and a diverse portfolio that includes cars, sports utility vehicles, trucks, buses and defence vehicles.
Commenting on the association, Mr. Rajan Amba, Vice President, Sales, Marketing and Customer Service, Passenger Vehicles, Tata Motors, said:
“India has a great sporting culture and we, at Tata Motors, always believed in making our country a sporting powerhouse with the support we can offer. We are elated to be back for the fourth consecutive year as the title sponsor for Tata Open Maharashtra. We are celebrating the second anniversary of Tata Altroz, which has set the gold standard as India’s safest hatchback and we look to focus our engagements for it during the tournament.
“Tata Altroz, much like the athletes in this tournament, has won the hearts of millions of Indians and continues to delight everyone with its premium offerings. We are confident to drive tremendous value from this association and hope to share the joy of watching some great tennis as always through this tournament.”
The prestigious IMG-owned tournament, organised by the Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association and licensed by Rise World, was supported by Tata for a brief period from 2002-2004 when it was held in Chennai. The Tata Group offered to support the event once again after it was shifted to Pune in 2018 and the partnership has only grown stronger since.
Prashant Sutar, Tournament Director of Tata Open Maharashtra, added:
“The tournament has always attracted top players each year and boasts of a history of completing 25 years of World class tennis organised, played and followed in India by tennis fans. We are delighted that Tata Motors have extended their support for this tournament since it was shifted to Pune in 2018. The tournament and the Tata Group share a rich legacy and we are extremely grateful for their continued involvement and being part of this journey.”
This year, nine players from the Top 100 are in the fray. The draw will be headlined by World No. 15 Aslan Karatsev, who was judged ATP’s Most Improved Player of the Year in 2021 and recently won the Sydney Tennis Classic title, defeating Sir Andy Murray. On the home front, Yuki Bhambri (singles), Rohan Bopanna and Ramkumar Ramanathan (doubles) have secured direct entries.
Historically, India’s only ATP event has seen participation by World’s top players like Rafael Nadal, Stan Wawrinka, Marin ?ili?, Carlos Moyá, and Pat Rafter alongside India’s top guns like Somdev Devvarman and doubles icons Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi.
The fourth edition of the tournament is all set to make its return after a one-year break due to COVID-19 pandemic. The qualifying rounds are scheduled for January 30 and 31, while the main draws will kick off from February 1.
