India, Tamil Nadu, Chennai, July 17th 2025: The Tennis buzz is to happen in Chennai once again. After three years, CHENNAI OPEN International Women’s Tennis Championships – a WTA 250 event – highest ever ranking event to be held in India is back in Chennai again and Tennis is being promoted in an emphatic manner in Tamil Nadu.
Vijay Amritraj President TNTA felicitated the Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Thiru Udhayanidhi Stalin by presenting him the ‘Wimbledon Annual of 2024’ book contenting memory of event with the women’s winner Barbora Krejčíková of Czech Republic on the front cover and Carlos Alcaraz of Spain, the Men’s winner on the back cover. The book is also autographed with best wishes from tennis legends Bjorn Borg and Vijay Amritraj.
Thiru Udhayanidhi Stalin, Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister remarked,
“Our government, under the visionary leadership of the Hon’ble Chief Minister, has its job cut out to firmly place Tamil Nadu as the player in the global sports map. Since this government has assumed office, Tamil Nadu has been hosting numerous international sporting events earning us accolades all over.
As a testament to our concerted efforts to host marquee sports events in Tamil Nadu, it is heartening to note that the Chennai Open WTA event returns to Chennai after three years. It is one of the prestigious Tennis Tournaments in the country and our government will extend its fullest support towards its successful conduct.
Tennis has been given significant importance in our scheme of things. In the last financial year, a Centre of Excellence for Tennis was set up at the SDAT Tennis Stadium, Nungambakkam.
All the efforts made Tamil Nadu today the sports capital of the country.”
Earlier, in his welcome address, Vijay Amritraj, the Indian sports legend, well known around the world as a player, promoter, and humanitarian and now President Tamil Nadu Tennis Association said:
“It is due to the blessings of the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Thiru M.K.Stalin who is a keen sports lover himself and immense support of the sports friendly Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and sheer persistence and perseverance on our part and that I am now proud to announce the conduct of the second edition of the CHENNAI OPEN WTA 250 INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIP 2025 from 27th October to 2nd November 2025 at the renowned SDAT Tennis Stadium, Nungambakkam, Chennai this year 2025 being the Centenary year of the Tamil Nadu Tennis Association.
We are greatly indebted to the support, dynamism and enthusiasm of the Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Thiru Udhayanidhi Stalin, Dr.Atulya Misra, Additional Chief Secretary and his Department of Youth Welfare and Sports Development and, Thiru J Meghanatha Reddy, Member Secretary SDAT. I must acknowledge the efforts of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and Octagon for allotting the event to Chennai, I am sure the sports and tennis loving public of Chennai will turn up to witness the matches in great numbers and enjoy the wonderful experience. The event is likely to be in Chennai for a longer duration as compared to the one event held in 2022. The players expected to participate in the event would be amongst the top 100 in the world.
I am aware that the Government of Tamil Nadu has been doing yeoman service to the cause of sports – the conduct of the Chess Olympiad in Chennai, setting up of a mega sports city, supporting events in all sports and its various schemes to financially support sportspersons as well as providing them jobs. This shows the strong commitment it has towards Sport and encourages the youth of Tamil Nadu to take up to it and succeed in it.
It is therefore no surprise the Government and the Department of Sports has received many laurels and accolades from all forums, one of the prestigious ones being the Confederation of Indian Industry CII, a premier institution of industry in the country. I wholeheartedly congratulate them for it.
There is no doubt as to the impact that a major international event has on any game in the State and the Country. In Tennis during the ATP event not only the best in the world came to Chennai but our own players Leander, Mahesh, Rohan, Somdev, Ramkumar and Sumit used the home opportunity to the maximum to move onto the top world stage. Since I became the President in 2018, the mandate of the Association was to get a major event to Chennai , my home town so that it inspires everyone – the players, the administrators, the coaches, the younger generation – to play Tennis, constantly improve the game in the State and ensure the dominance of Tamil Nadu both in the game of Tennis for both Men and Women, and also see the State of Tamil Nadu as an international destination for Tourism, Investment and Industry and Chennai as a major international city. This major event will promote Women’s tennis and should encourage more girls in the State to play the great sport of Tennis which will immensely help them in both education and life.
I am particularly honoured to be the President of TNTA in its 100th year, a century of illustrious achievements – having a Davis cup player from Tamil Nadu in the Indian Team each year since the fifties, development of tennis legends Ramanthan Krishnan, Ramesh Krishnan, Anand and myself, Lakhsmi Mahadevan and Nirupama and host of top players amongst both men and women, the regular conduct of popular club leagues and highest National and International level of tournaments in India attracting the best players from the country and abroad, hosting of 6 Davis cup ties, undertaking coaching and training activities for players at grassroot and advanced levels, development of officials , coordination with other tennis centres and districts. In spite of minimal facilities that the association had and has, this remarkable feat is a tribute to the dedication, passion, vision and acumen of all those eminent persons who preceded me as the President and the host of office bearers and council members of previous times.
On behalf of TNTA, whose history is well known, I would like to assure each of you that we are putting our best foot forward to ensure a great event for the players, for the sponsors, for the public, and for the game. To the press I say a special thank you for supporting the game of Tennis for many years and request your continued support for this mega event.”
Alastair Garland, Managing Director – Tennis, Octagon, commenting from the USA said, “We are extremely excited to have been given the opportunity to bring India the biggest professional tennis event that exists in the country today. We very much look forward to making our presence felt in Tamil Nadu and India this October. We deeply appreciate the support of our key partners – the Government of Tamil Nadu and the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu. Octagon looks forward to working closely with the TNTA to make this a memorable event for the athletes, fans and partners.”
While delivering the vote of thanks to the Press, B Venkatasubramanyam, Honorary Secretary, reiterated that TNTA will leave no stone unturned to make this prestigious mega event a memorable one for everyone involved. He thanked the Government, SDAT, for the constant co-operation and support over the years which enabled it bring to Chennai the most prestigious of Tournaments.
About the WTA:
The WTA is the original game-changer for women’s sport. Founded in 1973 by the visionary Billie Jean King, the WTA was created to build equal opportunities for women in tennis, and we’ve been breaking boundaries ever since. Today we’re the powerhouse of women’s professional sports, uniting athletes in fearless competition and bringing people together through the love of tennis. The Hologic WTA Tour shares the thrill of every serve, rally and match point with an audience of more than one billion around the world. Players compete for PIF WTA ranking points in tournament arenas on six continents before the season hits its peak at the WTA Finals, where the best singles and doubles superstars battle to be crowned as year-end champions. Our ambitions go well beyond the court. We are champions for our 1,600 incredible athletes and drivers of change through advocacy and action for women’s health and empowerment across the globe. Rally the world: wtatennis.com
About Octagon:
The Octagon logo symbolizes strength, unity, and versatility. The eight sides represent the eight core values that form the foundation of our brand: integrity, discipline, passion, teamwork, resilience, innovation, respect, and excellence. The geometric precision of the octagon conveys balance and structure, while its continuous lines reflect the flow and energy of sport and performance. This modern yet timeless design reinforces our commitment to pushing boundaries while staying grounded in our principles.
It’s a popular choice for businesses seeking to convey these qualities, particularly in industries like construction, finance, and technology. Octagon logos are versatile, with options for minimalist or intricate designs, and can be customized with various colors, fonts, and symbols to match a brand’s identity.
About SDAT:
The Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu is the official sports organ of the Government of Tamil Nadu. Its role is to promote sports and physical fitness throughout the State, utilizing resources drawn from Government, Sports Associations, sports minded philanthropists, institutions and anyone committed to sports and physical fitness.
In this endeavour, the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu focuses its attention on:
- Providing opportunities for talent identification
- To Develop identified talent to excellence at State, National and International levels
- Bringing in a competition culture throughout the State in order to promote physical fitness, talent identification, competitiveness and brotherhood
- Establishing sports infrastructure and encouraging the same in the private arena to suit a wide range of requirements – from community level sports meets to that of international competitions.
- To develop appropriate coaching methods through coaching clinics, workshops, courses in India and abroad so as to ensure that correct techniques are taught at the learning stage and appropriate techniques towards international performances are in line with research-based advancements abroad.
About TNTA:
The Tamil Nadu Tennis Association, celebrating its 100th year of existence as an institution which, promotes and administers the game of Tennis in Tamil Nadu. TNTA is recognised as the official body for the game of Tennis in the state by the Tamil Nadu Government, the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu, Tamil Nadu Olympic Association and the All-India Tennis Association. TNTA was associated with the conduct of the only ATP 250 event held in Southeast Asia for two decades and a WTA 250 in 2022. Besides, TNTA runs its own Coaching Centres and conducts premier tennis tournaments for various categories and levels on annually over decades – National U18 Claycourt championships, 2 ITF Junior events, AITA and State Ranking events for Men and Women, Seniors, and Wheelchair Tennis.
Elaborate Photo Caption: (From Left to Right):
Hiten Joshi (CEO, Tamil Nadu Tennis Association)
Thiru B. Venkatasubramanyam (Hon. Secretary, Tamil Nadu Tennis Association)
Vijay Amritraj (President, Tamil Nadu Tennis Association)
Thiru Udhayanidhi Stalin (Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and Minister for Youth Welfare & Sports Development)
Dr. Atulya Misra, I.A.S (Additional Chief Secretary to the Government of Tamil Nadu, Department of Youth Welfare and Sports Development)
Thiru. J. Meghanatha Reddy, IAS (Member – Secretary Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu)
Thiru. Vivek Reddy– (President of Madras Cricket Club and Honorary Treasurer of TNTA)