Speaking to ET Now after the conclusion of the 2026 WTA 250 Chennai Open at the SDAT Tennis Stadium, Tamil Nadu Tennis Association (TNTA) President Vijay Amritraj candidly unpacked the logistics and behind-the-scenes decisions that defined the tournament week. In the interview with ET Now, Amritraj explained why leasing a 1-year WTA 250 license from Mexico City meant having zero flexibility on the November Northeast Monsoon dates, how the WTA makes the final call from the United States on air-quality postponements after 1 finalist wanted to play on Sunday night while 1 did not, and why the license moving to Manila next year is paired with an active roadmap to bring 3 to 4 WTA 125 tournaments to India’s Southern Belt in January 2028.
With no WTA license allotted to India and purchasing a license prohibitively expensive, leasing Mexico City’s slot meant taking its exact calendar week during the Northeast Monsoon.
Amritraj confirmed to ET Now that 1 singles finalist wanted to play and 1 did not, while the AQI was way too high and the WTA made the final call from the US after 30-minute checks.
While the leased WTA 250 license moves to Manila next year, Amritraj is working toward a Jan–Feb tour stop and 3 to 4 WTA 125 events across the Southern Belt in January 2028.
“The most important thing for us is the players. It is their call, number 1. But the call actually is made by WTA. So WTA makes the call from the US, which is acceptable — they have their own versions of how they do it. And needless to say, the AQI was way too high to play yesterday as far as I am concerned. And also both the players — 1 of them wanted to play and 1 did not.”
On Leasing Mexico City’s Calendar Week, Navigating the Northeast Monsoon, and How the WTA Handled the Smog Delay From the US
ET NowOn the challenges of bringing a WTA 250 tournament to India, leasing a 1-year license from Mexico City, and having no choice over the November Northeast Monsoon calendar dates in Chennai.
Vijay Amritraj (TNTA President)1st and foremost, the important aspect of getting a tournament — that is number 1. We cannot get a tournament. No tournament is allotted to India, and so we do not have a license. To buy a license is way too expensive at this point. So the question of having a license holder willing to lease a license to us for a year, that is the major win for us. Over the years with the Chennai Open men’s event, we have been doing it for so many years, and then we are fortunate to have done the same thing here with the WTA in 2022, in 2025, and now of course in 2026. So we are very fortunate — that is the positive aspect of actually getting the tournament.
You do not have a choice on the calendar. The calendar is what it is. That is the week of the tournament where this was, in Mexico City previously, and the license holder was kind enough to then move it to Chennai. We do not have a choice on the dates — it is what it is. The most important part of the decision-making for them was the rain. It is a rainy season for us with the Northeast Monsoon and so on, so we were concerned about that. But at the end of the day, you can finish the main-draw event in 5 days in a 7-day tournament, so generally you have that luxury of a couple of days. And we were pretty much on track yesterday till the rains came in right after the doubles match.
ET NowThe rains of course were 1 issue, and Chennai being Chennai, I think the monsoons are part and parcel of November every year. But given the AQI, Vijay, and there was a lot of talk about how it hit a bit of a low yesterday — or a high depending on how you look at it — also with Janice Tjen (INA, 75) saying that the organizers wanted to go ahead and play despite the conditions. Could you help us understand how those sequences of events panned out? Was there an inclination to continue playing despite the smog around?
Vijay Amritraj (TNTA President)The most important thing for us is the players. It is their call, number 1. But the call actually is made by WTA. So WTA makes the call from the US, which is acceptable — they have their own versions of how they do it. And needless to say, the AQI was way too high. As far as we are concerned, we are completely following what WTA wants us to follow. They will ask our opinion on various things, but the AQI was way too high to play yesterday as far as I am concerned. And also both the players — 1 of them wanted to play and 1 did not.
So I think when you look at all factors into consideration, it is the WTA’s final call to either have the event or not have it. And needless to say, they postponed it every half an hour waiting for the AQI to get back to normal, so on and so forth. Visibility was poor, obviously, with the smoke and things like that. But keep in mind 2 or 3 very important things: the date and the calendar had nothing to do with us — we had to have it, so there was no debate about that. 2ndly, when it comes down to actual player conditions, whether it is the heat — we have a heat rule now with both WTA and ATP Tour events; you can close the roof if you have a roof if it is too hot, same thing if it is starting to get too cold. So I think as far as tennis is concerned, they have controlled it pretty well, and the WTA and ATP make the calls.
From the 1976 Wimbledon Heatwave to 2 Tracksuits in Europe — and Why 3 to 4 WTA 125 Events Are Targeted for January 2028
ET NowVijay, you have been in Chennai all your life, you are a Chennai boy in many ways. You have played here in multiple conditions through multiple seasons, rain and sunshine too. Have you seen conditions get as bad as they were yesterday, or is this perhaps a bit of a 1st? Are we in uncharted territory with regard to conditions for playing tennis as was the case yesterday?
Vijay Amritraj (TNTA President)Yes, I mean it was tough, no question — breathing conditions were difficult. It depends entirely on what you are used to and where you grew up, and things like that come into play as a little bit more of an advantage. For example, when it was the 1976 Wimbledon, it was so hot that everybody said, ‘Oh, it is fine with Vijay, he will be fine with it because he grew up in Chennai.’ Yes, absolutely, we had a little bit more of that staying power at that particular time.
But yes, across a variety of the world, we have played in conditions where I have had to have 2 tracksuits on and 2 pocket heaters in my pocket to warm me up. Those are the conditions, that is what it is! In October in Europe, it can be very cold and you are playing outdoors — how do you manage? So we have played under every set of conditions over the years, and no condition is special or not good; it is a question of, at that moment in time, what the organizers and the tour want to do.
ET NowGoing forward, there is talk about how this could well be the last Chennai Open WTA that we see for the foreseeable future, given that the tournament is moving to Manila — I think Alexandra Eala’s (PHI, 51) rise has also a very significant part to play in that decision. How bittersweet is this moment for you? Both the ATP and the WTA have been almost indelible parts of India’s tennis calendar, more so here in Chennai. Is this a bittersweet moment for you to see this tournament move out starting next year?
Vijay Amritraj (TNTA President)1st of all, I hate to say ‘never’ — that this is the last 1 and we are never going to have another 1! I mean, I would never say that. Needless to say, Chennai’s audience is fantastic, the state has been unbelievable, the Chief Minister has been spectacular, and the support from all the sponsors and the Government of Tamil Nadu is very special for us. So we try to hold on to an event like this — men or women, it does not matter — so that the Chennai audience gets that tennis feel.
The key for us, of course, is to also have some consideration from the tours as far as the calendar is concerned. We like January–February. That is our favorite time of the year to do it, you know, but so do other parts of the world! So we have to be a little aware of that as well. Having said all of that, I always have work in progress. I am always working on a WTA tournament and an ATP tournament at some point in time to be able to get us something in January–February. But also, in January of 2028, we are fairly certain to have 3 or 4 WTA 125s across the Southern Belt, so that our girls will get a chance to play more tournaments than just 1.
Rather than relying on a single 1-week leased WTA 250 stop in November, Vijay Amritraj told ET Now that organizers are fairly certain of staging a 3-to-4-week swing of WTA 125 tournaments across Southern India in January 2028 — giving Indian women’s players multiple consecutive weeks of home tour-level competition in ideal winter weather while continuing negotiations for a January–February ATP or WTA crown jewel event.
On Vaishnavi Adkar & Rutuja Bhosale’s Historic All-Indian WTA Final and Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi’s Singles Quarterfinal
ET NowBefore I end, some comments on Vaishnavi Adkar (IND, 326) and Rutuja Bhosale (IND) making history by becoming the 1st Indian women’s pair to hit the finals of a WTA tournament — a historic moment no doubt for Indian tennis and women’s tennis particularly?
Vijay Amritraj (TNTA President)Yes, absolutely, and let us not forget that Vaishnavi Adkar (IND, 326) played well in the singles, and Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi (IND, 488) played extremely well in the singles as well, making the quarters. This is the reason we try to have these tournaments: so that you actually play against world-class players, not just in the Challengers and the Futures and so on. These players are of a different caliber, as we have seen in the final as well.
The more important thing is for them to adjust and say, ‘Listen, I can do that too. I can work harder and be like them. I can get to the semis and final and win a tournament.’ So I think that is the reason we try to have it. We need to have 1 or 2 crown jewels in men and women in this country, just to be able to continue to inspire the boys and girls.