Not the best, but the best: Radio BeO

28 October 2024

Not the best, but the best possible

World tennis is in a phase of change. This also presents new challenges for the Swiss in Basel. Inevitably, but not necessarily disproportionately, the focus is once again on sport and not on the big names.

Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. A few days ago, even the president of the competition Roger Brennwald did not know the name of the new winner, perhaps the most surprising in the history of Switzerland. This certainly fits the current state of world tennis and Switzerland’s biggest annual sporting event, which is both promising and challenging.

“We are in a completely new era,” says Brennwald, now 78, who built the tournament on the Rhine from small beginnings in an airy dome with a few spectator seats in Muttenz to one of the world tennis games. “There’s a big change happening at the top. You shouldn’t settle for the numbers.” seven months later there were “only” two.

“Tsitsipas or Rune still have the same value for the audience, even if they are no longer in the top ten,” says Brennwald. He says confidently that in the past they have also to focus on that top ten. “But we said early on there would be no top five. Honest communication is important.”

Instead, the tournament targeted a wide range of young professionals from the so-called “Next Gen” and spread the starting costs among nine players, more than ever before. The result was a tournament that offered great fun with many exciting games and new faces. It is now more of an event for tennis lovers than “fashion fans” who came to St. Jakobshalle in the age of Roger Federer.

Now there are a little less, but Brennwald is more than satisfied with the 63,200 applications this year. That is about ten percent less than it was during Federer’s time, but 1.6 percent more than last year and according to good residence more than 86 percent of the places.

However, traditional tournament settings are in high demand in Europe, and this was also seen in Vienna. In the Middle East especially, food is served with a large ladle; In the week leading up to the Swiss Indoors, Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and the retiring Rafael Nadal, the four biggest stars on the tennis scene, competed in an exhibition tournament in Saudi Arabia – with an initial cost of one and a half million dollars and many times that Prize money. This made it almost impossible to get these players to Basel or Vienna in the packed calendar.

Brennwald rejects polemics. “As we all know, competition drives business. But generally I’m not a fan of shows,” he says. According to his information, there will not be a second edition of this so-called “Six King Slam” in Riyadh next year – at least not in the form and on the date. It is an open secret that the sheikhs in the Gulf want to bring the Masters 1000 division event to the country. This would put Basel in less direct competition.

What also gives Brennwald confidence is the development of young Switzerland. “They really raise high hopes,” he says happily. “This is very important for a tournament organizer.” He thinks of Henry Bernet, aged 17, who beat Fabio Fognini in the qualification. Another local, Mika Brunold, had a good performance; Jérôme Kym, 21, from Fricktal was qualifying for a ‘ main field and was only beaten in three sets by last year’s semi-finalist Ugo Humbert.

So the medium term future of the competition does not look too bleak. Of course, Brennwald would like to have Jannik Sinner, the same number 1 with Australian John Newcombe in the early days who never played in Basel, with him. But it’s still true. “We’re not Wimbledon,” he insists. “We never wanted to be the best, but to make the most of the opportunities.

New faces

Not a fan of exhibition contests

Joy about young people from Switzerland