The ATP is considering the creation of a season-ending championship for players ages 21 and younger, said Chris Kermode, the group’s president and executive chairman.
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KERMODE
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The tournament would give the ATP a new event to market and sell across. It also would be a platform through which the ATP could spotlight its up-and-coming stars, Kermode said.
The tournament would debut next year and would occur either the week before or after the late-November ATP World Tour Finals. The ATP is expected to make a decision shortly about whether that event will remain in London, where it has been played since 2009.
The new 21-and-under championship would feature the world’s top eight players in that age range but would occur in a city different from the host city for the ATP World Tour Finals, Kermode said. If one of the eight 21-and-under players were to qualify for the World Tour Finals, which also has an eight-player field, the next eligible player 21-and-under would fill his place in the new tournament.
As is the case for the current season-ending event, cities would be able to bid on hosting the new tournament.
