In 2025, the Tamil Nadu government had allocated a budget of INR 12 crore for the event, more than 50 per cent of the total cost of hosting the tournament. Can Vijay Amritraj find similar support from the C. Joseph Vijay-led cabinet? | Photo Credit: R Ragu/PTI

The fate of the WTA 250 event, which is scheduled to be held in Chennai from November 2 to 8 as per the official calendar, could be decided next week.

Last year, Tamil Nadu Tennis Association (TNTA) President and Indian tennis legend Vijay Amritraj made the arrangement with Octagon, the sports agency which holds the three-year license for the event, to shift the tournament from Mexico to Chennai. It took place at the SDAT Stadium in Nungambakkam from October 27 to November 2, the week prior to the season-ending WTA Finals.

But after the formation of a newly-elected state government, whether the tournament receives the financial support akin to last year remains to be seen.

ALSO READ | Maaya Rajeshwaran ready to ‘compete and fight it out’ at junior French Open

The 72-year-old Amritraj is optimistic and hopes to hear from the officials next week regarding the possibility of supporting the tournament. “A new sports secretary has come. I had a nice meeting with him and Meghanatha Reddy (Member Secretary of Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu) and spent 90 minutes with them. I filled them in on the whole history of the events, from all the way back from Chennai Open to where we are today. They seem very keen about doing it. The most important thing is the approval of the sports minister (Aadhav Arjuna). I met him also and he seemed quite positive about it,” said Amritraj on the sidelines of TNTA’s 33rd annual day at the Madras Cricket Club on Friday.

“I hope that this coming week, we’ll get a response.”

In 2025, the Tamil Nadu government had allocated a budget of INR 12 crore for the event, more than 50 per cent of the total cost of hosting the tournament. It also included the cost of refurbishing the stadium - INR 2 crore. The rest of the amount came through private sponsorships.

“The numbers are pretty straightforward. The government puts up 50 per cent and we raise 50 per cent. At the moment, we can raise that 50 per cent but I’m not quite sure, we’ll be able to raise 100 per cent. The total budget of the tournament fluctuates between INR 18-20 crore. Today, it’ll be closer to INR 20 crore because of the exchange rate also. And WTA also wanted us to do a bit more work on a more modernised version of cleaning up the courts after the rainfall because of the season which is fair. So, we need the government to replicate what they gave us last year,” said Amritraj.

“The government will be our anchor tenant. It’ll only be called the Chennai Open because of that. They seem positive. So, I hope they can do it.”

The last edition was affected by withdrawals of multiple top players and two days of play were completely washed out due to the rain. In such a scenario, how does he plan to justify hosting the event around the same time again this year to the new government? Amritraj responded, “The fact that it is the only tour-level event in the country. When we get an event, I think we should 100 per cent run it. Because getting an event is 90 per cent of the problem. Also, in the end, you need five days for a 32-player draw and we get eight, including a reserve day, to do it. If it rains on all eight days, then you have an issue.”

The government is also keen on bringing back the ATP 250 event, one which Chennai hosted from 1997 to 2017 but turning it into reality is a difficult task. “Everybody wants to have an ATP event. If you bring an ATP event, no matter what the budget is, they will host it. We haven’t gotten to that detail on the budget but I’m assuming that would be the case because they seem to be extremely keen on an ATP event. But everything is going to cost much more for an ATP event of the same level,” said the TNTA president.

For now, the picture regarding whether the WTA event is held in Chennai or not could become clearer once the new government presents the state budget for the 2026-27 financial year.

Published on Jun 19, 2026