Maria Sharapova got €300,000 to play Strasbourg once - Organizer
The Strasbourg Open was introduced on Tour by the Alsace Tennis League, a company that was brought by an American who lived in Strasbourg. The Tournament Director Denis Naegelen is now the chief of the event and one of the members include the French player Pierre-Hugues Herbert. "When I sold my company Quarterback in 2018, I sold the Strasbourg Open too," he said. "However, the date is (highly-sought) on the WTA calendar. I wanted to get the tournament back but I did not want to do it alone: it was important for me to have competitive, passionate people (around me) who live in Alsace. We send a message to the entire region and to our partners. The date was asked by Prague and Rabat tournaments, but now we own it" said Naegelen, who also revealed he spent €300,000 to bring Maria Sharapova in 2010.
Nicolas Mahut reassessed his season. At some point, he paired up with Herbert again winning the biggest titles. "It was a complex season for everyone," said Mahut. "Edouard Roger-Vasselin is a fantastic player. When I had the opportunity to play with him when Pierre-Hugues was absent, it was an incredible opportunity because I knew that we could be competitive and win tournaments. But then the situation is hard and I'm putting him in a difficult situation because we didn't know when we would resume playing together for the Asian tour. Then Pierre-Hugues got injured. It's not easy to organize ourselves. I know it because I like to know and anticipate things."
from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2Cm1G0A
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