It has been a year since the Open de Nice Côte d’Azur regained its spot on the ATP calendar after a 15-year absence from 1995 to 2009. A successful comeback where spectators witnessed an epic victory by Richard Gasquet against Spain’s Fernando Verdasco on the central court of the Nice Lawn Tennis Club.
This year the show is guaranteed once again. With the presence of exceptional players from Tomas Berdych, David Ferrer, Nikolay Davydenko to Andy Roddick and Nicolas Almagro, there is no doubt that the matches will be of a very high level. The Open de Nice Côte d’Azur is the curtain-raiser for the French Open. It is the last clay court event before Roland Garros.
Also present at the press conference were: Bernard Leydet, president of the Nice Lawn Tennis Club, Jean-Louis Pitzini, president of the Tennis League of Côte d’Azur, and Olivier Bettati, general councilor and delegate for the “Hills” territory.
The tournament’s budget is 2.7 million euros with significant participation from local authorities (City Hall of Nice, Nice Community CA, General Council of Alpes-Maritimes).
Christian Estrosi: “For a first attempt, it was a masterstroke. Back on the courts of Parc Impérial last year, the Open Nice Côte d’Azur has established itself in the international calendar as an unmissable event in world tennis, a week before Roland-Garros. The 2011 edition will thus confirm the high quality and international dimension that this tournament has acquired in record time, and I want to congratulate the organizers.
This success, in any case, demonstrates the prominent place tennis occupies in our city and the essential role it will play in the years to come.
I present as proof the enduring reputation of Nice LTC, the thousands of spectators and millions of TV viewers who witnessed the return of this great tennis tournament in Nice in 2010, the one thousand five hundred schoolchildren who will once again be invited throughout the week to attend matches and meet the champions.
These are strong indicators that make tennis a major sport in our city and the Open Nice Côte d’Azur a top-tier event.”
Jean-François Caujolle (co-director of the Tournament): “While it is not easy to succeed on the first try, we know that making an initiative sustainable is even more difficult because we become more demanding and ambitious. But here in Nice, we believe we have won the bet, and the only uncertainty lies in weather conditions which are beyond our control.
The player lineup is of very high quality with the presence of 3 of the top 10. One downside is the low participation of French athletes who, for various reasons, did not accept our invitation. I specifically mention Gasquet, who I would have liked to see come and defend his title from last year. As a former elite player, I can say that winning on your home soil is always important and genuinely pleasurable.
The Nice Tournament has become one of the 3 or 4 most important appointments on the APT 250 circuit, and our ambition is to move forward.
Now let the games begin, may the celebration be grand and successful!”
ACTIONS AND ACTIVITIES FOR THE PEOPLE OF NICE AROUND THE OPEN NICE CÔTE D’AZUR
Street Tennis on Monday, May 16th at 5 PM on Place Masséna
To officially launch the tournament to the general public, a street tennis demonstration will take place on Monday, May 16th with 2 star players from the main draw and a group of young people on Place Masséna. >Animations for all audiences
The city of Nice is conducting actions aimed at facilitating access to sports practices for all young people in Nice to promote school and extracurricular sports practice and share the passion for sports with young schoolchildren in Nice.
An unprecedented program of activities has been set up to allow school audiences to enjoy this international quality event. 2,200 schoolchildren from Nice and 1,400 children from schools in Nice Côte d’Azur are invited to attend the matches and discover the tournament, from Monday, May 16th to Friday, May 20th; 100% of school requests in Nice have been fulfilled. All 320 students from the tennis clubs of Nice will be able to attend the matches on Wednesday, May 18th, in the afternoon: 100% of club requests have been fulfilled/180 children from Leisure Centers in Nice are also invited to visit the site.
Exchange sessions with the champions: 4 exchange sessions of balls lasting 15 to 30 minutes between champions and children from schools in Nice will take place at 3 PM, on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday on the side courts.
Post-match press conferences: Classes from schools in Nice will participate in 4 post-match press conferences (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday) in the presence of a champion.
Signing sessions: Four signing sessions will be organized for schoolchildren in the afternoon, after the matches, from Monday to Friday for schoolchildren and the general public.
Invitation of many people from Nice to the Open Côte d’Azur
5,000 invitations are allocated to seniors, sports associations, charitable associations, associations of the Urban Cohesion Contract, and other neighborhood committees.
Elodie Malatrait Singer: 06 11 18 40 30 – elodiemalatrait@yahoo.fr
Constance Peysson: 06 87 21 93 86 – constance.peysson@gmail.com
AN ECO-FRIENDLY TOURNAMENT
The Open de Nice Côte d’Azur positions itself as an eco-friendly event by adding environmental and social goals to the sporting and economic performance objectives.
Thus, with the help of EDF Collectivités, ADEME (Environment and Energy Management Agency), and the local authorities as the main partners of the tournament, two complementary and evolving systems are implemented each year:
– The tournament’s Low Carbon Approach with the implementation of a carbon footprint aiming to structure our actions and especially estimate the global greenhouse gas emissions induced by all the activity generated by the event;
– A series of social actions and societal awareness co-constructed with the main partners dedicated to young schoolchildren and college students and more generally to the general public.
The eco-friendly approach applies to different areas (see document in annex):
Transportation: with the choice of low-polluting vehicles, encouraging the public to use clean transport through the “Retours Gagnants” system (blue cars and bikes, public transport, carpooling), professional players traveling to Place Masséna on Monday, May 16th in Auto Bleue, electric car.
Waste management: continue to raise awareness before and during the tournament among all employees, participants, and spectators and distribute different types of sorting bins on the site.
Catering: information on the carbon weight of different foods and increase the choice of primarily plant-based meals and local products
