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New-look Ken Rosewall Arena unveiled for ATP Cup

Sydney’s Ken Rosewall Arena has unveiled its new roof ahead of the inaugural edition of the ATP Cup tennis tournament, which gets underway tomorrow (Friday).

The new roof has been fitted as part of an $Aus50m (£20.5m/€31.2m/$35m) renovation of the arena, which has a capacity of 10,000. The upgrade plans were announced by the New South Wales government in January 2019 in an effort to boost its hopes of hosting the ATP Cup.

Later that month, Sydney and Brisbane were confirmed as two of the host destinations for the tournament, with Perth later added as a third venue.

Ken Rosewall Arena forms part of the Sydney Olympic Park Tennis Centre. The arena is named after Australian tennis legend Ken Rosewall, who attended the unveiling of the venue’s new roof alongside Grigor Dimitrov, David Goffin, Borna Coric and Jamie Murray.

Rosewall said: “I feel very humbled to be here and see this great roof on this building. We had been hoping for something like this for many years, it’s certainly a facility for the future.

“There are so many great players who have come from different parts of NSW over the period of time and for this centre to be named after me I feel very honoured. With the new facility here with the new seats and roof it’s going to be exciting for the spectators and I know there’ll be a lot of great matches.”

Renovation work also includes upsized in-arena video boards and new seating, with the roof to provide shade to fans on hot days. The roof is a cable-tension and PTFE fabric design and marks a first for stadia in Australia. The roof has been designed by Cox Architecture in conjunction with Arup.

Tennis NSW chief executive and ATP Cup Sydney general manager Lawrence Robertson added: “This is a win for players and a win for spectators as the new improved facilities will take their experience to the next level. We encourage everyone to come along to the ATP Cup and experience world-class tennis action in an innovative setting to match.”

Ken Rosewall Arena also hosts games played by Sydney’s two Super Netball teams, the Giants and Swifts.

The ATP Cup is a new team tournament and runs until January 12. The tournament is set to take place as Sydney continues to feel the impact of smoke and haze caused by nearby bushfires.

The roof at Ken Rosewall Arena will help reduce the impact of stifling temperatures but concerns remain over air quality. Tennis Australia chief executive Craig Tiley has confirmed that a number of fundraising and support initiatives will be rolled out across the ATP Cup, Australian Open and other events over the coming weeks to help those affected by the fires.

Image: ATP Cup