[TarHeelJ]

Originally Posted by ATLaffinity

Nice publicity for BB&T Atlanta Open and AS in New York Times. Really was a great move to bring this tennis tournament to the middle of the city. Both players and fans enjoyed the setting with skyscrapers in the background. I heard ticket sales were 150%+ compared to last year.

Tennis Gets an Uptown Updating in Atlanta

In its two previous years, the tournament was tucked away in separate country club environments on the northern arc, the core of Atlanta’s tennis community. The city fancies itself as the capital of grass-roots and adult-league tennis, but its legions of participants seemed disinclined to go watch the pros. The tournament’s nomadic ways did not help to advance awareness.

Bryant sensed that plunking the matches into this milieu would create a buzz, luring the curious along with the die-hards. Having honed his event-promoting chops with the Ringling Bros. circus, he had no trouble envisioning tennis with an unusual backdrop.

It's great to see Atlanta's skyline on ESPN during coverage of the tournament!