A letter from the tournament:
Dear friends of pro tennis in Vermont,
Over the past two years we have all teamed up to bring professional tennis back to Vermont. We’ve had more than a dozen players inside the ATP Top 100 entertain us here in Stowe prior to heading down to the US Open. Thousands of attendees turned out to watch the matches, some from Stowe and Burlington, others from across the country and the world. The event earned strong media coverage, whether in Seven Days or in Forbes, and the social media from the event showed the world that Vermont can host a stunning summer tennis event with a global footprint.
The story of pro tennis in Vermont wouldn’t have any recent entries without the support of the sponsors and fans. Starting in 2017 when Spruce Peak signed on to the event and put a shovel to the ground of what would become Spruce Peak Stadium Court, and continued to this morning when I received a call asking about the sponsorship details for the 2019 event, interest has been strong and the support crucial. We all came together to create a truly special tennis event, and I know a lot of us had fun along the way. I’ve heard from all sources that it was one of the most unique events they’ve ever been to, players included (you wouldn't believe how many players last week at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells told us they want to come to Stowe this year!), and I hope we all take this as a testament to the creativity and energy the Vermont community put into the event—sponsors, organizers, and attendees alike.
However, the news that I, and all of us here at Grand Slam Tennis Tours, want to share today is that it is unlikely the Stowe Mountain Lodge Classic will take place in 2019. For all the support for the event, there are significant challenges that we face as well. Two major ones are having a permanent outdoor tennis venue and having to build a stadium from scratch every year, and the other is fact that there just aren’t the right conditions here to receive support from the public sector, which is how events like ours thrive in other places. It makes the effort of hosting the event, unfortunately, not just a massive investment of time and effort, but a project that comes with a financial risk we just can’t take on for a third year without a significant change.
I think everyone who attended the event understands that it was a passion project for many of us. Andrew Chmura at Grand Slam Tennis Tours deserves special recognition for helping to bring the event to life and I assure you that we will continue to work to bring pro tennis back to Vermont, in one form or another. Of course, if anyone wants to save the event, become the Title Sponsor, or build a permanent outdoor tennis/multi-use venue in Vermont, please email me.
Today, I mostly want to thank you for your work and support in helping us bring tennis back to Vermont, update you on the path that Vermont’s biggest summer tennis event is taking for 2019, and ask that when pro tennis returns again you come out and support it the same way you always have.
See you on the courts.
Kyle Ross
Tournament Director
Over the past two years we have all teamed up to bring professional tennis back to Vermont. We’ve had more than a dozen players inside the ATP Top 100 entertain us here in Stowe prior to heading down to the US Open. Thousands of attendees turned out to watch the matches, some from Stowe and Burlington, others from across the country and the world. The event earned strong media coverage, whether in Seven Days or in Forbes, and the social media from the event showed the world that Vermont can host a stunning summer tennis event with a global footprint.
The story of pro tennis in Vermont wouldn’t have any recent entries without the support of the sponsors and fans. Starting in 2017 when Spruce Peak signed on to the event and put a shovel to the ground of what would become Spruce Peak Stadium Court, and continued to this morning when I received a call asking about the sponsorship details for the 2019 event, interest has been strong and the support crucial. We all came together to create a truly special tennis event, and I know a lot of us had fun along the way. I’ve heard from all sources that it was one of the most unique events they’ve ever been to, players included (you wouldn't believe how many players last week at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells told us they want to come to Stowe this year!), and I hope we all take this as a testament to the creativity and energy the Vermont community put into the event—sponsors, organizers, and attendees alike.
However, the news that I, and all of us here at Grand Slam Tennis Tours, want to share today is that it is unlikely the Stowe Mountain Lodge Classic will take place in 2019. For all the support for the event, there are significant challenges that we face as well. Two major ones are having a permanent outdoor tennis venue and having to build a stadium from scratch every year, and the other is fact that there just aren’t the right conditions here to receive support from the public sector, which is how events like ours thrive in other places. It makes the effort of hosting the event, unfortunately, not just a massive investment of time and effort, but a project that comes with a financial risk we just can’t take on for a third year without a significant change.
I think everyone who attended the event understands that it was a passion project for many of us. Andrew Chmura at Grand Slam Tennis Tours deserves special recognition for helping to bring the event to life and I assure you that we will continue to work to bring pro tennis back to Vermont, in one form or another. Of course, if anyone wants to save the event, become the Title Sponsor, or build a permanent outdoor tennis/multi-use venue in Vermont, please email me.
Today, I mostly want to thank you for your work and support in helping us bring tennis back to Vermont, update you on the path that Vermont’s biggest summer tennis event is taking for 2019, and ask that when pro tennis returns again you come out and support it the same way you always have.
See you on the courts.
Kyle Ross
Tournament Director
