Salah Tahlak, Tournament Director of Dubai Open Championships, reacts while speaking to Gulf News. Karl Jeffs/Gulf NewsTahlak in favour of appearance money
By Alaric Gomes, Staff Reporter
Dubai: Tournament Director for Dubai Open Championships, Salah Tahlak, has justified the payment of appearance money to top players at the Dubai Tennis Championships.
"It is money well spent and a perfect return on investment for Dubai," Tahlak told Gulf News. "Top players on the Tours draw crowds. These are marquee players. Having them adds to the profile of the event," Tahlak said.
"Players like Agassi, Navratilova and Sharapova have this appeal. Therefore, we don't have problems paying them appearance money," Tahlak shrugged.
Tahlak, however clarified that not all players get the same amount. "The top 10 players normally do. The payment is more like a Persian carpet, each one has a different pricing," Tahlak stated.
"There's nothing great in players being paid, it's a normal thing. Tournaments pay the top players to come and play? all except the Grand Slams," he added.
Case in point
As a case in point, the tournament director illustrated how the staged match between Agassi and Roger Federer on top of the Burj Al Arab brought attention to Dubai. "That stunt was valued at $9.5 million (Dh35 million), while the marketing and public relations returns for the entire event was pinned at $24.5 million," Tahlak disclosed. "This is sound return on the investments."
The profile of tennis in the UAE is set to climb after Tahlak was named an officials on the Dubai Sports Committee headed by Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
"We need to review the sport here. We need to attract more people and be able to sustain the interest of those who are already playing tennis," Tahlak stated.
He admitted his immediate priorities include sponsorship, marketing and the sustainence of the UAE women in the sport.
"Players like Agassi, Navratilova and Sharapova have this appeal. Therefore, we don't have problems paying them appearance money."