Suwat wants to bring big events to Thailand

Suwat said the International Tennis Federation assembly due from September 21-23 would serve as a good opportunity for the country to win approval of some 500 delegates from over 200 nations to host the big event.

"We already have the Thailand Open which is an ATP 250 level tournament, and we are eyeing even bigger events, the ATP 500, ATP 1000 and the World Tour Masters. I will take this chance to show key persons from around the world that we are capable of staging those events,'' said Suwat who estimated some US$15 million to $20 million to organise the tournament.

"Actually we don't have a tennis stadium that can accommodate 10,000 people. But we have a new complex of the same capacity for the next year's Futsal World Cup in Pathumthani which we can use,'' said Suwat, who leaves for New York today to attend the US Open.

The ATP World Tour Final is the season-ending tournament that features the top eight players from the Champion Race. London has won the bid to stage the event between 2009-2012.

In terms of the ITF meeting , there will be a draw for the Davis Cup 2012 on September 21 at Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok. Also featuring during the three-day conference is the election for the ITF president and 13 executive board members on September 23.

Prior to the meeting, the Davis Cup trophy will be unveiled to the public at a tennis exhibition at Siam Paragon from September 17-20. The 105-kilogramme trophy is made from sterling silver and engraved with the winners and runners up of each Davis Cup final. The trophy stands almost 1.1 metres tall and weighs over 100 kilogrammes. The top edge of the silver bowl is carved with primroses and acanthus leaves. Dhipaya Insurance Company is insuring the trophy for over Bt21 million during its time in Thailand.