The Biarritz women’s tennis tournament is repositioning itself on the international calendar. Organized in mid-July in 2021, the Engie Open (whose title holder is Britain’s Francesca Jones) will take place this year from Monday 6 to Sunday 12 June on the courts of Aguiléra. Bruno Balaire, the tournament director and member of the Quarterback group, outlines the event.
France Bleu Basque Country: How and why this date change?
Bruno Balaire: Let’s say that the boycott of Chinese tournaments by the WTA (notably due to the Peng Shuai affair, editor’s note) has shaken up the calendar quite a bit. And the clay court slot is relatively short in the season. We looked at this date with envy and when we realized that we were in competition with two or three other tournaments, we asserted our history. We have an advantage, it is that we are in the 19th edition and therefore the Engie Open in Biarritz is now anchored in the ITF calendar. Also taking into account the good relations that we also have with the French Tennis Federation, we were able to have this opportunity, the ITF allowed us to take this date and we are truly delighted.
In the aftermath of Roland-Garros, enough to attract even more profiles of earthlings?
This is one of the reasons why we wanted this date. We should be able to accommodate players who want to continue their season on clay. When I take the example of the young Russian player who was in the final last year (Oksana Selekhmeteva, editor’s note), she went through the qualifications, she was at that time the 450th player in the world. Today, she is the 203rd player in the world, she is 19 years old. For us, it’s really the springboard we want. And if we can attract even more players with a level in the top 100 in the world, that will be perfect. Maybe even higher ranked girls. Also attract better French players. Last year, we had the French numbers 8, 9, 10 and 11. This year, I hope we will have the ten best players among us and why not Caroline Garcia.
June is also a more interesting time to do business than July…
Fortunately, we have loyal local, regional and national partners who have enabled this tournament to exist for 19 years. For them, it is easier to invite their customers in order to show the advantages of the Basque Country, the city of Biarritz and the region, since we have a certain amount of hospitality during the tournament and in particular during a gala. These are opportunities for meetings, in order to do business. Obviously, it’s much easier to do it in June, just before summer, in a way at the end of the year, rather than in the summer during the holidays.
There is often a criticism expressed about this tournament: the “niche tournament” side, not popular enough. Looking back, what can you do to change that?
You are completely right. I think it’s simply history that has meant that, over time, there was a form of non-representation of the region, among athletes, partners, employees, etc. Since we (Nebuchadnezzar) bought the Quarterback company, we had made sure to set up a business club around this tournament. This Club, we animate it through a meeting that we organize about every two months. At the same time, we refocused all communication on the region and local partners, and we saw the effect last year, with the increase in the number of visitors during the tournament. More than 3,500 visits spread over the week in 2021, and more than 1,000 partner guests. On social networks too, we saw higher traffic on the tournament’s web platforms. And then, the gala dinner brought together 250 people from the region.
And for the spectators?
We made a choice for two years: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday for the quarter-finals, because we want it to be a popular event for the Basque Country, access is free during the week. In order to ensure that all the Aquitaine leagues and the Pyrénées Atlantiques committee can bring in members, licensees, starting with those of Biarritz Olympique. Why not also visitors who have not yet been made redundant. It is only from the semi-finals that the ticket office is chargeable. A modest sum since it ranges from 8 to 20 euros depending on the location. We have seen around 50% more visitors between the 2019 and 2021 editions, and we hope to double this year by also focusing on young people. It is for this reason that at the same time as the tournament, we are organizing thanks to Crédit Agricole, a competition for young people between 11 and 15 years old.
From June 6 to 12, how many people participate in the organization of the tournament?
VSis a mini business for three weeks! More than sixty volunteers who work alongside us and we thank them. There is also a team that works all year round to do communication, organize the tournament, create links between the partners, ensure that all the means are available at the time of the tournament. We also have two permanent staff who are from the Basque Country. And then there are five people who come directly from Paris to set up all the facilities that host the tournament.