Search
Subscribe
Subscribe

Catalina Fillol, Chile Open ‘s tournament director: “We want to push for a surface change to attract more players”

Catalina Fillol Chile Open
Catalina Fillol tras la entrevista con CLAY // SEBASTIÁN VARELA
Share on:
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn

SANTIAGO, Chile –

Three tournaments held in February, after the Australian Open and before Indian Wells, are paying the price for preserving the tradition of playing on clay courts. Catalina Fillol, director of the Chile Open, is ready to try something new and push for a change alongside the Rio Open: “If switching to hard courts is what it takes to improve the player field, then let’s make the change.”

The South American swing, which begins on February 10 in Buenos Aires, continues a week later in Rio de Janeiro, and concludes on March 2 in Santiago, Chile, is largely rejected by most of the top players on the circuit. These are tournaments held in vibrant cities, with packed stadiums that give players a special energy, but that’s not enough for many, who aren’t even willing to negotiate.

“When I talk to players about the tournament, as soon as I mention it’s on clay, they shut the door. You don’t even get to make them a formal proposal,” Fillol told CLAY in this interview.

She admitted to liking players like Corentin Moutet, whom she compares to Nick Kyrgios and Marcelo Ríos. The Frenchman, who will return to the tournament she directs, was one of the standout players in last year’s edition thanks to his unorthodox game and provocative personality: “Players like him create a different kind of engagement. There’s a different audience that might take interest—not so much in tennis itself, but in the controversy these players bring.”

Interview with Catalina Fillol

How has the Chile Open and the South American swing been affected by the disappearance of the ATP 250 in Córdoba and the refusal to upgrade Buenos Aires to ATP 500? Dallas and Doha were given the upgrades instead, and these events clash on the calendar with the golden swing.

– Córdoba’s elimination weakens the swing, but at the same time, many players were complaining about the schedule being too heavy. They already have so many matches during the year, and that was one of the reasons why the ATP decided to shorten the calendar and cut some 250 tournaments. What really hits us hard, though, is the upgrade of February’s hard-court events to ATP 500. It hurts because, ultimately, it gives players yet another reason to choose hard courts before Indian Wells. In South America, with clay courts, it’s much harder to attract players, as they come from an important hard-court swing in Australia and are preparing for another big one in the United States. The upgrades to Dallas and Doha make it even tougher for us, especially when it comes to attracting the big names.

 

Ver esta publicación en Instagram

 

Una publicación compartida de CLAY (@claymagazine_)

What message did the tennis powers send with that decision? The strong nations became even stronger… What about the regions that genuinely need support?

– The task for the three remaining tournaments in the swing—Buenos Aires, Rio, and Santiago—is to make more noise. We need ATP representatives to come and see what we’re producing and to understand that they need to support the South American swing, to see the potential we have here with such a passionate tennis fanbase. One thing that impresses Europeans about South America is the energy in the stadiums, something they don’t have in many other countries. When I watch tournaments on TV with no spectators, it honestly breaks my heart because players enjoy performing in front of a crowd—they thrive on that energy we provide. The growth of the Chile Open has been exponential; just compare the first edition (2020) to what we’ll achieve in 2025. There’s growing interest from both sponsors and fans.

Have you spoken with Andrea Gaudenzi? Have you ever invited him to the tournament?

– No. Andrea Gaudenzi has never been to South America. This year, however, Eric Starelli, ATP’s vice president and representative for the Americas, will attend. He’ll evaluate what we’re doing here. The Santiago tournament is very well-positioned.

Why do you say that?

– The ATP invited all the tournament directors from the Americas to a workshop in Dallas last October. There were various presentations on what is being done, and I was asked to deliver two: one on how we use LED screens on the court and another on our sustainability initiatives. I presented in front of the directors of Indian Wells, Miami, and Cincinnati. If they’re praising us, it’s because we’re doing things right.

What’s your opinion of Gaudenzi and his role as ATP president?

+Clay  Nadal is owed something, but he may never get it

– Andrea takes a much more strategic approach to the calendar, sponsors, and business matters. He’s far more commercially driven than tennis-focused. He’s very attentive to what players are asking for. I think the big issue sometimes lies in the fact that not all players are aligned in what they want.

In what sense?

– Players have different opinions depending on their ranking. A player ranked 150th in the world wants higher prize money, better benefits, and reduced travel costs. A top-10 player will ask for something entirely different: a shorter calendar and fewer obligations to play 250 or 500 events. It’s a tough job for the board, which includes tournament directors and players. What a Masters 1000 tournament director fights for is very different from what a 250 director wants. It’s not an easy task. Andrea has to navigate a wide spectrum of people and interests.

 

 

Ver esta publicación en Instagram

 

Una publicación compartida por Movistar ChileOpen (@chileopen)

This year, Buenos Aires and Rio secured big names like Alexander Zverev, Holger Rune, and Lorenzo Musetti. What does the Chile Open need to do to capitalise on such strong players? Stars often head to North America after Rio. Acapulco is tough competition.

– Having a strong field at the Chile Open is a fundamental pillar for delivering a good spectacle. We’re very aware of that. We genuinely make the effort—we approach players, talk to their agents, and have gradually increased our budget to align more closely with Buenos Aires and Rio. It’s difficult to compete with what Acapulco or Dubai can offer, but we were in close talks with Rio to ensure our budgets were similar. Luiz Carvalho (Rio Open director) and I coordinated on this, but the big stars who play in Argentina and Brazil simply chose to switch to hard courts instead of staying on clay. From a tennis perspective, it’s understandable. Acapulco offers more ranking points, and it’s easier for players to compete on hard courts as preparation for Indian Wells.

Is there a solution?

– I’m not sure. We’ll continue inviting players. The budget needed to convince a European player to travel to South America is higher. In terms of entertainment and quality of tennis, we’ll deliver that. But we need to keep exploring how to convince players to join us in the future. Long-term agreements might help.

What’s the process for convincing a player to play the tournament?

– Together with Octagon, we start reaching out to players’ agents as early as April. Players don’t typically finalise their schedules that far in advance, but we begin discussions about the event and its potential. Later, I meet with them and their teams during my trips to Europe. I see them again at the US Open.

Who have you spoken with?

– Everyone who’s already playing in Buenos Aires and Rio. All of them. We ask about their interests. I’ve known many of the players for years. You don’t approach the player directly—you give them a nod, share a coffee, and talk about life. You want to build a different kind of relationship. Negotiations, though, happen with the agent or a family member.

In an interview with CLAY, Luiz Carvalho made a strong statement: “Players don’t listen to us, and their agents won’t even talk to us.” He pointed out that the surface is the main deterrent…

– That’s exactly it. I can sit down with them, talk about the tournament, and the moment I mention it’s on clay, they shut the door. You don’t even get the chance to make a formal proposal. We tried to convince Matteo Berrettini. The Chile Open is played at altitude, which he loves—nearly all his clay titles were won in high-altitude cities. But as soon as you mention “clay in February,” they say, “No, thank you.”

Now that Nicolás Massú is coaching Hubert Hurkacz, people have been asking us to bring Hurkacz. But he’s not a clay player—he’s all about hard courts. That doesn’t mean we won’t try to bring him in 2026 to experience his coach’s home country. Many players simply don’t like clay. Just look at the top 20, right?

The debate over the surface comes up every year.

– Rio and us are the ones pushing for the change. Buenos Aires isn’t interested in moving away from clay. It’s a change that would need approval from the ATP Board.

Carvalho pointed out the hypocrisy of players who don’t want to lose clay tournaments but don’t play them either.

+Clay  Carlos Alcaraz analyzed in depth by Juan Carlos Ferrero: "I don't agree with Roddick, but Carlos needs to grow tactically".

– That’s the reality we’re facing. We’re proposing to the ATP that we switch to hard courts to make it easier to attract players and open many doors, even though that doesn’t guarantee the big stars will come. Of course, other questions arise… Would South America really want to change its long-standing clay-court tradition? Would it benefit the region? Is Chile prepared for its juniors to start playing on hard courts? We must work toward improving the field—that’s the reality. If that pursuit requires switching to hard courts, then we’ll switch. But what if improving the field for the future means sticking with clay because South American players start climbing the rankings? We used to have several South Americans in the top 20. A current issue for us is that the entire top 20 prefers hard courts. Will that still be the case in 10 years? We don’t know. We must make every effort to create the best possible sporting event for Chile.

Joao Fonseca en el Chile Open 2024. La organización le ofreció un WC para 2025, pero el brasileño aún no la ha aceptado // CHILE OPEN
Joao Fonseca played  the 2024 Chile Open with a wild card. The organization invited him this year, but the Brazilian declined it // CHILE OPEN

– Did you invite Joao Fonseca this year?

– Yes, we offered him a wild card several weeks ago, but he declined it.

– And the other wild cards?

– Local players Cristián Garín and Tomás Barrios are priority.

– In 2024, the conditions of the court caused many problems, and that was what made international headlines. What have you done to ensure the court is in optimal condition?

We took the comments we received about the court very seriously, and something we were able to reverse during the week to finish the tournament well. But it’s something that clearly cannot be repeated. We need to arrive with the courts in good condition, which is why we’ve been working on the competition and training courts for months now. This year, we held two M15 tournaments at San Carlos de Apoquindo (the venue that hosts the Chile Open) to test them and see where we need to make small adjustments. That helped us a lot in educating the court staff and better reading the courts. There is a team that works specifically on maintaining them. Additionally, someone from the ATP will come in early February to supervise them. Last year, we invested a lot of money in redoing the court and hiring a team, and in the end, when the date arrived, they were not ready.

 

Ver esta publicación en Instagram

 

Una publicación compartida de CLAY (@claymagazine_)

– There was more chaos, like when the Frenchman Corentin Moutet beat Nicolás Jarry and was then booed. Things were said at the net. Later, the crowd didn’t want to let him speak during the on-court interview. How do you feel when these situations occur that, in a way, spice up the show?

Just like Nick Kyrgios or Marcelo ‘Chino’ Ríos, Moutet is a player who breaks the mold and shouldn’t be viewed negatively. His talent, results, and diversity are what make them an asset. Diversity is important in tennis, just as it is in our society. These are figures who bring about change and provide topics for discussion. There are other players who don’t manage to do that, who don’t dare to. These players speak their minds. They are disruptive tennis players who are needed and create a different kind of attraction. Later, Nico had to play Moutet again in France, and the crowd was eager to see that match, to see what would happen. That generates a different kind of engagement. There is another audience that might be interested, one that may not like tennis so much, but is drawn to controversy. We shouldn’t silence those figures; we need to listen to them and understand them.

– What needs to happen for more women to be seen in tennis? Even in the WTA, there are few female coaches, fitness trainers, or tournament directors.

It all comes down to personal interests. In my case, tennis is something natural, it’s what I’ve lived all my life. Being here is related to my career and the support from the team that has helped me throughout the years. For there to be more women in these roles, women need to invest in tennis from the beginning, and not wait for someone else to do it.

 

If you enjoyed this interview with Catalina Fillol, don’t miss many more interviews with the great protagonists of tennis on this link to our website.

[ CLAY is read for free. But if you can, please make a contribution here so we can keep writting great #TennisTales around the world. It’s very easy and quick – thank you! ]

Tags:

Get the best stories in your inbox

Tennis Tales

Find us:

© 2024 Copyrights by Clay Tennis. All Rights Reserved.