RAYMOND MOORE: “Every single session from the very first day of the first round of the women's we had increased spectators over last year, every single session. I kept looking, I was thinking are we going to find one session? (Saturday) was very close, because, you know, you only have one court going. A sellout is a sellout.

“We were only like 100 or 200 seats more than yesterday than in 2007, but every single session we've had increased spectators. And I think, you know, everything aligned. We had great matches. I mean, just phenomenal tennis matches this week.

“Personally, I think the surface has been a slow surface, and outdoors lends itself to that kind of tennis.”

Q. Last year at this time there was quite a bit of discussion about the demands that would be put upon you by mandatory events for the women and upping the prize money for that and everything. What's the status on that?

CHARLIE PASARELL: “Well, you're correct. We're having to come up with in excess of, what is it?”

RAYMOND MOORE: “There's going to be $9 million prize money next year, and 5.8 this year.”

CHARLIE PASARELL: “$3.2 million from one year to another, that's a big chunk to absorb, but we're working hard at it. We're looking hard at it, essentially having truly, truly a major event with $9 million in prize money and four-and-a-half for the men and four-and-a-half for the women.”

Q. You're on track for that and comfortable with that?

RAYMOND MOORE: “I wouldn't say we're comfortable. I think we took a big gulp. But what was important to us was to have equal prize money, and so that principle of equal prize money, having the men and women equal, having equal conditions, required play by the women as is the case for the men, that's important to us.

“We have to work and we have been working at closing that financial gap and being able to afford a big bump in prize money.”

Q. Clearly though it has to work both ways, doesn't it? I mean, if you're going to pay everybody the same and expect the same response from them in return, everyone shows.

RAYMOND MOORE: “Exactly. … It's a quid pro quo. That's exactly what we're expecting.”

Q. Can you guys make the nut with that kind of (commitment), $9 million?

CHARLIE PASARELL: “We missed out charging the press admission. Just kidding.” (laughter.)

Q. That wasn't funny. (laughter.)

CHARLIE PASARELL: “Just kidding.”

RAYMOND MOORE: “As I said, it's not an easy thing, not an easy thing to do. But what we have been able to do - we've gotten a little bit better - is we sent out invitations six months ago to a whole host of new sponsors, all of which we've been wining and dining and have brought to the tournament, new sponsors, new money into tennis, we hope.

“We've had an absolutely terrific response from these new sponsors, and if we land them, that's going to help us close the financial gap.

“What has helped has been the great tennis, and these people, new sponsors into the game. I've been taking them down to the front row in the stadium and other courts, and they're just in awe of the athletes and the standard of tennis, and that can only be positive for us.

“We don't have it yet. Oh, God we don't have the money in the bank yet, but we certainly hope in the next 60, 90 days to secure new sponsorship.”

Q. Charlie, you're influential in the overall world picture for tournaments. This … series, would the other tournaments be able to come up with the $9 million, or are they all looking for new sponsors, too?

CHARLIE PASARELL: “They're in the same boat we're in. It is really a bet, you know, into what we think, you know, would be growth in the sport.

“The truth of the matter is that we are experiencing tremendous amount of growth, certainly in attendance and ticket revenues. I'm talking all the tournaments, in television and television revenues.

“So, you know, I think the sponsorships lag behind that, but I think that they will come. So, yeah, you know, they're in no different position than we're in.”

Q. Is tennis becoming easier to sell to people now? Is there a sense that it's a very vibrant sport and that perhaps it undersells itself in certain respects, but for you to have that as a tool to sell, it's easier now than perhaps it was five, ten years ago?

RAYMOND MOORE: “You know, for me, I still don't understand -- we are experiencing increased attendance for the live matches, as I think are all the other tournaments in North America and the world. But at the same time you're having that, you're having declining TV ratings.

“I don't know. I don't know. I just find it hard to understand, although all sports in the United States, with the single exception of the NFL, are seeing declining TV ratings. But, you know, for the life of me, I just don't understand it.”

CHARLIE PASARELL: “Yeah, actually, I think the declining TV ratings is mostly in the U.S. I think in Europe we're doing fine. I think in some countries we're doing terrifically well, and of course it depends. In Spain if you've got Nadal, you're going to have great TV ratings.
If we've got Murray in England you're going to have great TV ratings. But just by and large, I think that, you know, I think we've got to still have an issue here in America, particularly in the month of March, because we're having to fight March Madness.

“But just to kind of go into a little bit of what Raymond was talking about … college basketball is still the prominent sport in March. But if you look around and you look at tennis, I mean, tennis certainly I think just gets a bum rap of what it really is.

“Just between Miami and Indian Wells those four weeks, which is about 24 days of tennis, I mean, we will draw in excess of 600,000 fans. Just think about it for a moment. How many college basketball games have to be sold out to bring 600,000 live spectators? The average arena is 15,000. That's 40 college basketball games to do that. So I don't know too many other sports that are really kind of doing that today outside of college basketball in the month of March. I just think that we just have to toot our horn a little louder and better, you know.

“That's what we're attempting to do, and hopefully -- you know, I think it will come. I think tennis will get its deserved place here in America as far as a sport.”

More to come ...

-- Jim Alexander
jalexander@PE.com