Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Kelly Walker: Welcome to this episode of Hustle and Pro. I'm Kelly Walker and I didn't have this topic of today's episode in mind originally, but last Saturday I went to the opening sessions of the Dallas Open ATP 500 tennis tournament here in Frisco and I was totally drawn in. And from then on it's been nine days of tennis that I've stopped by and watched matches. I've watched them on tv, I've watched live scoring on my phone. And so I thought I want to share that with you guys and show you and talk to you a little bit about what this Dallas Open tennis tournament looked like in Frisco.
First off, if you are only listening to the audio, not watching on YouTube, consider switching and going and finding this episode on YouTube so you can see the visuals. Because I want to talk. I want to show you the transformation that Ford center at the Star made from Cowboys Football indoor football practice facility to this tennis tournament. That plus a lot of awesome pictures courtesy of the Dallas Open and some footage from some tennis matches. Amazing if you're listening, but even better if you're watching on YouTube, I'm going to read you a little bit from Yvonne Brown's article on visit frisco.com Yvonne is one of my friends and a big tennis fan and so we asked her to help write and cover some of what what it means for the Dallas Open to even come to Frisco for the first time. So here is a little bit from her writing about this tournament.
So for a city of its size, Frisco is winning some of the battles and competing for sports events on the Grand Stage. From February 1st through 9th, 2025, we will proudly host the Dallas Open for the first time. The tournament was originally held in New York. It relocated to Dallas in 2022 where it played at SMU for three years. Its ranking got an upgrade. Previously it was a 250 ATP ranked tournament. ATP is association of Tennis Professionals and it's now being elevated to the 500 level. It means that the international tennis of this scale arrives in Frisco for the first time. It signifies a more prestigious event, larger prize pool, more ranking points awarded to the winners and bigger names will be attracted. The event, which requires a bigger venue as Sports City usa Frisco is ready and waiting to host at Ford center at the Star, a joint venture arrangement between the Dallas Cowboys and GF Entertainment. The facility houses a seating capacity of approximately 6,000 spectators, more court space and a facility that can deliver an all around professional and memorable fan experience.
So just a Note on that 6,000 spectators.
Ford center can hold 12, but with the configuration of the grandstands and the audience along the east side here, it's 6,000 for this tennis tournament. Okay, back to the article.
Known as the world headquarters, home and practice facility of the Dallas Cowboys, Ford center was always meant to be a multi sport facility, a vision and a goal from the start.
Tournament directors describe the move to Frisco and future plans as this event is not just a one and done event, it's a five year relationship in partnership with the Dallas Cowboys to host at the Star and the goal is to build the event and experience to be the best 500 event in the world.
So the Dallas Open will be the only ATP Indoor Championship in the US Featuring top ranked tennis stars in singles and doubles. And this is a men's tournament. By the way, Frisco was selected from 17 other worldwide cities for the upgrade. For context, we were in the running with the likes of Rio de Janeiro, Hamburg, London, Munich, Dubai and Tokyo, just to name a few.
So John Isner, a former top 10 international player and now a North Texas resident, was instrumental in bringing the tournament to Dallas and to Frisco. He's the current chairman of the Advisory board for the Dallas Open and is excited about the future of tennis in this region. Early originally from North Carolina, he now resides in Dallas with his family. The appetite for tennis in North Texas is exciting according to Isner, who emphasizes that professional tennis needs to return to Dallas. Ticket sales have always been strong and now even more people will have the chance to experience this great sport live, providing providing a fantastic showcase for both the sport and the cities. He recalls his 18 years touring the world playing professional tennis mainly around Grand Slams and agrees that the experiences can be fantastic for visitors. This unique venue will allow people to be close to the athletes, enhancing the overall fan experience.
The Dallas Open features players representing 20 countries bringing an international flavor to the event. Notably, Casper Ruud was one of the top European international players announced to compete, providing an excellent exposure for brands and showcasing Frisco and Dallas. Viewers will also be tuning in from 180 countries around the world. Board center at the Star, which houses the venue, offers ultimate convenience given the location of the attached Omni Frisco Hotel at the Star for easy transition of players to the tournament. And since the practice courts are in the venue, no additional travel is required. Excellent restaurants, entertainment and amenities are on its doorstep in the Star entertainment area.
Okay, here's some more info from Yvonne's second article on visit frisco.com Once we had media day and learned about some of the player field announcements and some of the other details expected, she wrote this which is I think some of this is really great interesting info about like what to expect and the fan experience so Ford center was thoughtfully designed as a premier multi sport facility accommodating a variety of athletic events. With seating capacity for the Dallas open of approximately 6,000, the venue offers an intimate and immersive atmosphere for fans.
There's two full sized match courts, a center court and a grandstand court that create exciting arena for competitions and four practice courts for training and preparation. So a lavish three story VIP experience which offered unparalleled views and comfort and exclusive areas that included 192 four seat luxury boxes elegantly arranged around the court perfect for entertaining guests while enjoying the action.
Two rows of 120 Premium seats with fantastic vantage points out in the plaza. A tented area is open to the public as the fan activation zone and everybody can engage with tennis and its partners and visitors can participate in free tennis themed interactive events including Fastball and Fast serve challenges where fans can immerse themselves in the sport and enjoy the lively atmosphere. There's also a DJ booth, the Peroni Beer Garden, MOA Champagne entertainment space and a wine bar where you can enjoy specialty curated tennis themed cocktails and the aptly named Match Point and Topspin drinks. There's nine days of programming and activities to attract a younger demographic, foster their interest in tennis and help build the future tennis fans and players.
So we mentioned earlier some of the top players being in the field and when they were announced we found out that of course defending champion Tommy Paul would be here and Francis Tiafo ranked world number 17 is here, Taylor Fritz world number four, Ben Shelton world number 21 and players from 13 different countries are here competing which is just amazing. Like from a personal note seeing like number four ranked player in the world play and practice and be here and walk around the Ford center and talk to fans, it's a pretty unique and amazing experience. That's why I was saying on the first day, the first session I was pulled in immediately. Even though it was qualifiers and these giant names weren't playing, they were practicing and they were there and they were walking around and signing autographs and taking pictures and so. So the access to these world renowned players was pretty incredible. So it actually had me coming back for more and more sessions just to see more once they were starting to play, see more of the action and see these guys Close up.
There's so much more information in Yvonne's articles and at the Dallas Open websites. And I encourage you to go watch the Dallas Open Tennis Instagram for so much more footage. Really cool action. If you're in Frisco or anywhere in the Metroplex and you didn't know this was happening, make note, because it's going to be happening here.
Put it on your calendar, even if you're not yet a tennis fan. I had never once been to a tennis tournament like this. I played tennis in high school, but that's lifetimes ago. And so being in an environment like this with top tenant talent in the world there playing was incredible. So put it on your calendar and we'll see you in 2026.
Okay. Last but not least, I wanted to leave you with some interviews from players. These postmatch interviews. This footage is from Tony Fey PR in the Dallas Open. I am used to doing this for baseball and for. For soccer, but I hadn't ever done like a press scrum or press conference for tennis before, so I was nervous and I didn't really get involved. I asked one measly little question once, but I thought I would at least share some snippets with you guys so you can hear from the players themselves. Enjoy.
[00:09:46] Interviewer: Congratulations on an epic week. What's one word to sum it all up?
Denis Shapovalov: Unbelievable. The way Rafa would say it. Unbelievable. No, definitely an unbelievable week. It's just. Yeah, it's just incredible. The work and the fight that I've been able to put out day in and day out has been great and just super happy right now. Obviously a little bit speechless as well. It's been a crazy week for me. Everything's starting to kind of hit all the emotions, so it's just. Yeah, it's a lot to process.
[00:10:27] Interviewer: How does this win boost your confidence going forward?
[00:10:31] Frances Tiafoe: Yeah, I mean, I want to say I'm pretty confident, dude. It always feels good to get it, to get a couple wins, especially, you know, especially after a tough, tough start in spread. So this is definitely big and sometimes nice. Instead of maybe going out there, win 1 and 2, 1 and 3. You know, you have a tough match with your feet, what I'm for, and stuff like that. So hopefully, hopefully this translates to the next rounds in the next days.
[00:10:55] Kelly Walker: That crowd out there today for a day session was good. Did you. Did you feel those fans out there and those critical moments for you?
[00:11:01] Yoshihito Nishioka: Well, most of the people cheer on Tiafoe, so. But some Japanese fans here as well since yesterday. And then they came yesterday as well. But of course, of course he's a hometown hero. And then many fans in us for sure. I knew it. So it's. But it's very usual for us, you know, sometimes going to parties, even Italy or sometimes if I play in Japan, you know, home players can be support from the many fans. So it's very sorry for that. I think we playing a very good tennis today and I think they will really enjoy the moment.
[00:11:48] Speaker A: Thanks for joining us for this episode of Hustle and Pro. Subscribe on YouTube and check us out on Instagram and we'll see you next episode.
