The ATP World Tour Finals, which start in London on Sunday, will remain in the capital until 2018, it was confirmed on Thursday.
At the official reception at City Hall to greet the leading eight players in the world, the ATP chief executive, Chris Kermode, welcomed the move as a logical extension of the success of the tournament at the O2 Arena in Greenwich over the past six years.
The alternatives were taking the event to Asia, where it has been held before – in Shanghai – or Europe, but the economic imperatives for keeping it in London were overwhelming.
With two sellout sessions every day for a week in a setting that holds 20,000 spectators, the discussion on where it should be held were brief – and that despite the pending cessation of Barclays’ long-running contract.
“We are delighted to have reached an agreement which will see the tournament celebrate its 10th successive year in London in 2018,” said Kermode.
“The tournament has been a spectacular success since moving to the O2 in 2009, generating record crowds, incredible atmospheres and a soaring worldwide TV audience which broke the 100 million mark for the first time last year.”
