The economic ups and downs of running ATP events

LOS ANGELES: Running a tennis tournament has become an increasingly delicate balancing act because of the global economic crisis and LA Open director Bob Kramer experienced both the highs and the lows at last week's event.

A permanent fixture on the Los Angeles sporting landscape since 1927, the ATP World Tour event boasts a star-studded list of former champions including Rod Laver, Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, Stefan Edberg, Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi.

Last week's edition, however, failed to attract a single player ranked in the world's top 20 and the long-running men's event took place on the UCLA campus without a title sponsor.