‘Not about public support.’ Charlotte reacts to Western and Southern Open’s announcement

Local government and business leaders expressed disappointment Tuesday about news that the Western and Southern Open will not relocate to Charlotte.

The decision by Beemok Capital to keep the major tennis tournament in its current home in Ohio likely spells the end of “Project Breakpoint,” a proposal for a sprawling tennis complex in Charlotte’s River District that would have received tens of millions of dollars in public funding.

“If there’s no tournament, we don’t need a complex that big,” Charlotte City Councilman Malcolm Graham said. “It’s not like we can go out and get another (tournament) of that size ... And so, obviously, those decisions are gonna be made, but I don’t see a path forward with building a facility without a corresponding tournament to go with it.”

Graham, who’d been a leading advocate for the plan, said he was “extremely disappointed” by Tuesday’s news.

“The city, the region did everything that was requested of us to do if we were interested in luring the tournament to Charlotte,” he said.

In a statement, the city of Charlotte said rising construction costs affected Charlotte’s chances of landing the tournament.

“We are disappointed that we didn’t have this tournament relocate to Charlotte,” the city said in its statement. “We want to thank all our partners including Charlotte City Council, all of the city departments who worked on this as well as Mecklenburg County, the state and our state legislators, Crescent Communities and everyone in the community who worked very hard on this opportunity. Ultimately this was not about the public support in Charlotte but reflects current economics. According to a letter received from Beemok, their ‘decision to stay was multifaceted, but the consistent escalation of costs to construct a facility of this scale proved to be too much.’”

Charlotte’s business community also reacted to the news, including Charlotte Regional Business Alliance chief advocacy officer Joe Bost.

“Economic development is a team sport, and we have the benefit of having some of the best teammates across the city, county, and state who came together to pursue this tremendous opportunity,” he said. “We are thankful for the collective effort to try to bring this tournament to our community and remain optimistic about future investments.”

What did Beemok say about its decision?

In a statement announcing Beemok’s decision, the company’s founder, Ben Navarro, also offered praise to Charlotte leaders.

“The leaders in Charlotte and the state have been incredible partners as we’ve evaluated our options. This was a very difficult decision, and we are deeply appreciative of the time, energy and resources that were invested alongside us,” he said. “We have strong ties to the area and will look for ways to invest in the community and local tennis development in the future.”

Navarro also said the Cincinnati, Ohio, area’s “passion and commitment … to keep the tournament here was an undeniable factor in our decision to stay.”

“The city of Mason, Warren County, the state of Ohio and multiple corporate entities demonstrated their unwavering support for the tennis tournament. This tournament and its history are special,” he said. “We’re excited to add to its legacy and create a world-class tennis experience for players and fans.”