Sponsors Farmers Insurance Group and Mercedes-Benz sign up for a vital three-year contract to fund Farmers Classic

With a new decade comes some changes for the ATP World Tour event that rolls through the UCLA campus every summer, along with a new feeling of hope.

The obvious change is the name. Last year’s event was simply the Los Angeles Tennis Open; this year it’s the Farmers Classic.

Sponsors dominate the professional tennis circuit. These days, corporate logos are ubiquitous. Players make a living off of sponsorships, and so do the tournaments. The four Grand Slams don’t have to worry about making money, but many other tour events do.

That’s why tournament director Bob Kramer called the acquisition of a title sponsor “the difference between survival and expansion.”

By all accounts, 2009 wasn’t the most successful year for the tournament. With the economy at a low, organizers failed to secure a top-ranked player to headline the field and in turn, attendance dropped.

“Another year like 2009, because of the economy ““ if that had repeated this year and next, it might have brought the curtain down on us,” Kramer said.

But 2010 promises to be different. Despite the disappointing year, organizers worked immediately following the conclusion of 2009’s tournament to revamp the event and secure a headliner for the field.

The list of past winners of what’s now known as the Farmers Classic reads like a record book of men’s tennis. The likes of Rod Laver, Arthur Ashe, Jimmy Connors, Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras all have wowed the crowd at UCLA and had immense success in Grand Slams. That’s why it was important for Kramer and his team to secure big names, which they were able to do: both Novak Djokovic and Juan Martin del Potro made commitments to the 2010 tournament, immediately creating a lot of excitement.

“We can put on a great show, but without those kinds of players, it’s sort of like a circle,” Kramer said. “Without players, it’s hard to attract sponsors; without sponsors, it’s hard to pay for players.”

And immediately after the high-profile players committed, the sponsors indeed followed. Farmers Insurance Group stepped up from presenting sponsor to title sponsor, while Mercedes-Benz ““ long the official car of the tournament ““ made the jump to presenting sponsor. Most importantly, each signed on for the next three years.

Djokovic and del Potro may have dropped out at the last minute ““ Djokovic citing personal reasons and del Potro nursing a hurt wrist ““ but the three-year commitment from the sponsors is undoubtedly a victory for fans wanting to see quality tennis continue to be played in Los Angeles.

“I think based on the timing and the economy, the dollars that we used to get aren’t possible,” Kramer said. “But I can say that the sponsorship that (Farmers and Mercedes-Benz) are going to provide this year, next year and the following year will get us back to a sustainable level, which is vital.”

This year also comes with an added dimension: two concerts bookending the tournament, one featuring Keith Urban and the other headlined by Bret Michaels. The jump in interest has been huge according to Kramer, who expects as many as 10,000 added fans this year.

The two concerts, in addition to the marquee exhibition between Andre Agassi and John McEnroe, make for three events that Kramer said would give the tournament enough of a “critical mass” to continue to be viable.

“All of those things attract new media partners, new radio partners, better broadcasts, etcetera. It seems like it’s allowed us to be back again.”

Looking to the future, it appears better times are indeed ahead for the tournament. Next year’s installment already has a headlining name in del Potro, who made an early commitment once he dropped out this year, and has secured sponsorship ““ something Kramer couldn’t say at the end of last year’s tournament.

“I’m looking forward to having (this year) be a year where we created some new entertainment, additional revenue opportunities and new corporate sponsors that are not only sponsoring the tournament but also the special events,” the director said. “The tournament profile is going to be so much higher.”