Bob Moran Interview: Charleston Open Tournament Director on Developing Tennis Locally, Fan Experience, & Doubles

This is an interview with Bob Moran, the tournament director for one of the most successful tournaments on the WTA Tour, the Charleston Open.

We talk about what makes the tournament special, the fan experience, the player field, and how to grow your local tennis community.

We had this conversation only two weeks before the Charleston Open so you’ll get to hear how a TD prepares leading up to a tournament, as well as how seriously he takes the fan experience (all kids get free admission!), and what we can do to make doubles more popular.

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Interview Notes from this Podcast

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• Follow the Charleston Open: Twitter | Instagram
• Why the Charleston Open is Special
  • Bob believes that players coming from Indian Wells and the Miami Open come to Charleston and see it as a much more relaxing environment.
  • Additionally, Charleston is an exciting city, the venue is great, and fans have a lot of access to the players.
  • Bob also makes sure that there are lots of activities like live music, serve speed booths, pickleball, and more alongside the great food and beverages.
• Singles & Doubles Fields
  • Bob finds it important to stay in touch with players throughout the year and foster a good relationship to help grow the game and the tournament.
  • Links to the current player fields and past champions are available below:
    • Main Draw Player Field
    • Past Champions
  • Read: Hanlon’s conversation with Bob
• Preparation and Building Community
  • Right now, Bob and his team are working on a lot of small things to make sure the tournament will run smoothly, especially after all of the recent renovations.
  • For building community, Bob thinks it is important for the ownership to be committed to all levels of tennis, to let kids play/watch for free/cheap, to be involved in the area, and to value collegiate tennis.
  • Related Podcast: Tennis.com Podcast 3/29/22: Charleston Open Tournament Director Bob Moran