This represents a far more positive utterance following recent criticism of preparations for the Olympic tennis competition from the ITF.

Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes claimed in April that the ITF was making unacceptable demands for a 20,000 capacity centre court, when initial plans were for a 10,000 seater venue.

ITF President Francesco Ricci Bitti swiftly hit back, calling this "inaccurate and unfair" and said the governing body had never requested the capacity to be changed.

But, after visiting Rio de Janeiro to see the construction progress and meet with Games organisers, Margets stressed there was still plenty of work to be done but that "overall it was very positive"

He believes the largest purpose-built, permanent tennis venue in Brazil will be in a position to stage major events on both the male and female professional tours after the Games. 

"We took the legacy very seriously from the first discussions about this venue," the official told Rio 2016's official website.

"It was important that this facility could host major tour events if one day the circumstances arise.

"It will be in a position to stage ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) 500 events and the women's equivalents.

"And it has the potential, without major structural modifications, to eventually go up to an ATP 1000 or WTA (Women's Tennis Association) tier one event, which is extremely important for a region with a strong tradition of tennis, like South America.

"Along with Parque Roca in Buenos Aires, it will be the major tennis facility on the continent."

Tennis will take place on the main Olympic Park cluster at Barra da Tijuca, pictured in May 2013 ©LatinContentWO/Getty Images



Margets also highlighted the benefits of having the Centre in the Barra Olympic Park, the largest venue cluster, unlike with Wimbledon during the London 2012 Olympics.

"Wimbledon was a no-brainer, but our athletes did not have the experience of being in a multi-sport cluster and they were far away from the Village," he said.

"The plus was to have the Olympics in the most recognisable tennis venue in the world, but we missed being together and here we are in a privileged position at the entrance of the Barra Olympic Park.

"That's very good for us."

As well as the showpiece centre court, the Centre will comprise of court one, a temporary structure with 5,000 seats, and court two, which will have 3,000 temporary seats but whose court will remain after the Games.

There will also be seven outside competition courts, each with 250 temporary seats, plus six practice and warm-up courts.

During the Paralympic Games, the venue will host wheelchair tennis and five-a-side football.

After the Games, the centre court and seven other courts will form part of the Olympic Training Centre, a cutting-edge base for high-performance athletes in a variety of sports that will be unprecedented in South America.

Brazil's Gustavo Kuerten, three-time winner of the French Open, believes the Olympic Tennis Centre can have a "game-changing" legacy ©Getty Images









Brazilian Gustavo Kuerten, meanwhile, a former world number one and three-time French Open champion, believes the new complex will usher in a new age for tennis in the country.

"The legacy can be game-changing," Kuerten, who played at Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004 and is a member of the Rio 2016 Sport Advisory Committee, said.

"That's both in terms of the impact it will have on enthusiasm for tennis and in physical terms, because the Olympic Tennis Centre will serve as a flagship training centre and a home for competitions that up to now have not been staged in Brazil.

"As well as giving confidence that the venue will be delivered on schedule, seeing the stadium take shape inspires excitement, allowing us to visualise the matches that will be played there and bringing the Olympic dream closer to us.

"Every day the excitement builds even more."

Work on the Centre, which is being coordinated by the Rio Municipal Government, is due to finish in the last quarter of 2015, in time for the tennis test event in December 2015.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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