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ATP Dusseldorf Open dropped due to lack of sponsorship

Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany in action in his match against Novak Djokovic of Serbia during day five of the ATP Rome Masters
Image: Philipp Kohlschreiber: Ended a two-year title drought with victory in Dusseldorf in May

The Dusseldorf Open has been dropped from the ATP schedule after organisers failed to attract a title sponsor.

Tournament director Dietloff von Arnim announced that it made "no sense" to continue with the event, which was won by home favourite Philipp Kohlschreiber in May.

We have spoken to many, but nobody wanted to be the title sponsor. Under these circumstances, a continuation of the tournament simply made no sense.
Dietloff von Arnim

The event started as the ATP World Team Cup in 1978 and was played annually for 34 years before becoming an individual tournament in 2013.

Juan Monaco won the inaugural edition before Kohlschreiber captured his seventh career title this year, but Von Arnim has now confirmed the demise of the tournament.

He said: "We have spoken to many, but nobody wanted to be the title sponsor. Under these circumstances, a continuation of the tournament simply made no sense.

"It is a pity. The World Team Cup tournament and the subsequent events were always beautiful."

Von Arnim added that he hoped the tournament would be revived in the future, while German tennis officials are considering launching a new event at the North Rhine-Westphalian venue.

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Germany and the USA each won the World Team Cup five times each before the tournament was transformed into an ATP 250 event last year.

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