Tournament Director Lars Graff: The Man Bringing it All Together

Carlos Alcaraz has played tennis all over the world. Beijing left a different kind of impression.

When the Spanish star most recently played at the China Open, he told tournament director Lars Graff that he took more pictures and signed more autographs here than at any tournament, including a Grand Slam.

Graff remembers that comment because it speaks to what he believes makes the China Open work, what makes the China Open special.

“I think the most important thing for the tournament, and what I like most, is the energy from the spectators, the energy from the fans,” Graff said. “People are buying souvenirs. They are extremely enthusiastic.”

That energy is part of what Graff — the key man behind the scenes, the man responsible for making the China Open happen, the Tournament Director — wants to build every year when the biggest tournament in Asia lands in Beijing.

"Chinese people love tennis,” said seven-time China Open champion Novak Djokovic. "They love their racquet sports. We know that."

As September turns to October and China’s Golden Week begins, the tournament brings the world’s best men’s and women’s players together with hundreds of thousands of fans for two weeks of high-stakes tennis.

Creating that experience takes months of planning, thousands of details and a tournament director responsible for making sure it all comes together when the first ball is struck.

"The facilities that China has for tennis, I think no other country really has it in terms of volume,” Djokovic said. "From Chengdu to other tournaments, I can see the center courts that other continents can dream of. It's quite impressive.

"I think sometimes people take that for granted who come here. I want to really give you the flowers that you deserve and the credit that you deserve. It's amazing that China as a country wants to invest in our sport. Of course as a tennis player I feel privileged really to be part of this kind of event.”

For Graff, his work for the next year’s tournament starts immediately after the current one concludes. 

“As soon as this tournament is finished, I go to the ATP Finals in Turin,” Graff said of the season-ending tournament. “I will speak to all the players in Turin, including Alcaraz, that we would love to have back here, and talk to them there.”

Graff’s ties to the China Open tournament date back more than two decades. He has served in a multitude of supervisory roles and worked as a gold badge chair umpire during matches before taking over as tournament director in 2019.

Growing up in Sweden, where tennis was booming in popularity, Graff said his passion for the sport was sparked at a young age.

“I started as a tennis player myself,” Graff said. “I played junior tennis in Sweden, and it was on a decent level.”

That experience gave him an appreciation for what players need on the court. His role now is to think beyond it — to consider what players, fans and the tournament itself need to keep moving forward and deliver a premium product year after year.

Graff believes it starts with the fans. When the fanfare is the priority, he said, more players want to come, which leads to more sponsorship opportunities and greater revenue for the tournament.

With hundreds of thousands of passionate fans attending the China Open each year, Graff said it is imperative that the tournament make the experience as easy and enjoyable as possible.

“We don't want to restrict the fans,” Graff said. “We want to help them. We don’t want any fan to be injured or hurt because there are too many fans. We want the fans to get as many pictures, as many autographs, as much interaction with the players as possible without stepping over the limit.”

That balance — giving fans more while creating an environment players want to return to — is part of Graff’s larger vision for the tournament. He hopes to continue improving the world-class facilities and eventually build a newer, enclosed center court that would allow the China Open to attract even more fans and players.

“We have very, very high ambitions,” Graff said. “We strive for perfection. We want to be the best tournament. We want to be a bigger tournament.”

By Pranav Sriraman