Case | HBS Case Collection | September 2017 (Revised November 2017)

The ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament

by Anita Elberse and Saskia Van Rheenen

Abstract

Should the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament gamble most of its player budget on superstar player Rafael Nadal, even after the event’s previous two editions saw Nadal and Roger Federer pull out at the last moment due to injury, leaving the tournament without any top-five players? That is the question that Richard Krajicek, former Wimbledon champion and current tournament director, is debating with Jolanda Jansen, the director of the venue that hosts the event. It is June 2017, and earlier in the day, Nadal won the French Open (“Roland Garros”) for a record tenth time. Krajicek’s plan for the upcoming edition was to focus his recruiting efforts on five exciting, mostly younger, players, and assemble a group of top-20 players around them—but after Nadal’s record-breaking performance, Krajicek is now considering pursuing the Spanish superstar for the 2018 tournament after all. What is the best course of action?

Keywords: marketing; entertainment; media; Sports; superstar; Talent; strategy; negotiation; general management; Marketing; Sports; Media; Entertainment; Talent and Talent Management; Negotiation; Strategy; Sports Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Media and Broadcasting Industry;

Language: English Format: Print 24 pages EducatorsPurchase

Citation:

Elberse, Anita, and Saskia Van Rheenen. "The ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament." Harvard Business School Case 518-041, September 2017. (Revised November 2017.)

Related Work

  1. Case | HBS Case Collection | September 2017 (Revised November 2017)

    The ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament

    Anita Elberse and Saskia Van Rheenen

    Should the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament gamble most of its player budget on superstar player Rafael Nadal, even after the event’s previous two editions saw Nadal and Roger Federer pull out at the last moment due to injury, leaving the tournament without any top-five players? That is the question that Richard Krajicek, former Wimbledon champion and current tournament director, is debating with Jolanda Jansen, the director of the venue that hosts the event. It is June 2017, and earlier in the day, Nadal won the French Open (“Roland Garros”) for a record tenth time. Krajicek’s plan for the upcoming edition was to focus his recruiting efforts on five exciting, mostly younger, players, and assemble a group of top-20 players around them—but after Nadal’s record-breaking performance, Krajicek is now considering pursuing the Spanish superstar for the 2018 tournament after all. What is the best course of action?

    Keywords: marketing; entertainment; media; Sports; superstar; Talent; strategy; negotiation; general management; Marketing; Sports; Media; Entertainment; Talent and Talent Management; Negotiation; Strategy; Sports Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Media and Broadcasting Industry;

    Citation:

    Elberse, Anita, and Saskia Van Rheenen. "The ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament." Harvard Business School Case 518-041, September 2017. (Revised November 2017.)  View Details
    CiteView DetailsEducatorsPurchase Related

About the Author

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Anita Elberse
Lincoln Filene Professor of Business Administration
Marketing

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