CHENNAI, Jan 3: Organisers of the ATP Chennai Open tennis tournament starting on Monday have hired a cricket security expert to look after the safety of players during the week-long event.

Reg Dickason, who supervised security arrangements during England’s Test series in India last month in the wake of the Mumbai attacks, was also roped in for the 450,000-dollar tennis season-opener.

“Security for cricket was enhanced because of the huge spectator support and also because of the large number of entry and exit points,” the Australia-based Dickason said on Saturday.

“The security initiatives for the tennis are a bit different, but they have been addressed. I am here to give the players basic security advice. It is the same for both foreign and Indian players.”

Tournament organiser Ravi Krishnan, however, stressed that no player had expressed security concerns in the southern city where the first cricket Test between England and India was held.

“We took extra precaution because of the environment we live in today,” said Krishnan. “We have been in regular touch with the ATP and players since the Mumbai attacks.

“The ATP agreed that we have additional security arrangements because it will satisfy the players on the tour.”

The 32-man field for the tournament, now in its 14th year, will be led by world number five Nikolay Davydenko of Russia and number 13 Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland.

Davydenko, who lost to Serbia’s Novak Djokovic in the final of the Masters Cup in Shanghai in November, plays in Chennai after taking part in this week’s Abu Dhabi invitation tournament.

Others in the fray in India’s biggest tennis event are the Croatian duo of Marin Cilic and Ivo Karlovic, besides Spanish veteran Carlos Moya, who won the title in 2005 and 2006.

Russian Mikhail Youzhny won the tournament last year defeating current world number one Rafael Nadal in the final.

Nadal will not return to Chennai this year, preferring to take part in the Doha event being held at the same time.

Seedings:

1 Nikolay Davydenko (Russia); 2 Stanislas Wawrinka (Switzerland); 3 Marin Cilic (Croatia); 4 Ivo Karlovic (Croatia); 5 Rainer Schuettler (Germany); 6 Carlos Moya (Spain); 7 Janko Tipsarevic (Serbia); 8 Marcel Granollers (Spain).—AFP