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Bjorn Borg, Richard Gasquet, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, David Ferrer, Tommy Haas and Feliciano Lopez. All these tennis champions were announced in Saint-Barthélemy by the organizer of the Legends Team Cup. This tennis event was due to be broadcast worldwide from the Saint-Barth Tennis Club between June 12 and 14. In the end, it was not to be. After weeks of uncertainty as to whether the tournament would take place at all, Legends Team Cup founder and president Mårten Hedlund issued a lengthy statement on Monday June 2, in which he explained that, "after careful consideration with our board of directors, we have decided to cancel the event.after careful consideration with our board of directors and partners", that he had decided to postpone the launch of the tour until August, in St. Moritz (Switzerland).
The reason for the cancellation of the Saint-Barthélemy date, which the organization had been announcing on so-called "social" networks for months, is given by Mårten Hedlund in his press release. "A gap has emerged between expectations and the practical conditions necessary to organize an event of this scale as early as June 2025. As I stressed from the outset, the Legends Team Cup is based on a strong local commitment, combined with a clear desire to appeal to a high-level international audience. With the world's best players and several major sponsors by our side, we need to be able to move forward with confidence - particularly when it comes to infrastructure and logistics. "He continues: "Despite several constructive exchanges, certain key elements - such as clarity around the tennis venue - proved difficult to secure in time. "A priori, this would not be for want of having been warned of the structural difficulties that arise on the island when such an event is programmed.
"Someone who was a little hasty".
Discussions with the Collectivité, in particular President Xavier Lédée, began back in January. In a letter, President Lédée assured Mårten Hedlund of the Collectivité's support in "facilitating logistics" and obtaining the necessary authorizations on time. A few weeks later, the organizer was in Saint-Barthélemy to visit different sites for the competition. The choice fell on the Saint-Barth Tennis Club. "For several months now, we've been working to host an internationally renowned sporting event from June 12 to 14, which will put Saint-Barthélemy far beyond our shores," announced Xavier Lédée on April 14 in an online publication accompanied by a photo in which he poses with Mårten Hedlund. "We'll soon be able to tell you more about this event, which will put our island on the international map by always striving for excellence", insisted the President of the Collectivité.
During meetings with the Collectivité's departments and hoteliers, however, it was pointed out that the timeframe for installing the structures (two grandstands, a television tower, etc.) appeared to be very tight. These warnings did not seem to discourage the organizer. In fact, last week, Mårten Hedlund told JSB: "As it's never been held before, people are asking questions. There are still a few things to sort out, but it's a great challenge. "
In order for the Legends Team Cup to take place, the Collectivité demanded "guarantees". With less than ten days to go before the event, at the end of the territorial council meeting on June 3, Xavier Lédée asserts: "The guarantees haven't arrived, so we had to take stock. The feedback from people who were contacted on the island wasn't necessarily good in terms of seriousness. Maybe it was someone who was a bit hasty. Now he's announced that the tournament will be held in St. Moritz in August. We'll be keeping a close eye on whether the tournament actually takes place. If it is able to move forward within a more structured framework, we'll take it from there. "The door to a Legends Team Cup stopover in Saint-Barth in 2026 is therefore not closed. As long as the event takes place elsewhere, since other dates have been announced, notably in New York, but... from July 16 to 18. As the first round is scheduled for Saint-Moritz in August, the event in the Big Apple will also have to be scrapped.
