London: The ATP announced today the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals will be played in London at The O2 through 2015, and that Barclays has extended its title sponsorship of the tournament.

The Tour’s season-ending event, featuring the world’s best eight singles players and doubles teams, has enjoyed tremendous success in London since moving there in 2009, with more than 750,000 fans coming to watch the top players in the game over the past three years.

Brad Drewett, ATP Executive Chairman and President, said, “We are very happy to announce the extension of our original commitment in London for a further two years, meaning the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals will be played in London for at least the next three years through 2015. We are very proud of our marquee event, the ultimate showcase of the best of men’s tennis. The excitement created by our season-ending tournament in London has been fantastic, with fans, players, media, and commercial partners all supporting the event in an unprecedented manner.

“This week we look forward to welcoming our one millionth fan through the gates at The O2 since 2009. We thank every one of these passionate tennis fans for helping to create the electrifying atmosphere at The O2, which has offered a spectacular stage for our biggest event.

“We are very grateful to our title sponsor, Barclays, for extending its partnership and continued commitment to making this event so successful.  We also thank AEG, The All England Lawn Tennis Club, the LTA and all of our valued event partners for their support of the tournament.”

Over the past 42 years, the tournament has been contested in 14 different world cities from Tokyo to New York to Lisbon to Sydney and most recently Shanghai, before moving to London. Many of the greatest names in the history of the sport have won the prestigious title, including Vilas, Connors, McEnroe, Becker, Edberg, Agassi, Sampras, Federer and Djokovic.

Antony Jenkins, Barclays Group Chief Executive, said, “I am delighted that we will be continuing our sponsorship of the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London. We are committed to the long term success of the tournament that has established itself as one of the most popular tournaments in the world with more than 250,000 people attending every year. I would like to thank the ATP, the players and The O2, but particularly all those fans of tennis who come every year to support the event and have made it the success it is.”

Watched by more than 70 million viewers in 184 countries in 2011, the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals is the culmination of the men’s professional tennis season, with players competing all season long for valuable South African Airways ATP Rankings points in a bid to earn one of the eight coveted berths and a chance to win the season finale.

Alex Hill, Chief Strategy and Finance Officer, AEG Europe said, “We're thrilled that the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals will continue to be staged at The O2 for another three years into 2015. This event has been a cornerstone in our varied and busy event calendar since 2009, and has provided our visitors with some of the most memorable moments at The O2 in the last few years. We've been proud to host the world's best tennis players under our famous tent, and look forward to working with our partners at the ATP to deliver even more tennis excitement in the future.”

Prize money for the tournament continues to increase significantly with this year’s purse up 10% to USD $5.5 million and to $6.5 million by 2014. The increases, announced last year, reflect a remarkable period in which the sport’s leading athletes have consistently performed on the world’s biggest stages, taking the game to new heights and helping to attract more fans than ever, resulting in record attendances, increased television and online viewership and new sponsors.

Held over eight days, and played using a round-robin format, each player plays three matches as they compete for a berth in the knockout semi-finals and beyond. No other event in the world guarantees 15 matches between the top eight players, ensuring unforgettable world class tennis at every turn.

The ATP also extended its event partnerships with The All England Lawn Tennis Club and the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) through 2015.