Tennis tournament draws 1,000 players to Türkiye's Mount Erciyes

Nearly 1,000 tennis players from 52 countries have converged on Mount Erciyes in central Türkiye for an international tournament running through early July, marking the latest chapter in the mountain's evolution from a premier ski destination into a year-round center for high-altitude athletic training.

The competition — sanctioned by the International Tennis Federation and organized by the Turkish Tennis Federation alongside the Megasaray Tennis Academy — runs from May 18 to July 5 at the Erciyes High Altitude Training Center. Athletes from Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Poland, the United States and Russia are competing alongside players from across Asia and Central Europe, with Kayseri Metropolitan Municipality and Erciyes Inc. serving as hosts.

Year-round sports destination

Kayseri Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Memduh Buyukkilic told Anadolu that Erciyes has transformed from a seasonal winter tourism site into a venue hosting international competitions across multiple disciplines. The high-altitude complex features eight football pitches, an Olympic-size swimming pool, an indoor sports hall and an athletics track, allowing athletes from various sports to train at 3,917 meters above sea level.

Last year approximately 35 football teams utilized the facilities for preseason preparation, and Buyukkilic said that applications for the current season have already matched that figure with expectations of further growth. Rising to 3,917 meters in central Anatolia, Mount Erciyes stands as the region's highest peak and has drawn increasing numbers of professional athletes since local authorities expanded its infrastructure beyond winter sports.