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This Week in Tennis Business: Buchholz to step down in 2010 as Sony Ericsson Open chairman

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By: Justin Cohen

  • Butch Buchholz, founder and tournament chairman of the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, will be stepping down following the 2010 event. The event started in 1985 by Buchholz, is now owned by IMG.

  • Roger Federer signs a 10-year sponsorship deal with Credit Suisse. As a part of the deal, the Swiss bank will make significant annual contributions to the Roger Federer Foundation, a charity founded by Federer to help disadvantaged children in Africa. “I am excited about this opportunity to act as a global ambassador for Credit Suisse,” Federer said in a statement.

  • 2009 US Open champion Kim Clijsters will appear on the front cover of You! Magazine, a women’s magazine set to be published in the United Kingdom on November 22.

  • The USTA and Tennis Industry Association announced that tennis participation in the United States reached more than 30 million players for the first time in more than two decades. “The USTA continues to work closely with the entire tennis industry to grow our game, and we are extremely gratified that our collective efforts have generated such strong growth,” said Lucy S. Garvin, the USTA President and Chairman of the Board. “We continue to strive to make tennis easier to learn and more fun to play, and this commitment has led to millions of more Americans playing the game. I am proud of our network of sections, states/districts, and community programs who have worked so hard to increase participation.”

  • The USTA announced that they will honor tennis legend Pancho Gonzalez by offering annual Pancho Gonzalez Scholar Athlete Grant to one male and female high school student of Hispanic heritage for a total of $5,000. Each winner, who aspires to reach excellence in competitive tennis and in the classroom, will receive a $2,500 grant. “We are very proud to announce the Pancho Gonzalez Scholar Athlete Grant,” said Lucy S. Garvin, the USTA President and Chairman of the Board. “Pancho Gonzalez was a trailblazer for Hispanic-American tennis players, and this grant will both further his legacy and assist those student athletes who continue to be inspired by his accomplishments.”

  • $700,000 was recently raised during the 20th annual Chris Evert/Raymond James Pro Celebrity Tennis Classic at the Delray Beach Tennis Center in Delray Beach, Fla.

  • Maria Sharapova and Melanie Oudin have entered the 2010 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Cellular South Cup in Memphis. The event will take place from February 14 to 20 at The Racquet Club of Memphis.

    Maria Sharapova
    Maria Sharapova

  • Ryan Harrison, Jesse Levine, Wayne Odesnik, Rajeev Ram and Donald Young will participate in USTA’s Australian Open playoff with the champion being granted a wild card into the main draw of the first Grand Slam event of 2010. Madison Brengle, Alexa Glatch, Christina McHale, Asia Muhammad, Alison Riske and Coco Vandeweghe will participate in the women’s event. Both events will take place from December 4 to 7 at The Racquet Club of the South in Atlanta.

  • Venus Williams and Maria Sharapova will play an exhibition match at the Hua Hin Centennial Invitation in Thailand on January 2 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Centennial Park, a seaside resort. “I am delighted to be able to spend my New Year in Hua Hin, Thailand,” said Sharapova. “I am sure it will be an exciting time and I am looking forward to competing in the Centennial Invitation.”

  • Spain Davis Cup captain Albert Costa announced that Rafael Nadal, David Ferrer, Fernando Verdasco and Feliciano Lopez will make up the Spanish team for its Davis Cup World Group finals tie against the Czech Republic. The tie will take place on indoor clay at the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona from December 4 to 6.

  • Xavier Malisse and Yanina Wickmayer will both appeal their one-year suspensions to the Court of Arbitration of Sport.

  • Jean-Francois Caujolle, the tournament director of the Paris Masters 1000, tells Times Online, he will apply for next year’s tournament to be a 32 draw instead of a 48 player draw. The plan would also include an ATP-250 level event to be played the same week as the Paris Masters.

  • Marat Safin has officially retired from the ATP World Tour last week following a three-set loss to Juan Martin del Potro in the second round of the Paris Masters 1000. Safin, a former World No. 1, won 15 career singles titles including two Grand Slam singles titles during his career.

  • Virginia Ruano Pascual has retired from the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. The 36-year-old Ruano Pascual was a winner of 42 doubles titles, including 11 Grand Slam titles.

  • Luis Horna, who won the French Open doubles title last year, will retire from the ATP World Tour following this week’s challenger event in his hometown of Lima, Peru.

  • Maria Emilia Salerni has retired from the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour at the age of 26 because of injuries.

  • Andy Roddick has been nominated for Sports Illustrated’s Sportsman of the Year award, based on his extraordinary performance in his Wimbledon finals loss to Roger Federer in five-sets.

  • Grammy Award winning musician Wyclef Jean will perform at James Blake’s charity exhibition event on Tuesday, December 1 at Pier 94 in New York City.

  • Alicia Molik has been awarded a wildcard into the Hobart event in the beginning of January. The tournament will mark her first WTA-level main draw event in her Sony Ericsson WTA Tour comeback.