by Kevin Craig
@KCraig_Tenis
Borna Coric Named in 30 Most Influential Athletes Under 30
After finishing 2015 as the youngest player inside the Top 50, Borna Coric has been named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list of most influential athletes. The list also includes the likes of Steph Curry, Sergio Aguero, Cam Newton, Jordan Spieth, and Russell Wilson, matching Coric with many already world-class athletes. Coric, who is the fourth youngest athlete on the list, has already reached a career high ranking of No. 33 in the world and beaten Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal, yet he still has an entire career ahead of him to contend for slams and the No. 1 overall ranking. Novak Djokovic was named to this list in 2012, so Coric can look at that and use it as inspiration for his young professional career.
University of Central Florida to Offer Professional Tennis Management Degree
The University of Central Florida will open a professional tennis management track within their hospitality management program that will focus on preparing students for jobs within the tennis industry. This initiative is part of a collaboration with the United States Tennis Association (USTA) and its National Campus that will open in Lake Nona in late 2016. According to the Orlando Business Journal, the USTA National Campus is expected to produce more than 150 jobs by the end of 2018 that will have an average annual salary of $100,000. Students that take part in this degree program will have the opportunity to take part in tennis related internships, including possible openings at the USTA National Campus, and be prepared for various jobs within the tennis industry.
Lleyton Hewitt Launches Tennis Fitness Pro App
Lleyton Hewitt and his fitness trainer, Nathan Martin, have recently developed an app in which they reveal Hewitt’s secrets for fitness success. Martin, a member of Hewitt’s coaching staff since 2005, was inspired by the TV show Shark Tank, according to Richard Evans at The Advertiser. The app includes more than 100 videos showcasing the exercises and workouts that Hewitt has gone through during his time with Martin, leading him to many titles on the ATP tour. Martin’s wife, Giselle, was also a fitness instructor for players on the WTA tour, including the likes of Martine Navratilova and Sam Stosur, allowing her to play a pivotal role in the development of the app. The app even includes a section in which aspiring tennis players can “Challenge Lleyton” by doing a certain set of exercises as quickly as possible and seeing how their time matches up with Hewitt. Martin is excited about the app and hopes to display the amount of difficult work that Hewitt has gone through during his illustrious career.
Indian Wells, Queen’s, Doha, and St. Petersburg Win Tournament of the Year
The ATP has announced the winners of the tournaments of the year of 2015, and they include the BNP Paribas Open, the Aegon Championships, the Qatar ExxonMobil Open, and the St. Petersburg Open. Each category of ATP tournaments is awarded a winner with two being awarded for the 250 category, where Doha and St. Petersburg win for the first time. 2015 was the first year that the Aegon Championships was played as a 500-level event, and was able to win in its debut year at that level after having won in 2013 and 2014 at the 250-level. The BNP Paribas Open won for the second straight year after winning its first title in 2014. The awards, determined by the votes of the players, inspire tournaments around the world to continue bettering their facilities and management, especially the tournaments that won. Raymond Moore, tournament director of the BNP Paribas Open, told the ATP that the tournament aims to improve every year and winning the award only increases their goals for the next year.
Underwater Tennis Stadium Nearing Reality
Krzysztof Kotala, who announced his plans for an underwater tennis facility in early 2015 has recently announced that he has been in contact with possible investors to help his idea become reality. According to Arabian Business, Kotala is currently coming up with the final designs for the project, but has been talking with backers from the United States. Kotala hopes to build the facility off the coast of Dubai, but is aware of the challenges that face him. Sarah Fray, director of engineering and technical services at the Institution of Structural Engineers in London, informed Arabian Business of the many challenges and difficulties, ranging from the construction of the facility to worrying about boats dropping their anchors on top of the glass structure.
PowerShares Series Announces 2016 Schedule
The 2016 edition of the PowerShares Series is set to begin in April with Andre Agassi, John McEnroe, Jim Courier, and James Blake playing in Chicago at the UIC Pavillion. The rest of the circuit will go to various big cities across the United States, including St. Louis, Portland, Orlando, and New York. The PowerShares Series will also tag along with various ATP and WTA events in Charleston, Newport, Winston-Salem, and New Haven. Tickets are currently on sale for the first two events in Chicago and Charleston, with the rest of the ticket information set to come out at the end of January. For more information, go to the PowerShares Series website at www.powersharesseries.com
Andy Roddick, Bryan brothers Set to Play John Isner’s Charity Event
John Isner has announced via his Facebook page that Andy Roddick and Bob and Mike Bryan will be participating in his annual charity event on February 4th in Charlotte. The event is intended to support the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, the organization that was able to help save the life of Karen Isner, John’s mother. The institution helps to treat all types of cancer and is ranked in the top 10 nationally in cancer research funding. The event will include clinics for adults and children in the afternoon, then head into an autograph session before the exhibition gets underway at 7:30pm. Tickets for the event are available at http://www.isnercharitychallenge.com/.
New Zealand’s Top Men’s Singles Player Resorts to Crowd Funding
Finn Tearney, the highest ranked men’s singles player from New Zealand, is set to begin 2016 by looking for financial support via a crowd funding site. Tearney, who increased his ranking more than 1200 spots in 2015, actually receives zero funding from Tennis New Zealand, according to the New Zealand Herald. Tennis New Zealand itself receives little funding, forcing their main objective to be focusing on a few juniors with high levels of talent. Tennis New Zealand does provide money to the players that take part in Davis Cup ties, but Tearney has yet to crack the squad due to the four spots having been locked up by more experienced players, three of which are inside the Top 100 in doubles. Without the necessary funding, like any player ranked outside of the Top 250 or so, it is a struggle to find consistent coaching or travel from tournament to tournament, making it difficult to increase a player’s ranking.
Isner, Berdych, Many Others Change Clothing Sponsors
The start of the 2016 tennis season has brought many new clothing deals with it as John Isner and Tomas Berdych are the two most notable with new deals. Fila announced that they have recruited Isner to wear their brand, while Berdych will be teaming up with Adidas. Isner’s multiyear deal with Fila comes after seeing him wear the Lacoste brand for many years. Benoit Paire is now the highest ranked player wearing Lacoste, currently sitting at No. 19 in the world. Berdych made headlines in the past three years with his many unique outfits that H&M provided for him, but it appears those will be left in the past with his new clothing sponsorship. Many others on the tour, according to VAVEL Tennis, will be wearing new brands as well as David Goffin and Julia Goerges are joining Asics, and Elina Svitolina is signing on with Nike.
