by Kevin Craig
@KCraig_Tennis
PowerShares Series Tennis Signs NetJets as Private Aviation Partner
NetJets, the worldwide leader in private aviation, announced on Monday, February 8th, that the company had signed on to be the official private aviation partner of the PowerShares Series for the 2016 season. As part of the deal, according to the press release, NetJets will receive increased advertising throughout the series, branded features during broadcasts, and hospitality for select events. Jon Venison, president of InsideOut Sports and Entertainment, the operator of the PowerShares Series, stated that the series is “thrilled and honored to be associated with such a prestigious company.” The series begins on April 8th in Chicago, the first of five events in April, before three more events in July and August, culminating with two events in each November and December. This deal comes just weeks after NetJets signed Maria Sharapova to be an ambassador of the company.
John McEnroe to Host College Combine
According to a press release from the John McEnroe Tennis Academy, the academy has announced that it will be hosting the inaugural John McEnroe Tennis Academy College Recruiting Combine at SPORTIME Randall’s Island in New York City on June 18th and 19th. The academy will invite various rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors in high school to showcase their talents to college coaches from around the nation, with Wake Forest, Penn State, Columbia, Princeton, Tulane, and others already committed to attend the event. John McEnroe stated in the press release that the combine “is a natural progression for” the academy as it has a long history of helping talent tennis players find “college programs where they are most likely to flourish academically and athletically.” Players from around the country can apply to participate in the combine at www.sportimeny.com/JMTAcombine, with the deadline being March 31st. Each application will be analyzed based on certain criteria and those accepted will be notified by the middle of April. Not only will the players be able to show off their skills, but they will also have their overall athletic ability and mental toughness assessed, while a half hour of their match play will be recorded to create a comprehensive recruiting profile. Tony Bresky, the head coach of Wake Forest’s men’s tennis team, stated in the press release that “college coaches…want to be sure that they are recruiting players that are both physically and mentally tough…This combine will be a great way for coaches to interact with a very select group of players and to get a first-hand sense of their tennis skills, as well as their mental and physical capacities.
Duran Duran Moves Concert from Crandon Park
As part of the ongoing feud between the Miami Open and the Miami-Dade County government, hit band Duran Duran has been forced to move their concert from the site of the Miami Open, according to the Miami New Times. The original plan was for the band to play their concert before the night session in the main stadium on Friday, April 1st. The concert will still go on as planned, the only change being the site of the event. The concert to be held at Crandon Park met resistance from the Miami-Dade County government, citing the event was a violation of the rule of Crandon Park, as the concert was a separate event from the tennis tournament. Local officials were not pleased by the fact that tickets for the concert were being sold separately from the tickets for the tennis tournament, which caused the government to take action, according to the article from Ryan Pfeffer which was released on Monday, February 8th. The Miami Open released a statement on their website about the change of plans for the concert, stating that those that had “already purchased tickets for the concert will receive a full refund of the entire purchase amount.” Ticketmaster held a special presale for the concert for those who had previously bought tickets and were forced to be refunded, ensuring they would still have the opportunity to attend the concert.
Wilson Appoints New Sales Director for Racquet Sports
Wilson announced on February 4th that Iain Pound has been promoted to National Sales Director for Wilson Racquet Sports. Pound’s new position will have him overseeing the sales efforts of the brand for tennis throughout the United States. Pound has previously worked as a regional manager for Wilson, working in the Southeastern United States. Bill Kirchner, Vice President of Sales for Wilson, is “excited to have Iain in this role for Wilson.” Kirchner went on to state that Iain “has been very successful…in building strong partnerships with specialty dealers. His skills in leading and developing sales teams will be of great value to the Wilson brand,” according to the press release. Pound does not only have experience in the business side of tennis, but also has experience on the court as well. He played Division 1 tennis, and has experience being a USPTA certified professional, club director, and college coach. In the press release, Pound exclaimed his enthusiasm for the new role, claiming that “it’s an honor to represent the No. 1 brand in tennis.”
Memphis Open Attempts to Regain Popularity
2016 is the 40th anniversary of a professional tennis event being played at the Racquet Club of Memphis, but the tournament has seen better years. According to The Commercial Appeal, the tournament is under its third ownership group in as many years after Sharks Sports & Entertainment and the USTA have made way for New York-based GF Sports to run the show in 2016. Many factors have contributed to the decreasing success of the event, including falling from an ATP 500 level event to an ATP 250 level event, attendance taking a hit, a lack of big names playing in the tournament, and no title sponsor being present. Jerry Solomon, president of GF sports, claims that “Memphis tennis fans are passionate about the event,” and hopes to rebuild the level of excitement in the city that there once was when the likes of Jimmy Connors, Andre Agassi, and Pete Sampras were playing in the event. Things have begun to look up for Solomon and his staff as ticket sales have increased in 2016, with multiple sections being sold out for multiple days. One of the biggest moves for the tournament was creating the Courtsiders Club, “a group of 20 influential business and community leaders,” according to The Commercial Appeal. The group is composed of Memphis citizens who are interested in the sport and keeping the event there, which could possibly lead to the tournament finding a title sponsor, its first since 2012, which would potentially generate $750,000, according to Phil Stukenborg’s article. Tournament director Erin Mazurek hopes to create enough buzz during the tournament that talks will heat up afterwards and contribute to the overall goal of finding a title sponsor and returning the Memphis Open to its once great days of prospering financially and within the community.
Winnipeg to Host Combined Challenger Level Event
Tennis Canada has announced that a $75k ATP Challenger event will be taking place at the Winnipeg Lawn Tennis Club in July, joining the already present $25k women’s challenger. Winnipeg has hosted a futures level event for the previous four years, but this upgrade now makes the “Winnipeg National Bank Challenger the second largest combined challenger event in Canada,” only behind the Granby Challenger. Gavin Ziv, the vice president of professional and national events for Tennis Canada, claims the organization is thrilled with this new turn of events, claiming their “mandate is to grow the sport of tennis across the country” and this event will hope to continue the increased exposure to the sport throughout Canada. The tournaments will take place in the middle of July and will host a variety of events to get a wider audience involved, including a Pro-Am and a Kid’s Day, according to Tennis Canada.
French Tennis Federation Beginning Process to Fire Director General
The French Tennis Federation has announced that it has begun the necessary proceedings to fire its director general, Gilbery Ysern. L’Equipe in France had initially reported that Ysern had already been fired, to which Ysern was quoted saying “I’m a bother but I have done nothing wrong.” Ysern and the federation’s president Jean Gachassin have been in disagreement since Gachassin fired Davis Cup captain Arnaud Clement, according to The Guardian. In the French Tennis Federation’s statement, it was announced that Jeremy Botton had been appointed as the temporary director general until the procedure concludes.
