by Kevin Craig
@KCraig_Tennis
Victoria Azarenka, Bryan Brothers Headline 12th Annual Desert Smash
Desert Smash, an annual charity celebrity tennis event, is set to take place on March 8th at the Westin Mission Hills Resort and Spa, according to Gulf-California Broadcast Company. In the 12th consecutive year this event has been held, major tennis stars such as Bob and Mike Bryan, Victoria Azarenka, Kevin Anderson, Sam Querrey, Mardy Fish, Fernando Verdasco, and others will be participating. Gulf-California Broadcast Company also reported an agenda for the event, saying that this year’s event will include “two fun playing opportunities” before the Pro Tennis and Celebrity Expedition get underway. After the tennis action is done for the day, Ja Rule will hold a musical performance for the player party. Also in attendance will be celebrities Nicole Scherzinger, Chelsea Handler, Hilary Swank, and others. Tickets are currently on sale for the event at http://desertsmash.bpt.me/.
John Isner and Caroline Wozniacki Commit to 2016 Citi Open
The No. 1 American male and Danish female tennis players will be making a stop in Washington D.C. this summer, as the Citi Open announced on Sunday that John Isner and Caroline Wozniacki will be taking part in their event. Isner has had a lot of success at the Citi Open, making it to the final in the United States capital three times, while Wozniacki, who will be the flag bearer for Denmark at the 2016 Summer Olympics, is making her first appearance. The small list of early commitments also includes two rising American stars in the 2015 US Open Juniors champion Taylor Fritz and the 2015 Wimbledon Juniors champion Reilly Opelka. Tournament director Jeff Newman stated the tournament loves “offering our fans a mixture of marquee players who support the tournament year after year, such as John, and exciting new players like Caroline as well,” in the announcement from the Citi Open. Ticket packages for the only ATP 500-level event in the United States go on sale March 14th, with proceeds benefiting the Washington Tennis and Education Foundation.
ATP President Wants More Money Spent on Tennis Integrity Unit
After a hearing took place on Wednesday in which lawmakers from the United Kingdom questioned Chris Kermode, ATP president, and Nigel Willerton, director of the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU), the message is clear that tennis’ main match fixing investigative body needs more support to be effective. The TIU is currently funded by tennis’ governing bodies with a budget of only $2 million, less than half a percent of the ATP’s total income. Kermode claimed during the hearing that “we will spend whatever is needed to tackle the problem,” according to SBC News. During the hearing, it was revealed that 246 matches were flagged for suspicious betting activity in 2015. Willerton, when discussing the accuracy of the BBC and BuzzFeed News article that was released earlier in the year, claimed that there have been five suspected matches that were fixed in the four majors, yet he stated that none of them took place at Wimbledon. Attempting to help rebuild the image of tennis that has taken a massive hit in recent weeks, Willerton went on to ensure fans that these alerts come at the highest level of professional tennis in very rare situations, citing them as being “few and far between.” SBC News also reports that Willerton was emphatic in stating that no information had been suppressed by the governing bodies of tennis and addressed his disagreement with the suggestion that the suspected players of match fixing should be named, saying “you’ll have affected their whole livelihood on what I consider one stream of information and a betting alert. I don’t think that’s appropriate.”
Maria Sharapova to be Included in Topps Card Set
Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova will be included in a new set of Topps trading cards that will feature key figures from the world of sports and pop culture. Topps Allen & Ginter cards annually include a variety of cards, including hand-painted images and autographed cards, changing things up from their typical business of releasing trading cards with just a player’s picture and statistics on the card. Joining Sharapova, the five-time major title winner, will be Gennady Gennadyevich Golovkin, Steve Spurrier, Missy Franklin, and a few others that will be announced at a later date. Golovkin, known as Triple G, is the current middleweight boxing champion for the WBA, IBF, IBO, and WBC, holding an undefeated record of 34-0. Spurrier is a long-time football coach who worked for the University of Florida and University of South Carolina, just retiring in 2015. Spurrier is the first college football coach to have won the Heisman Trophy himself before coaching a player who won the Heisman Trophy. Franklin is a four-time gold medal winning swimmer for the United States, and she crashed on to the scene at the young age of 17, winning five medals overall at the 2012 Summer Olympics. This trading card set is scheduled to be released on July 20th.
Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Takes Over Management of USTA Pro Circuit Event in Vero Beach, Fla.
The Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation has taken over the management of the $10,000 “Futures” tennis tournament – one of the longest-running and best attended events on the U.S. Tennis Association Pro Circuit. The tournament – to be called The Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships – will now benefit the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation, the non-profit tennis foundation benefiting children, named for Vero Beach native son Mardy Fish, a former top 10 tennis star, U.S. Davis Cup hero and silver medalist at the 2004 Olympic Games. Tom Fish, Mardy’s father and the chairman of the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation (www.MardyFishFoundation.com) will serve as co-tournament director of the event along with former USTA press officer Randy Walker. To order tickets for the event – to be held April 22 – May 1 at The Boulevard Tennis Club in Vero Beach – go to www.VeroBeachTennisTickets.com
Rafael Nadal to Play Exhibition in Puerto Rico
The 14-time major champion Rafael Nadal will take on fellow Spaniard Pablo Andujar in an exhibition tennis event in San Juan, Puerto Rico on March 21st, according to Fox News Latino. The event will be held in the Jose Miguel Agrelo Coliseo, an indoor arena that has a seating capacity of 18,000. The match will actually be a best of five sets match, as event organizer Juan Buzo claimed Nadal “has accepted to play at the best of five sets.” According to the report, it is also possible that Nadal will attend a charity event during his visit to Puerto Rico.
British Reality TV Star Plays 24-Hour Match for Charity
Jaime Laing of English reality TV show Made in Chelsea took part in a 24 hour tennis match to raise awareness and money for Sport Relief, a sports related charity. The TV star’s goal was to raise £10,000 during the match via donations, while taking on celebrities, including Greg Rusedski, at the National Tennis Center in Roehampton. Laing, in an interview with Richmond and Twickenham Times, stated that he has “always been doing stuff for Sport Relief and they came to” him in an attempt to raise more awareness. The idea of playing tennis for an hour came up, before Laing stated they “thought about making it 24 hours.” The event, which is in partnership with the Lawn Tennis Association, means a lot to Laing as he believes “sport is a massive part of growing up, it keeps you fit and healthy and releases endorphins,” according to Richmond and Twickenham Times.
Kia Continues Support of Tennis in St. Lucia
Kia Motors and Northwest Limited have continued their support for the St. Lucia National Tennis Association for the fifth year now, hosting the National Independence Tennis Tournament, according to St. Lucia News Online. The event “has a special focus on the youth in an attempt to create a platform where they can express their achievements and skills,” as Northwest and Kia were joined by Blue Waters as a co-sponsor this year for the first time. Marketing director of Northwest Limited Lawrence Bain stated in an interview with St. Lucia News Online that his company is “committed to the tournament and proud to be involved in this kind of grass roots program which also represents the opportunity for young players to rub shoulders and gain experience from the more season professionals.”
Victoria Azarenka, Bryan Brothers Headline 12th Annual Desert Smash
Desert Smash, an annual charity celebrity tennis event, is set to take place on March 8th at the Westin Mission Hills Resort and Spa, according to Gulf-California Broadcast Company. In the 12th consecutive year this event has been held, major tennis stars such as Bob and Mike Bryan, Victoria Azarenka, Kevin Anderson, Sam Querrey, Mardy Fish, Fernando Verdasco, and others will be participating. Gulf-California Broadcast Company also reported an agenda for the event, saying that this year’s event will include “two fun playing opportunities” before the Pro Tennis and Celebrity Expedition get underway. After the tennis action is done for the day, Ja Rule will hold a musical performance for the player party. Also in attendance will be celebrities Nicole Scherzinger, Chelsea Handler, Hilary Swank, and others. Tickets are currently on sale for the event at http://desertsmash.bpt.me/.
John Isner and Caroline Wozniacki Commit to 2016 Citi Open
The No. 1 American male and Danish female tennis players will be making a stop in Washington D.C. this summer, as the Citi Open announced on Sunday that John Isner and Caroline Wozniacki will be taking part in their event. Isner has had a lot of success at the Citi Open, making it to the final in the United States capital three times, while Wozniacki, who will be the flag bearer for Denmark at the 2016 Summer Olympics, is making her first appearance. The small list of early commitments also includes two rising American stars in the 2015 US Open Juniors champion Taylor Fritz and the 2015 Wimbledon Juniors champion Reilly Opelka. Tournament director Jeff Newman stated the tournament loves “offering our fans a mixture of marquee players who support the tournament year after year, such as John, and exciting new players like Caroline as well,” in the announcement from the Citi Open. Ticket packages for the only ATP 500-level event in the United States go on sale March 14th, with proceeds benefiting the Washington Tennis and Education Foundation.
ATP President Wants More Money Spent on Tennis Integrity Unit
After a hearing took place on Wednesday in which lawmakers from the United Kingdom questioned Chris Kermode, ATP president, and Nigel Willerton, director of the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU), the message is clear that tennis’ main match fixing investigative body needs more support to be effective. The TIU is currently funded by tennis’ governing bodies with a budget of only $2 million, less than half a percent of the ATP’s total income. Kermode claimed during the hearing that “we will spend whatever is needed to tackle the problem,” according to SBC News. During the hearing, it was revealed that 246 matches were flagged for suspicious betting activity in 2015. Willerton, when discussing the accuracy of the BBC and BuzzFeed News article that was released earlier in the year, claimed that there have been five suspected matches that were fixed in the four majors, yet he stated that none of them took place at Wimbledon. Attempting to help rebuild the image of tennis that has taken a massive hit in recent weeks, Willerton went on to ensure fans that these alerts come at the highest level of professional tennis in very rare situations, citing them as being “few and far between.” SBC News also reports that Willerton was emphatic in stating that no information had been suppressed by the governing bodies of tennis and addressed his disagreement with the suggestion that the suspected players of match fixing should be named, saying “you’ll have affected their whole livelihood on what I consider one stream of information and a betting alert. I don’t think that’s appropriate.”
Maria Sharapova to be Included in Topps Card Set
Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova will be included in a new set of Topps trading cards that will feature key figures from the world of sports and pop culture. Topps Allen & Ginter cards annually include a variety of cards, including hand-painted images and autographed cards, changing things up from their typical business of releasing trading cards with just a player’s picture and statistics on the card. Joining Sharapova, the five-time major title winner, will be Gennady Gennadyevich Golovkin, Steve Spurrier, Missy Franklin, and a few others that will be announced at a later date. Golovkin, known as Triple G, is the current middleweight boxing champion for the WBA, IBF, IBO, and WBC, holding an undefeated record of 34-0. Spurrier is a long-time football coach who worked for the University of Florida and University of South Carolina, just retiring in 2015. Spurrier is the first college football coach to have won the Heisman Trophy himself before coaching a player who won the Heisman Trophy. Franklin is a four-time gold medal winning swimmer for the United States, and she crashed on to the scene at the young age of 17, winning five medals overall at the 2012 Summer Olympics. This trading card set is scheduled to be released on July 20th.
Rafael Nadal to Play Exhibition in Puerto Rico
The 14-time major champion Rafael Nadal will take on fellow Spaniard Pablo Andujar in an exhibition tennis event in San Juan, Puerto Rico on March 21st, according to Fox News Latino. The event will be held in the Jose Miguel Agrelo Coliseo, an indoor arena that has a seating capacity of 18,000. The match will actually be a best of five sets match, as event organizer Juan Buzo claimed Nadal “has accepted to play at the best of five sets.” According to the report, it is also possible that Nadal will attend a charity event during his visit to Puerto Rico.
British Reality TV Star Plays 24-Hour Match for Charity
Jaime Laing of English reality TV show Made in Chelsea took part in a 24 hour tennis match to raise awareness and money for Sport Relief, a sports related charity. The TV star’s goal was to raise £10,000 during the match via donations, while taking on celebrities, including Greg Rusedski, at the National Tennis Center in Roehampton. Laing, in an interview with Richmond and Twickenham Times, stated that he has “always been doing stuff for Sport Relief and they came to” him in an attempt to raise more awareness. The idea of playing tennis for an hour came up, before Laing stated they “thought about making it 24 hours.” The event, which is in partnership with the Lawn Tennis Association, means a lot to Laing as he believes “sport is a massive part of growing up, it keeps you fit and healthy and releases endorphins,” according to Richmond and Twickenham Times.
