A record amount of player prize money – including a new additional increase of $1-million for the postseason – will be at stake when the 45th World TeamTennis season hits the courts from July 12-Aug. 1, 2020, league officials have announced.
The prize money will increase to a staggering $5 million for the season, with the added $1 million awarded in WTT Playoffs compensation, including a $500,000 bonus to the team that hoists the King Trophy in 2020. The WTT Playoffs return to Orleans Arena at The Orleans Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, home to the Vegas Rollers, for the second consecutive year with the WTT’s semifinals set for July 31 and the WTT Final hitting the court on Aug. 1.
In addition to the prize money increase, World TeamTennis will be announcing two new franchises in the months ahead, boosting the league to a total of 10 teams.
“Last year was the biggest growth year in the league’s history, and we believe the increase in $1 million additional playoff prize money will allow us to entice even more of the world’s top ATP and WTA players to compete this summer in World TeamTennis,” WTT CEO Carlos Silva said. “It’s no secret that the players love the team format World TeamTennis and with two new expansion teams, we feel like 2020 is going to be our biggest year yet.”
Last season featured several new broadcast media partnerships that helped net a television audience of more than two million viewers led by exclusive broadcast partner CBS Sports. ESPN+ provided online streaming viewership, as did video-sharing technology platform Dailymotion, which is available internationally in 24 countries and delivers over 250 million unique monthly users.
The Springfield (Mo.) Lasers repeated as WTT champions in 2019 as they rallied to complete a 20-19 comeback victory over the New York Empire, a fourth-year franchise and first-time playoff entrant. In 2019, World TeamTennis rolled out two new franchises with the addition of the Orlando Storm and Vegas Rollers, increasing the league size to eight teams.
WTT introduced professional team tennis to the world in 1974, with King famously serving as its co-founder. WTT is one of five active U.S. pro sports leagues which has been in operation for over 40 years, along with the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB. For more information on World TeamTennis, please visit www.wtt.com.
About World TeamTennis (WTT)
World TeamTennis showcases the best in professional tennis with eight teams in major markets competing in the innovative team format for the King Trophy, the League’s championship trophy named after tennis icon and co-founder Billie Jean King. Since the League’s debut, virtually every major champion of the Open era has played WTT, including Andre Agassi, Venus and Serena Williams, Pete Sampras, Stefanie Graf, Andy Roddick, Kim Clijsters, Bob and Mike Bryan, Sloane Stephens, Martina Hingis, Maria Sharapova, Lindsay Davenport, John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert and Naomi Osaka. WTT is owned by innovator Fred Luddy and entrepreneur Eric Davidson. WTT’s 45th regular season will take place July 12-29, 2020, with the league semifinals held July 30 and the final Aug. 1. CBS Sports is the official television broadcast partner of WTT. Learn more about the history and league champions of World TeamTennis on the history page.
