ESPN close to finalizing deal with All England Club to end NBC’s 43-year coverage of Wimbledon
According to the SportsBusiness Journal, ESPN is close to finalizing a deal with Wimbledon to end NBC’s 43-year television coverage of the most prestigious tennis tournament in the world. A deal has not been signed yet and contract specifics have not been released to the public, but SportsBusiness Journal has learned that the All England Club has decided to sell its full rights package to ESPN. An announcement could come as soon as this week. The deal means that all Wimbledon matches during the two-week tournament would be shown live on cable, which has not been the case on NBC due to conflicts with the Today show. ESPN plans to make matches available via its broadband (ESPN3) and mobile (Watch ESPN) applications. NBC’s four year contract, which was worth about $13 million per year, ended on Sunday at the conclusion of this year’s tournament. This year was NBC’s 32nd anniversary of “Breakfast at Wimbledon”. ESPN’s Executive Vice President of Content John Skipper led negotiations last week in London, along with ESPN’s Executive Vice President of Programming John Wildhack.
Ivanovic hires Nigel Sears as new coach
Former world No. 1 and 2008 French Open singles champion Ana Ivanovic has hired Nigel Sears to be her new coach on a long-term basis. Sears will step down as the Head of Women’s Tennis Coaching for Britain’s Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) to focus solely on his work with the Serbian. Sears, who is the father of Andy Murray’s longtime girlfriend, Kim, previously coached Top 10 players Daniela Hantuchova and Amanda Coetzer. “I couldn’t be happier,” Ivanovic said in a statement. “I’ve admired Nigel for some time now, and I can’t wait to start working with him on court. It was important that I waited for the right coach, and we are both excited about the challenges ahead.” Ivanovic is currently on vacation and will begin working with Sears when she returns in a couple weeks. This summer, she is scheduled to play Stanford, San Diego, Toronto, Cincinnati and the US Open. “We’re really sad to lose Nigel because he’s a great guy, a great coach and he’s brought a lot,” said Roger Draper, Chief of the Lawn Tennis Association.
Davis Cup final dates earlier for 2012, 2013
The International Tennis Federation (ITF) announced that they will hold the Davis Cup finals earlier in 2012 and 2013 to accommodate the shorter calendar for men’s tennis. The ITF said on Monday that next year’s Davis Cup final will be held from November 16-18, two weeks earlier than originally planned. The new dates are the weekend after the year-end Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. The 2013 Davis Cup finals will be held from November 13-15.
Reebok Junior Tennis Academy in NYC celebrating 25 Years of Free Scholarship Training Program
Founded in 1986, the City Parks Foundation’s Reebok Junior Tennis Academy in New York City is celebrating its 25th year in which they have provided free scholarship training programs for local junior residents with intermediate or advanced playing ability on the tennis court. Each summer, the Academy gives 50 players the opportunity to realize their potential through the free scholarship training program. Over the last 25 years, over 5,000 youngsters have tried out with 1,250 having been accepted since the start of the Academy. Over 200 of these players have gone on to earn a USTA ranking, at least five have played in the US Open and hundreds have played collegiate tennis through a scholarship. The Academy provides a savings value of year-round free training, equipment and court time of about $3,500 per participant. Players get the opportunity to participate in specialized clinics with world-class professionals such as Virginia Wade and Billie Jean King.
Tennis-Depot launches online tennis pro shop and academy
Tennis-Depot recently announced the launch of their online tennis pro shop tennis-depot.com that specializes in online tennis services and sale of high-performance tennis equipment, as well as an extension to the well respected Oceanside Tennis Academy in Santa Barbara, Calif. The scheduled virtual launch is set for Thursday, July 7. What differentiates tennis-depot.com from their competitors is their strong specialization in high-performance tennis gear and the combination of online professional store and a virtual tennis academy. In addition, Tennis-Depot is an Authorized Exclusive Dealer for HEAD tennis racquets, bags and shoes and Penn tennis balls. “I am very excited about the prospect of extending our tennis academy services to include the online offering of specialized tennis programs, like camps, college placement and video analysis, combined with top-quality tennis equipment for intermediate and advanced tennis players,” said Dimitar Yazadzhiev, Co-Founder of Tennis-Depot and Owner and Tennis Director of Oceanside Tennis Academy. “We are a very motivated and expert team of professionals that love the game of tennis…so that is a great next step for us.” For more information you can go to tennis-depot.com or call at (805) 746-3644.
Ashaway Racket Strings launches new website
Ashaway Racket Strings has officially launched their new website at www.AshawayUSA.com. AshawayUSA.com is totally redesigned to provide a better user-friendly experience. Site navigation has been simplified and enhanced, product information has been recognized and detail added, and several more items has been included on product selection and use. Ashaway Racket String is made by Ashaway Line & Twine Manufacturing Company, the only U.S. manufacturer of string for squash, tennis, racquetball, and badminton. Operated by the Crandall family since 1824, Ashaway has been making racquet strings since 1949, and is responsible for several important technical innovations.
Tomic moving to Monaco to avoid paying taxes
After a splendid quarterfinal run at Wimbledon where he earned a pay check of $210,000, 18-year-old Australian Bernard Tomic has reportedly filed an application for residency in Monaco, which has traditionally been a haven for ATP and WTA Tour players who want to avoid paying taxes. Australian press is reporting that he will rent a $1.5 million studio apartment in Monte Carlo. “Monaco is a beautiful place,” said Tomic, who will also earn additional bonus money from endorsement contracts. “Maybe one day I’ll have enough money to live here but property is about 30,000 euros per square meter, so it’s a way off. [But] my citizenship will always be in Australia. I’ve gone to Monaco for a different reason. If you want to have a good career and a long-lasting career, you’ve got to do what’s right for your business, I guess.” Novak Djokovic, Caroline Wozniacki and Victoria Azarenka all have places in Monaco.
Caroline Wozniacki named most stylish tennis player according to Nielsen/E-Poll N-Scores
According to Nielsen, top-ranked WTA Tour star Caroline Wozniacki is the most stylish on tennis player on the planet according to the E-Poll N-Scores. The N-Score measures name and image awareness, appeal and personality attributes such as sincerity, approachability, experience and influence, both at the U.S. national and local levels. Through the court of public opinion, 2011 Wimbledon finalist Maria Sharapova is the second most stylish player, while recently retired Elena Dementieva is fourth, while Roger Federer came in at eighth and Serena Williams rounded out the Top 10 at tenth. Venus Williams had the highest N-Score (169) than any Top 10 Most Stylish Tennis Player, but she finished 11th. “From Venus Williams designing her own outfit to Bethanie Mattek-Sands’ tennis ball jacket, tennis stars are redefining tennis whites at Wimbledon,” said Stephen Master, Vice President, Nielsen Sports. “Unlike football or soccer stars consigned to wearing their team uniforms, tennis players can and are expressing themselves through their diverse duds. It makes for a fun element to the sport.”
Wimbledon champion commits to WTA Mercury Insurance Open at LaCosta Resort and Spa
Recently crowned Wimbledon ladies singles champion Petra Kvitova has committed to play in the Mercury Insurance Open presented by Tri-City Medical Center at the LaCosta Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, Calif., from July 30-August 7. “We are very excited to have the new Wimbledon champion play in our tournament,” said Raquel Giscafre, Mercury Insurance Open Tournament Director. “She is an incredible and talented player to watch and I’m sure tennis fans will enjoy the opportunity to see her play at the La Costa Resort and Spa.”
McEnroe, Bryans headline 2011 Esurance Tennis Classic in September
The Esurance Tennis Classic at Mill Valley’s Harbor Tennis Club in Mill Valley, Calif., which benefits the Celebrate Life Breast Cancer Foundation and Youth Tennis Advantage, will feature an all-star line-up including John McEnroe, Bob and Mike Bryan, Gigi Fernandez, Tracy Austin and Murphy Jensen. This year’s event will be played on September 24 and 25. Tickets went on sale on July 1 and can be purchased by visiting www.tennisclassic.org or by calling (415) 383-6114. More than $700,000 has been raised for charities at this spectacular event since 2004.