Tennis legend Stan Smith named President of International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum
Former world No. 1 and two-time Grand Slam singles champion Stan Smith has been named president of the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum, which is located in historic Newport, R.I. Smith, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1987 and won more than 550 matches in both singles and doubles while playing on the ATP Tour, will succeed 1970 Hall of Famer Tony Trabert, who held the position since 2001 and has recently been named a Life Trustee. The appointment of Smith as the new president was announced to the public at the Hall of Fame’s recent annual meeting in New York City. “We are pleased to welcome Stan Smith, who is not only a great champion of the game, but also a dedicated supporter of tennis to the role of president. It is also a pleasure to welcome the new directors, all of whom bring an array of talent and expertise to the organization. Their active participation will be a tremendous resource for the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum as we strive to preserve the history of tennis and inspire its future,” said Christopher E. Clouser, Chairman of the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum. “Additionally, we are very pleased to name Tony Trabert a Life Trustee. Tony has done an outstanding job in the role of president for the past 10 years, and the organization has truly flourished with his guidance and leadership.” Also at the meeting, 13 new directors were elected to the Board of Directors. Former board members Jefferson T. Barnes, who is Of Counsel at the law firm of Watts, Tice and Skowronek; Alan Hassenfeld, chairman of the executive committee of Hasbro, Inc.; Kay Koplovitz, founder of USA Network and Chairman and CEO of Koplovitz & Co. LLC; and Thomas A. James, chairman of Raymond James Financial are all returning to the board. In addition to President Stan Smith, the newly elected board members are Claudio Del Vecchio, chairman and CEO of Brooks Brothers; Guillaume de Ramel, director of FH Prince & Co.; Michael F. Goss, managing director and chief operating officer of Bain Capital, LLC; Frew McMillan, a ten-time Grand Slam champion in doubles and mixed doubles, who was inducted to the Hall of Fame in 1992; Tim Phillips, former chairman of the All England Lawn Tennis Club; John J. Ross II, managing partner of Fidus Partners; Todd Traina, founder of Red Rover Films; and Gene Yoon, chairman and CEO Fila Korea Ltd. In addition to the new members of the Board of Directors and the election of Smith as president, the following officers were re-elected: Christopher E. Clouser as chairman, Donald L. Dell as vice chairman, Barbara A. Georgescu as vice chairman, Mark L. Stenning as chief executive officer, Nancy von Auersperg as treasurer and Peggy H. Woolard as secretary. The new members of the Board of Directors will begin their terms immediately.
USTA takes SmashZone to Nickelodeon’s Worldwide Day of Play on September 24 in Washington, D.C.
According to a press release, the United States Tennis Association will take its SmashZone, a complement to the association’s ongoing youth participation for 10 and Under Tennis initiative, will be part of Nickelodeon’s Worldwide Day of Play (WWDOP) on Saturday, September 24. This Saturday, Nickelodeon and its WWDOP partners will host an entire day of activities and games for children and their families on the Ellipse in Washington, D.C. to encourage active and healthy lifestyles. During WWDOP, Nickelodeon’s networks and websites will go dark from 12 to 3 p.m. (ET/PT) to inspire kids and families to get out and play. There are more than 4,000 confirmed local WWDOP events that will take place in every state across the U.S. and also in 12 countries throughout the year. “The USTA’s partnership with Nickelodeon and participation in its Worldwide Day of Play provide a wonderful platform for us to encourage millions of young people everywhere to begin leading a more active and healthy lifestyle, and that playing tennis is a great activity to make that happen,” said Jon Vegosen, Chairman of the Board and President, USTA. “Through our 10 and Under Tennis programming, we are able to get more tennis racquets in kids’ hands at a younger age, cultivate their love and enjoyment of playing tennis, and help stem the onset of childhood obesity.” For more information about SmashZone, visit the official website at www.10andUnderTennis.com. For more information about Nickelodeon’s WWDOP, visit www.nick.com/thebighelp/worldwide-day-of-play.
Serena Williams named UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador
Tennis luminary Serena Williams, a former world No. 1 and 13-time Grand Slam singles champion, was appointed a UNICEF International Goodwill Ambassador during Tuesday’s 2nd Annual Social Good Summit in New York City. “Serena Williams isn’t just a world tennis champion, she is a champion for children — and a passionate advocate for providing every child with a quality education,” said Anthony Lake, UNICEF Executive Director. “We are delighted that Serena is joining us as UNICEF’s newest Goodwill Ambassador and look forward to working together to win for children.” Williams will use her celebrity status to support UNICEF’s mission to provide excellent education to at risk children. In 2006, the recent US Open singles finalist traveled to Ghana for the African country’s largest health campaign. Past and present UNICEF ambassadors include Audrey Hepburn, soccer star David Beckham, Harry Belafonte, Orlando Bloom and Shakira.
Hewitt named Ambassador for Medibank International Sydney
On Tuesday, Medibank International Sydney Tournament Director Craig Watson announced that four-time champion Lleyton Hewitt has been named the new ambassador the tournament, which is played annually in January. Hewitt, a former world No. 1 and two-time Grand Slam champion, has already committed to play in the 2012 tournament, which will take place from January 8-14 at the Olympic Park Tennis Centre in Sydney. The 30-year-old Hewitt said he is thrilled to be returning to one of his favorite stops on the ATP World Tour calendar in 2012. “I’m really pleased to confirm my participation in next year’s Sydney International,” said Hewitt. “It is a really special tournament for me and I have great memories from my four titles there. The support I have received at Sydney Olympic Park Tennis Centre over the years has been fantastic and I can’t wait to kick start my 2012 season in front of a packed Ken Rosewall Arena crowd.” Hewitt mentioned that the Ambassadorial role was the idea of Watson earlier this year so he could take his yearly commitment to an extra high level. “The Sydney International has such a great tradition and a long and distinguished history and I would love to see it become even bigger and better in the years to come,” Hewitt continued. “I approached Craig earlier in the year to see how I could help grow the event and we agreed that I would become an Ambassador for the Sydney International.” Watson said that Hewitt’s support of the tournaments proves his commitment to trying to grow the sport of tennis in Australia. Hewitt first played in the Sydney event as a 16-year-old in 1998, before winning the title in 2000, 2001, 2004 and 2005. Tickets go on sale for the tournament on October 5 through Ticketek and can be purchased online at www.ticketek.com.au or 1300 – 888 – 104.
Carlos Moya opens SD Tennis Academy in Madrid
Carlos Moya, a former world No. 1 and 1998 French Open champion, teamed with good friend Roberto Carretero on September 17 to open the SD Tennis Academy in Madrid, Spain. Both men have the goal of turning their tennis academy into the best tennis school in Spain. “I am really hoping to be able to share my knowledge with the new talents looking to make a career in tennis, but also with the ones looking to play tennis for fun. I really look forward to trying to develop one of the best tennis schools in this magnificent complex of Santo Domingo Club Social,” said Moya. “I know parents want to give the best to their kids,” continued the 35-year-old Mallorcan. “Once they drop them off here, they can be sure their kids will get to learn how to respect others, work hard and compete. It doesn’t matter what they are looking to do in tennis, the most important thing is that we will be sharing these core values with all of them.”
Stanislas Wawrinka splits with coach Peter Lundgren
World No. 19 and Swiss No. 2 Stanislas Wawrinka took to his official Facebook fan page this week to announce his spilt from coach Peter Lundgren. The duo had worked together for 16 months. “He played a major role in my career and I am deeply grateful,” said Wawrinka. “We have had a lot of success and fun working together, I can’t thank him enough” During their partnership together, Wawrinka won one ATP World Tour singles title at the 2011 Aircel Chennai Open and reached the quarterfinals at the 2010 US Open and 2011 Australian Open. Lundgren, who previously coached Roger Federer, Marcelo Rios and Marat Safin has already quickly surfaced as possibly the next coach for world No. 4 Andy Murray.
2011 US Open sets records despite facing Hurricane Irene and two days of rain during tournament
Despite facing Hurricane Irene before the start of the 2011 US Open and two full days of wash out due to heavy rain, the final Grand Slam of the year was still able to attract more than 650,000 fans at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y. Attendance records were broken during Labor Day Weekend (Saturday, September through Monday, September 5) when 186, 186 fans were accounted for on the grounds. During the men’s final that saw Novak Djokovic defeat Rafael Nadal in four close sets to capture his first US Open title, a record 24,713 were in attendance in Arthur Ashe Stadium and on the grounds. The men’s semifinal matches on Saturday, September 10, also broke an attendance record with 24,071 fans. In all, 11 sessions of the 2011 US Open were sold out. The official website, USOpen.org, set a new site record for unique visitors – 15,421,675 – surpassing last year’s total by 24 percent, and total visits to the site topped off at 51,868,345, the second most in history. Additionally, more than 3.1 million hours of live streaming was viewed, an increase of 12 percent from 2010. Also, 53.1 million fans watched all or part of the tennis matches on CBS Sports, up 17 percent from last year.
US Open Doubles Champions Melzer/Petzschner commit to Malaysian Open, Kuala Lumpur
Austrian Jurgen Melzer and German Philipp Petzschner, who captured the 2011 US Open Doubles Championship in New York two weeks ago, have committed to playing doubles together at the Malaysian Open, Kuala Lumpur 2011. “We are really looking forward to being in Kuala Lumpur,” said Melzer. “I have seen tennis increase in popularity in Asia over recent years and I am sure the fans in Kuala Lumpur will give us a great welcome, especially now with this new title which Philipp and I are very proud of.” Melzer and Petzschner won their first Grand Slam doubles title together in 2010 at Wimbledon. For more information on the Malaysian Open, Kuala Lumpur 2011, log on to www.MalaysianOpenTennis.com.
12th World Congress of Society for Tennis Medicine and Science to take place in November in Paris
During the ATP Paris-Bercy Tennis Open from November 10-12, 2011 in Paris, France, the 12th World Congress of Society for Tennis Medicine and Science will be organized for the first time by the French Federation of Tennis. The high level scientific program provided by the Organizing Committee, during interactive sessions, will cover both tennis-related pathology and the health benefits of regular physical activity throughout life. Practical workshops will also take place to discover new techniques and innovative equipment. For more information or to sign up, visit the official website at www.tennis-medicine-congress-2011.com.