electric vehicle

By Justin Cohen

• Starting in 2011 for three years, ESPN and ABC will provide television coverage of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells and Sony Ericsson Open in Miami according to an article written by Daniel Kaplan of the SportsBusiness Journal. Previously, Fox Sports Net and Tennis Channel televised the tournaments. Tennis Channel will still televise some matches from both events starting in 2011. “Tennis doesn’t necessarily have to buy its way onto TV, but you have to buy to get the best TV time for our product,” said Adam Barrett, Tournament Director of the Sony Ericsson Open. The acquisition of Indian Wells and Miami strengthens ESPN’s tennis portfolio as the Grand Slam Network. ESPN2 will televise the Indian Wells’ men’s and women’s semifinals with ABC airing the Indian Wells’ finals. ESPN2 will show live coverage of the Miami quarterfinals and semifinals, with CBS retaining its rights for the Miami finals.
• ATP officials announced that Nissan will be the official car of the 2010 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, which will be held from November 21-28 at The O2 in London. The partnership is just a one-year agreement. Not only will Nissan be transporting the top eight singles players and doubles teams, they will also receive on court brand exposure during the year-end championships. “We are thrilled to be involved in such a significant event, which extends Nissan’s proud partnership with The O2. The Barclays ATP World Tour Finals offers a brilliant opportunity to showcase our diverse range of cars, including the soon to launch Nissan LEAF, the world’s first, mass market family 100% electric vehicle,” said John Parslow, the Marketing Manager for Nissan Motor Limited. Nissan, a founding partner of The O2, will be using a combination of Qashqai, Murano, X-TRAIL, Navara, Pathfinder and LEAF vehicles to manage player transportation during the tournament.
• On Monday, the Xerox Corporation and USTA announced that the world’s leading enterprise for business process and document management, has agreed to a five-year partnership to officially sponsor the US Open and Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day presented by Hess, starting in 2011. Xerox will serve as the exclusive office equipment and document technology and services provider for both the US Open and Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day.  The comprehensive partnership includes on-site presence, media support of tournament television broadcasts and a robust relationship with USOpen.org, the official website of the US Open. On-site at the US Open, Xerox will be provided with both courtside and ring signage in Arthur Ashe Stadium and the Louis Armstrong Stadium as well as other tournament courts. “The USTA does a masterful job of creating on-court excitement for tennis fans around the world,” said Christa Carone, Chief Marketing Officer of Xerox. “Off the courts is a hub of activity to serve up fast and accurate communication with officials, administrators, press, players and guests.  That’s where Xerox comes in. Through our document technology and services, we’ll give the USTA more freedom to focus on their real business – on the court and off.”
• Klip America, Inc., a global sports brand management firm which is the worldwide licensee for Völkl Tennis and Boris Becker Tennis announced on Tuesday that they had been renamed to Epic Sports International, Inc. In addition, Epic has announced a new long-term, global logistics deal with Samsung C&T America, Inc., a global trading and investment firm. As a result of the deal, SCTA will be responsible for all domestic “pick and pack” functions and logistics management between Epic’s Far East suppliers and the firm’s global distribution networks. “Our new Samsung partnership provides us with the expertise and resources of a proven, global business leader to efficiently service our growing number of distribution channels worldwide,” said Brian Dillman, Vice President and General Manager of Epic Sports International. “In addition to company-wide growth and expansion initiatives, the Völkl brand has enjoyed high-level consumer visibility with a US Open mixed doubles win by No.1 WTA doubles player Liezel Huber, and Völkl spokesperson,” said Dillman. “Coupled with the launch of new, premium technology product next year, the Völkl brand is on track to becoming the No. 5 premium tennis brand in the United States in 2011.”
• American Taylor Dent officially announced his retirement from the ATP World Tour on Monday following back problems for the last five years. The 29-year-old, who reached a career high No. 21 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings in August 2005, won four singles titles and earned just over $2.5 million in tournament prize money throughout his career. “I had the privilege to compete at the highest level for 12 years, see places in the world I would have never been able to see without tennis, and meet people along the way that have become lifelong friends,” said Dent in a statement. “I am looking forward to spending more time with my family, especially with my wife Jenny and our son Declan. I want to continue to stay active in the tennis industry and I am excited to explore opportunities in the world of tennis that my full tournament schedule never allowed me to do.”
• On Sunday, November 7 in San Diego during the Fed Cup finals between the United States and Italy, Billie Jean King was presented with the Fed Cup Award of Excellence by the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum and International Tennis Federation. The Fed Cup Award of Excellence was developed by the International Tennis Hall of Fame and the ITF in 2001, and is presented annually to a person who represents the ideals and spirit of the Fed Cup competition and has been an active member of a past or present Fed Cup team. ITF President Francesco Ricci Bitti and International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum CEO Mark Stenning presented the award. “Billie Jean King is one of the sport’s all-time greats, both on court and in all her accomplishments away from tennis,” said Francesco Ricci Bitti, the ITF President. “She has been an active and successful contributor to Fed Cup, and her fight for equality in sports and society has had an immensely positive effect on the competition. In recognition of all that she has achieved, we are honored to present Billie Jean King with the Fed Cup Award of Excellence.”

  

• World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki has been named to the WTA Player Council, replacing the outgoing Patty Schnyder. Other players on the council include Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Bethanie Mattek-Sands, Francesca Schiavone and Akgul Amanmuradova.
• 2010 US Open doubles finalist Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi has been named a UN Goodwill Ambassador by the UN Development Program.
• Former World No. 5 doubles player Martin Damm of the Czech Republic has officially retired from the ATP World Tour and will now take on a full-time position as rising American Ryan Harrison’s coach. Throughout his career, Damm won 40 doubles titles including the 2006 US Open with Leander Paes.
• The International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum has launched their new website with the help of internationally known digital agency, VML, which is based in Kansas City, with principal offices in New York, London, Geneva, Milan, and Seattle. “We are grateful for VML’s  generous contributions, which enabled the Hall of Fame to more efficiently communicate with tennis fans and to support our mission of honoring the historic legends of the game, but in a modern style,” said Christopher E. Clouser, Chairman of the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum. “We look forward to continuing to develop our online presence, in order to grow interest and awareness for tennis.” The new website is easy to navigate and features stunning historic pictures and increased video presence. In addition, the new website also features profiles of all 218 individuals who have been inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. You can visit the official website at: www.tennisfame.com.
• On Tuesday, it was announced that The International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum had been selected as one of three candidates from Rhode Island in the Hampton Save-A-Landmark program, a national campaign to restore historic landmarks in all 50 states. If selected, the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum will receive a cash donation as well as volunteer service from Hampton Hotels employees to work on a restoration project at the property. The winning three candidates will be determined by public vote on www.HamptonLandmarks.com. Voting runes from now until November 30 at 11:59 EST. No registration is required to vote. “From the remarkable architecture to the historic tennis courts, along with the diverse Museum collection, the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum holds a fascinating history of American sport, society and architecture,” said Mark L. Stenning, CEO of the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum. “Maintenance of this property, like historic landmarks across the nation, requires an immense amount of resources, but it is vital to preserving the fabric of American history, which is why the Hampton Save-A-Landmark program is so important. It is an honor to be nominated, and we are grateful for the commitment to preservation that Hampton Hotels has shown.”
• Former World No. 1 and two-time Grand Slam singles champion Amelie Mauresmo finished Sunday’s ING New York City Marathon in 3:40:20, while tennis legend Yannick Noah posted a time of 4:01:38. Former Top 70 player and current Tennis Channel broadcaster Justin Gimelstob finished in 4:09:58. Gimelstob will receive a $10,000 donation to his charity from Andy Roddick. The two had made a much-publicized bet on whether Gimelstob could finish under four hours and 45 minutes.
• Recreational tennis teams from California, Florida, Hawaii, Minnesota, Missouri, New York and Virginia captured national championship titles at the World Team Tennis Recreation League National Finals, which concluded Sunday afternoon at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, Calif. A record 59 recreational tennis teams representing 17 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, competed for national championship titles in 11 divisions during the three-day tournament. The teams advanced to the national finals by qualifying from their respective division in seven World Team Tennis Recreation League national qualifying tournaments held throughout the year. Corporate League teams qualified by winning their local league. The weekend kicked off with a players’ Wilson Clinic hosted by tennis legend and WTT co-founder Billie Jean King. All matches were played using the World Team Tennis format, a fun, fast-paced co-ed team format that encourages equal contributions from both genders. A team has a minimum of four players, two men and two women. The World Team Tennis format uses five or six no-ad sets: men’s and women’s doubles, men’s and women’s singles and one or two sets of mixed doubles.