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USTA To Name US Open Press Room “The Bud Collins US Open Media Center”

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The USTA announced that the press center at the US Open will be officially named the “Bud Collins US Open Media Center,” to honor the noted tennis journalist and historian.  The concept was approved unanimously by the USTA Board of Directors earlier this year.

The press center servicing the US Open is located on the ground level of Arthur Ashe Stadium at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.  A plaque featuring the Tennis Hall of Famer will be unveiled at a special ceremony on Sunday, September 6, in the West Media Room.  Collins, his wife Anita, and other members of their family are expected to attend the event.  More than 1,000 journalists from more than 60 countries annually cover the US Open, making the tournament one of the top sports media destinations in the world.

“Few people have contributed as much to the sport of tennis as Bud has,” said Katrina Adams, USTA Chairman of the Board and President.  “He is a special person, a friend and mentor to many in the industry, and one who has spread his passion for the sport in so many ways.  The span of his career is breathtaking, and we are privileged to name our media center in his honor.”

Though best known for his long-standing tennis column in the Boston Globe, which he started writing in 1963; Collins’ career has touched nearly all major journalistic outlets across seven decades. He became one of the first print reporters to become a sports television announcer when he joined WGBH-TV for its national tennis broadcasts, and his work in television reached its pinnacle when he joined NBC Sports, where he was the face of “Breakfast at Wimbledon” for 35 years. He is considered tennis’ pre-eminent historian and is the author of eight books, including Bud Collins: History of Tennis.

A recipient of numerous honors and awards, Collins was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in July 1994.  In addition to reporting on the sport, Collins was a fine competitive tennis player who won the U.S. Indoor Mixed Doubles Championship in 1961 with Janet Hopps and reached the final of the French Open Senior Doubles in 1975.

This year’s US Open is scheduled from August 31 through September 13, with the US Open Qualifying Tournament beginning on August 25.

Bud Collins
Bud Collins

Martin Blackman Named General Manager of USTA Player Development

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The USTA has announced that Martin Blackman has been named General Manager, USTA Player Development. In this full-time position, Blackman will oversee the USTA’s Player development staff and partner with the U.S. tennis community to identify and develop the next generation of world-class American tennis players. Blackman will continue to work toward a true Team USA concept, working collegially and cooperatively with the greater American player development community.  Blackman, who will report to USTA Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer, Gordon Smith, succeeds Patrick McEnroe, who held the position since 2008.

Blackman will oversee both the USTA’s Player Development staff and Training Centers –including its Regional Training Center network and the Player Development facilities at the soon-to-be created USTA National Campus in Lake Nona, Fla.

Blackman has a diverse and extensive background as a coach and a player, beginning with his days as a junior, when he trained with legendary coach Nick Bollettieri, alongside future greats Andre Agassi and Jim Courier. Blackman, who won the USTA Boys’ 16s National Championship in 1986 and reached the Boys’ 18s final two years later, went on to become a member of two NCAA Championship teams at Stanford University.  He continued his play at the ATP level from 1989 to 1995, reaching a career-high of No. 158.

Blackman then became the head men’s tennis coach at American University in 1998. During his tenure at American, Blackman was named conference Coach of the Year three times, leading American to three conference titles, two NCAA Tournament appearances and its first-ever national ranking.

In 2004, Blackman was hired as Director of the Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park, Md., and began to help build it into one of the premier junior training centers in America. In his five years at the JTCC, Blackman helped the Center double both its junior program enrollment and its full-time staff, and the JTCC has since worked with and helped develop pros such as Alison Riske and Denis Kudla and top junior Francis Tiafoe.

Near the end of his tenure in College Park, Blackman submitted a proposal to the USTA recommending that it partner with the best junior development programs across the nation, which was the impetus for the creation of the USTA Regional Training Center network.  He was hired by the USTA in 2009 as Senior Director of Talent Identification and Development, a role that saw him oversee the implementation of the Regional Training Center program, serve as a co-leader of the Coaching Education Department and be USTA Player Development’s leader for Diversity and Inclusion.

Blackman left the USTA in late 2011 to found his own tennis academy, the Blackman Tennis Academy, in Boca Raton, Fla. After only its second year of full-time programming, Blackman’s Academy sent all eight of its graduating students to college on tennis scholarships.

Blackman also served two terms on the USTA Board of Directors, from 2003-06, serving on the Audit and Collegiate Committees.

“The USTA is lucky to have secured an individual with as well-rounded a background as Martin Blackman,” said USTA Chairman, President and CEO Katrina Adams. “I have known Martin for many years and I am confident that he is the right person at the right time to continue to lead USTA Player Development in the right direction moving forward.”

“If you set out to list all of the experience and qualifications you would want in the ideal candidate for this position, Martin checks all of the boxes. He brings a unique combination of experience and skills to the job. His expansive background in all areas of player development from experience as a player, to talent identification, to coaching at the highest levels gives him  a solid platform to build on the great base that Patrick and the staff has built.” said USTA Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer, Gordon Smith. “His experience as a player, coach, administrator and innovator makes him the ideal leader for USTA Player Development as we continue to work with the American Tennis Family to identify and develop world-class American players.”

Blackman lives in Boca Raton, Fla., with his wife and their four children. He holds an economics degree from George Washington University.

Martin Blackman from 1989 Stanford tennis team
Martin Blackman from 1989 Stanford tennis team

 

USTA To Create New State-of-the-Art Facility For Player and Community Development at Lake Nona, Orlando, Florida

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The United States Tennis Association (USTA) today announced its plans to create the new home for American tennis, a state-of-the-art facility at Lake Nona area in Orlando, Fla., that will enhance the sport at every level. The 100-plus court tennis center, which will house the USTA’s Community Tennis and Player Development divisions, will be divided into dedicated areas that will focus on the complete tennis pathway – from the youngest players, to recreational players, to collegians, to future professional players, and to professional tour level players. The target completion date is the fourth quarter of 2016.

“This new home for American tennis will truly be a game-changer for our sport,” said USTA Chairman of the Board and President Dave Haggerty. “This world-class facility will be an inclusive gathering place for American tennis and will allow us to impact our sport at every level, from the grassroots to the professional ranks.”

“Today’s announcement is wonderful news for families in Orlando. USTA’s expansion and creation of 154 new jobs will make Florida one of the top states for tennis in the nation, and this state-of-the-art facility will be the USTA’s first year-round outdoor facility,” said Florida Governor Rick Scott. “This new division headquarters will allow Floridians of all ages and skill set the opportunity to try their hand at tennis.”

“More than a decade ago we undertook a strategic plan for the development of the southeast sector of our City,” said City of Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. “The selection of Orlando for the United States Tennis Association’s new divisional headquarters further enhances this area and speaks to the value of our community’s assets – a talented labor force, business friendly environment and global access via a world-class airport.”

“Lake Nona is founded on the principles of innovative collaboration and inspiring human potential,” said Rasesh Thakkar, Senior Managing Director of Tavistock Group. “This campus at Lake Nona has all of the ingredients for the beginnings of a world-class sports and human performance cluster with the USTA setting the bar.”

The USTA is partnering with Lake Nona and Tavistock Group, along with a consortium of regional and state partners, to construct a facility in a hotbed for tennis and in the nation’s top destination city. The complex will be located on 63-acres of land and will include:

– Tournament and League Area – This area will include 24 clay courts and 16 hard courts. The space will include two player pavilions and a tournament administration office which will include trainer rooms, a stringer area, player lounge, public restrooms, and a check-in area. It will let the USTA deliver events like never before and will set a new functional standard for the sport.

– Collegiate Tennis Area – This area will feature 12 hard courts and one future tournament show court, and will serve as the home of the University of Central Florida’s Men’s and Women’s Varsity Tennis Program. The courts will be equipped with high mast lighting for televised events and have elevated seating for 1,200 people with room on the north and south end for additional seating. The area will allow two collegiate matches to be played simultaneously. Additionally, it will feature a two-story pavilion for concessions, public restrooms, team locker rooms, and areas for trainers and officials.

– Team USA Area – This area will include eight hard courts and eight clay courts. The courts will be utilized by the 17 USTA Sections, along with coaches and their players throughout the country to work collaboratively with USTA Player Development.

– High Performance and Player Development Area – This area will include eight hard courts, eight red clay courts, and six covered courts for the USTA Player Development division. The space includes dormitories that can house 32 boys and girls. The strength and conditioning area will include a sand and workout area. In addition, the area will be utilized for Team USA Events.

– 36/60’ Tennis – This area will include eight 36’ and eight 60’ courts enabling youth and adults to develop their games.

– USTA Office Building – The ground floor will include a tennis pro shop, fitness area, locker rooms, player lounge, and cafeteria with USTA offices occupying the second and third floors.

– Technology – The facility will be an epicenter for tennis innovation and education. It will incorporate the latest technology to provide an unparalleled playing, training and educational experience for players, coaches and spectators.

“UCF has embraced this project because it impacts academics, community partnerships, economic development and athletics,” said UCF President John C. Hitt. “Our students, our tennis players and our entire community will benefit from having the finest tennis facilities in the country at Lake Nona.”

“Our goal is simple, continue to raise the bar for our sport,” said Gordon Smith, USTA Executive Director and Chief Operating Office. “Our new facility in Orlando will help ensure we develop the next generation of players, coaches, tennis providers, officials and volunteers.”

The USTA Player Development division will move its national headquarters from Boca Raton, Fla. to Orlando, aiming to provide the best opportunities to succeed for the next generation of American tennis champions.

This new home for American tennis will host every type of tennis event from 10 and under team tennis events to national championships for those aged 90 and over. It will also provide a new vision of opportunities allowing the USTA to host new events to provide an exceptional experience for its patrons and members throughout the country. Additionally, the facility is in close proximity to the Orlando International Airport for visiting tennis players. The details of facility programming are forthcoming.

Lake Nona is a thoughtfully planned, innovative community in southeast Orlando driving more than $7 billion in economic activity in Central Florida. Highlighted by a life sciences cluster known as Medical City, Lake Nona has become home to some of the nation’s top hospitals, universities, research institutions and health and life science companies. Tavistock Group, the international private investment organization behind the 7,000-acre master-planned development at Lake Nona and the 650-acre Lake Nona Medical City healthcare cluster, provided an innovative structure to acquire the land for the new state-of-the-art facility and will act as lead developer on the 270,000-square-foot complex and its more than one hundred tennis courts.

USTA
USTA

From USTA Futures Event In Vero Beach, Top U.S. Prospect Francis Tiafoe Targets A Junior Grand Slam Title

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By Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

 

VERO BEACH, Fla. — It’s not every day that Sports Illustrated and the Washington Post focus their journalistic endeavors on the sleepy Florida coastal paradise of Vero Beach and its $10,000 USTA Futures level tennis tournament. While the event – the SorensenRealEstate.com Tennis Classic – is among the most successful Futures events in the USA – now in its 20th year – the focus of this media interest is entirely 16-year-old Francis Tiafoe, perhaps the brightest future hope for American men’s tennis.

Tiafoe became a lightning rod for attention in American tennis circles when he became the youngest player to win the boys’ 18 title Orange Bowl last December as a 15-year-old, joining a list of champions at the 67-year-old international event headlined by Roger Federer, Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe, Ivan Lendl and Jim Courier. Add in the fact that he has an incredible story of being the son of immigrants from war-torn Sierra Leone on the west coast of Africa and that he picked up the sport while his father worked as a maintenance person at the Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park, Maryland. (Read more in this New York Times article: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/24/sports/tennis/francis-tiafoe-top-ranked-junior-grew-up-at-tennis-center-and-it-shows.html?_r=0) With a current world junior ranking of No. 2, Tiafoe is now stepping up onto the next rung of the ladder of competitive tennis on the “Futures” tour – the lowest level of professional tennis.

“It’s definitely tougher. You have to come in with a different mentality,” Tiafoe said of playing pro-level tennis after his 6-4, 6-2 second-round loss in Vero Beach to Gregory Ouellette, a 27-year-old former All-American at the University of Florida, ranked No. 592. “Here, they don’t really care if you are good junior. They don’t care who you are. They want to win the match. It’s completely different. In the juniors, I‘m pretty well respected and I can win matches off my name. Here, you have you work for every match and every point. It’s not easy. I really need to get used to this level.”

“It’s good for Francis to be here and play some matches against these guys maybe lose a few matches and stay humble and keep on learning and getting better,” said Misha Kouznetsov, Tiafoe’s coach from the Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park, Maryland, a USTA Regional Training Center for High Performance. “Here you always have to hold serve and you have to always be aggressive. You cannot have mental breakdowns. You have to stay right on it. In juniors, you can get always with a lot of stuff.”

Next for Tiafoe is continued introductions into pro tennis on the USTA Pro Circuit and similar-level ITF Futures events in Spain before competing at the French Open juniors and junior Wimbledon. Main draw or qualifying wild cards into ATP events in Newport, R.I., Atlanta and Washington, DC could materialize in July. Tiafoe will also compete at the USTA National Boys’ 18 Championships in Kalamazoo, Michigan, where he will hope to earn the automatic wild card entry into the US Open that is awarded to the winner.

Ranked No. 1,296 in the ATP rankings this week, Tiafoe is a high school sophomore – home-schooled working with three different teachers, mainly over Skype, as well as with other tutors. In addition to practicing and improving his tennis skills and technique, Kouznetsov said he works on tennis specific track work and improving his fitness and endurance.

When asked in Vero Beach what his goals were for the rest of the year, Tiafoe was succinct and clear on what he wanted to achieve, a sign of a someone bound for future success.

“The goal is to win one of the Slams this year in the juniors,” Tiafoe said. “By January of next year, I want to be 400 or 300 in the world in the ATP rankings. I want to go into the pros next year with a pretty high ranking and see if I am going to go to school or not.”

Tiafoe said that his final tournament as a junior player will be the U.S. Open junior championships in September before he will focus entirely on playing for ATP ranking points to help determine whether he will turn professional or attend college.

“I want to turn pro,” Tiafoe said when asked if he was leaning more towards college or turning professional, “but you never know what will happen.”

 

Francis Tiafoe
Francis Tiafoe

Francis Tiafoe Becomes Youngest-Ever Orange Bowl Boys’ 18s Singles Champion

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It was a celebration that fit the achievement. Francis Tiafoe slammed his racket down and shouted up to the sky in elation.

Tiafoe, 15, won the Boys’ 18s singles title at the Metropolia Orange Bowl International Tennis Championships on Sunday, becoming the youngest player to win the title in the tournament’s 67 years.

Tiafoe defeated Stefan Kozlov, of Pembroke Pines, Fla., 7-6(3), 0-6, 6-3, in the first all-American Orange Bowl boys’ final since 2004. It was also the first time two 15-year olds had played for the 18s championship – Tiafoe turns 16 on January 20, Kozlov on February 1 – with the College Park, Md., native writing history, with an exclamation point.

Serving for the match, Tiafoe boomed an ace down the middle, tossed his racket and roared.

“Before serving, I was like, ‘I’m just going to hit it as hard as I can down the T. It doesn’t matter where it goes.’  I hit it as hard as I can, and it was probably the best serve I hit the whole match. It was unbelievable,” Tiafoe said. “I didn’t know what to do. I was too excited. I, like, slammed it. I never slammed a racket from excitement before.”

Tiafoe, seeded 13th, defeated three of the tournament’s top five seeds en route to joining the likes of John McEnroe, Roger Federer, Ivan Lendl, Bjorn Borg and Andy Roddick as Orange Bowl champions. The only other 15-year old to win the Boys’ 18s title is Sweden’s Kent Carlsson, who was 16 days older than Tiafoe when he won it in 1983.

On Sunday, Tiafoe battled from being down, 4-1, in the first set to claim it in a tiebreak. The pivotal moment came in the sixth game, on a fortunate mishit from Tiafoe that ballooned up to the sky and fell in. Shortly after, he won the rally, won the game then broke the fourth-seeded Kozlov to get back on serve.

“I came out really slow,” said Tiafoe, who trains out of the Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park, Md. “I was really tight. I was over-thinking the moment. He’s played a Grade A final before. He was looking pretty comfortable there. Even if I went down the first set, I kind of knew I would eventually get myself into it. He coughed up a couple of errors, and I felt pretty confident and ended up squeezing out that tiebreak.”

As Tiafoe put it, he “went cold” in the second set, and Kozlov took advantage. In the third, though, Tiafoe’s superior conditioning wore down Kozlov, the top-ranked American junior, who will end the year at No. 5 in the world junior rankings, two spots ahead of Tiafoe, who projects to jump from No. 35 to No. 7.

“I’ve had a really tough week, played some long matches. My body’s obviously not fully grown yet, and that’s going to be a huge role the next time you guys see me. I’m going to be a lot stronger, and this won’t happen again,” said Kozlov, of nearby Pembroke Pines, Fla. “He’s in really good shape. I think if I played someone else, we would have been both dying.

“I don’t mind losing to him, because he’s a great player,” said Kozlov, who beat Tiafoe in their only previous meeting this year, in April’s International Spring Championships. “But I’ll get some revenge later.”

The Girls’ 18s final also finished with intrigue. Top-seeded Varvara Flink, of Russia, defeated No. 2 Ivana Jorovic, of Serbia, 6-1, 2-6, 6-4. With Jorovic serving at match-point down, Flink hit her return into the net but pointed out to the chair umpire that the ball had torn open. By rule, the point was replayed, and Flink won the do-over.

“I was lucky with it, but that’s why I missed the ball, because I felt that it was broken. If the rally is done but the ball is broken, you replay the point,” said Flink, who will finish the year ranked No. 3 in the world among juniors. “It’s an unbelievable feeling, because I was really fighting for this match. My opponent was great and congrats to her for the final.”

Tornado Alicia Black, from Boca Raton, Fla., and Naiktha Bains, of Australia, won the Girls’ 18s doubles title, beating Sofia Kenin, of Pembroke Pines, Fla., and Kaitlyn McCarthy, of Cary, N.C., 6-0, 6-1.

Black projects to jump to No. 5 in the world junior rankings to become the top-ranked American junior girl with the doubles title, won with a partner she’d never before played doubles with.

“It feels amazing to win an Orange Bowl title,” Black said. “We get along really well.”

“Yeah, we do,” Bains said. “And that really helps on the court. We have good teamwork, and we work together really well.”

In an entertaining Boys’ 18s doubles championship, No. 2 Filippo Baldi, of Italy, and Lucas Miedler, of Austria, beat the top-seeded pair of Alexander Zverev, of Germany, and Andrey Rublev, of Russia, 6-3, 6-7(6) [10-8]. The pair also won the Eddie Herr International Championships last week.

“Of course it feels good,” Miedler said. “We also won last week. We won this here. I think we won half of the matches in the match tiebreak, so I think it also feels good to win the close matches. It’s a great moment.”

“It feels sensational,” Baldi said. “We played a good tournament, and we won.”

For complete tournament information, visit www.orangebowltennis.org.

Francis Tiafoe
Francis Tiafoe

ATP World Finals Delivers Record Attendance – This Week In Tennis Business With Liz Kobak

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By Liz Kobak

 

ATP World Finals Delivers Record Attendance

Sold out crowds and record-breaking online and television audiences made Barclays ATP World Tour Finals history at this year’s season-ending title held in London’s O2.

There were 17,800 pairs of eyes that excitedly watched defending champion Novak Djokovic commandingly defeat world No. 1 Rafael Nadal in straight sets. The Serbian star raked in $1.92 Million, while he and his fellow ATP tour standouts attracted 261,247 in-person spectators. More than 260,000 fans were also in attendance last year. Since relocating to London in 2009, the eight-day tournament housed in The O2 arena has welcomed upward of 1.28 Million tennis fans. The elite tournament’s mobile traffic doubled since last year.

“The Barclays ATP World Tour Finals at The O2 have been another terrific success. We’re always looking for ways to grow the event and to give fans greater opportunities to engage with our tournament on-site, online and on television,” said Barclays ATP World Tour Finals Tournament Director Andre Silva. “We’re thrilled with the response that we’ve had and we’re very grateful for the support that the tournament has had from fans all over the world.”

The Barclays ATP World Tour Finals has been in action since The Masters was born in 1970. London’s The O2 is this event’s home through 2015.

ATP Tournament Making Grassy Switch

Work is progressing at Stuttgart’s MercedesCup, where courts are changing from clay to grass for the 2015 ATP World Tour 250 tournament.

These past three months, TC Weissenhof’s Courts 12, 13 and 18 were rebuilt under the All England Club’s guidance.

“The soil structure and grass mixture we are using in Stuttgart is equal to Wimbledon,” said Engelmann Golfplatzpflege GmbH CEO Christian Engelmann, who spearheads the company that is retrofitting these courts. “We would like to thank the All England Lawn Tennis Club for their excellent support. If everything progresses well and stays on schedule, the first three grass courts in Stuttgart will be ready for play end of May 2014.”

On July 7, 2014, former Wimbledon champions John McEnroe and Michael Stich are playing an exhibition match on Mercedes Court (formerly Court 18), where there are 2,000 surrounding seats. Center Court and EnBWCourt are also going grass in 2015.

Car Companies Driving Wimbledon Finalist’s Endorsements

Less than six months after reaching her first-ever Grand Slam singles final, 24-year-old German tennis star Sabine Lisicki drove into yet another major car-related endorsement deal.

The 2013 Wimbledon finalist and world No. 15 has officially become German car insurance company AdmiralDirekt.de’s brand ambassador. Lisicki is featured in AdmiralDirekt.de’s photo shoot video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aM1GB_x_Q04. While her endorsement compensation has not yet been disclosed, evidently her playing career and everything that comes with it is heading down a good path.

Lisicki also received endorsements from French car company Peugeot following her Wimbledon run. Perhaps another car company will put Lisicki in the driver’s seat depending on her 2014 Grand Slam performances.

Tennis Channel Launches Exotic Sweepstakes

Tennis Channel launched arguably its most illustrious sweepstakes ever: Emirates Seeing Our World.

The golden ticket grants $30,000 in total amenities, including two airline tickets to Dubai, VIP 2014 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships passes, five luxurious nights in Atlantis Palm Dubai and more.

Enter here: http://www.tennischannel.com/emirates/

ATP World Tour 500 Increasing Tournament Prize Money

Professional male tennis players can expect significant pay raise soon.

The ATP announced on Friday that ATP World Tour 500 tournaments’ average player compensation will increase by 10 percent in five years’ time. Total prize money in this caliber tournament will grow from $17.6 Million (2013) to $30.8 million (2018).

“We are delighted to have reached this outcome which sees significant prize money increases for the players, as well as the addition of two very strong tournaments in Queen’s and Halle to the ATP World Tour 500 category from 2015,”said ATP Europe CEO Laurent Delanney. “The decision not only strengthens the 500s category as a whole but also enhances the grass-court season leading into Wimbledon. It is a terrific outcome for our players, tournaments and the sport as a whole.”

Tour players must compete in at least four of these tournaments throughout five years, including one after the US Open. The official 2015 ATP World Tour 500 tournament schedule arrives in due course.

US Fed Cup Team To Play In Cleveland 

The USTA recently announced that Cleveland’s Public Auditorium has been chosen as the 2014 Fed Cup by BNP Paribas’ site for the World Group First Round between the United States and reigning Fed Cup champion Italy, February 8-9.

Fed Cup is the world’s largest annual international team competition among female athletes, with 96 countries represented in 2014.  The United States leads all nations with 17 Fed Cup titles, winning its last in 2000. The United States and Italy are two of eight nations eligible to win the 2014 title within the elite Fed Cup World Group.

The best-of-five match series begins with two singles matches on Saturday, February 8, and is followed by two reverse singles matches and one doubles match on Sunday, February 9. The round winner advances to the semifinals, facing either Spain or the Czech Republic April 19-20.

“I am thrilled that Fed Cup is headed to Cleveland for the first time,” said U.S. Fed Cup Team Captain and Cleveland resident Mary Joe Fernandez.  “Italy is a tough team with a strong record in Fed Cup, and playing them is always challenging and exciting for us. Living in Cleveland, I am happy that Ohio will get to see some high-quality tennis, and I expect tennis fans to fill the stands to cheer on Team USA.”

General public tickets are available starting on Friday, December 6, while USTA member pre-sale begins two days prior. Call the U.S. Fed Cup hotline at (888) 334-8782 or visit www.usta.com/fedcup for latest ticket information. The USTA is organizing, staging and promoting this event, while Tennis Channel is providing all live match coverage daily.

 

Liz Kobak won the 2013 USTA National Women’s Open Singles Grass Court Championship. She is a 2010 Columbia University graduate and Northwestern University journalism master’s recipient. She is a former WTA ranked pro and #1 ranked United States junior tennis player who rates her 6-4, 6-1 win on Italian clay over Sara Errani as her best victory.

 

ATP World Tour Finals
ATP World Tour Finals

U.S. Davis Cup Team To Play In Open Air Baseball Stadium At Petco Park – This Week In Tennis Business With Liz Kobak

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by Liz Kobak

@LizTennis

 

U.S. Davis Cup Team To Compete In Open Air Baseball Stadium For First Time At Petco Park

The USTA announced that San Diego’s Petco Park will be the site for the 2014 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas first round match between the United States and Great Britain, January 31-February 2. The matches will be played on a clay court in a temporary stadium built in left field, which will have an expected capacity of approximately 8,000. It will be the first time Davis Cup is played in an open air baseball stadium in the United States and the first time the U.S. Davis Cup team hosted a tie on clay since the 1992 semifinals (U.S. def. Sweden, 4-1 in Minneapolis).

The event is being organized, staged and promoted by the USTA. Tickets will go on sale to the general public on December 6 (a USTA member pre-sale begins December 4).  For more information, fans can call the U.S. Davis Cup hotline at (888) 484-8782 or visit www.usta.com/daviscup.

“Our squad is ready to go up against a tough adversary in the British squad,” said U.S. Davis Cup Captain Jim Courier.  “Andy Murray is one of the strongest players in the sport and we expect our home crowd to come out and support us in what will be a thrilling Davis Cup tie.”

ATP World Tour Stars Raise Children’s Charity Funds

ATP Stars Juan Martin del Potro, Tomas Berdych and others helped Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity collect £410,000 at Barclays ATP World Tour Finals Gala at London’s Natural History Museum on Saturday.

The Moët & Chandon sponsored Gala launched Barclays’ 2013 ATP World Tour Finals (playing through November 11) and generated essential funding for Great Ormond Street Hospital’s new respiratory ward.  Now in its third year, the 2013 Gala brought the total charity money raised to £1.2 Million since 2011. An exclusive auction was held on Saturday, including a chance to meet the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals champion and a rare gold-leaf Methuselah of Moët & Chandon signed by red carpet World Tour players.

“The Gala has been another terrific success, and a great way to welcome many of the world’s best players to London ahead of next week’s Barclays ATP World Tour Finals,” said Barclays ATP World Tour Finals Tournament Director Andre Silva. “We’re very proud to have helped raise more than £400,000 for Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity for a third consecutive year, and would like to thank all those who gave so generously on the night in support of such a worthy cause. We look looking forward to another spectacular season finale at The O2 over the next eight days.”

The Barclays ATP World Tour Finals has welcomed more than one million fans to its O2 arena these past four years, becoming one of the world’s most lucrative and highly attended indoor tennis tournaments since moving to London in 2009. Tickets are available here: http://www.BarclaysATPWorldTourFinals.com.

USTA Names Tennis Development Workshop Awards Recipients

The USTA announced that eight tennis coaches and administrations were honored at its Tennis Development Workshop in Denver Nov. 1-3 for holistically enhancing this beloved game.

There were six 2013 award categories:

  • Adaptive Tennis National Community Service Award: USTA Adaptive Tennis program leader exhibited continual tennis excellence, dedication and service. Winner: Omaha Tennis Buddies, Omaha, NE. (http://www.tennisbuddiesrock.com/)
  • Eve F. Kraft Community Service Award: Bestowed upon those who exemplify Kraft’s mission to give everyone wanting to play tennis opportunities. Kraft was a teacher and USTA staff member who introduced many disadvantaged community members to tennis. Winner: Celia Rehm, Jacksonville, FL.
  • Janet Louer USTA Jr. Team Tennis Organizer of the Year: Awarded to individuals who positively impact children’s lives and communities. Winner: Heidi Stryker, Irvine, CA.
  • National Community Tennis Association of the Year: Honors one CTA for developing tennis in its respective community. This category contains 17 nominees, one from each USTA section. Winner: Savannah Area Tennis Association, Savanna, GA.
  • National Junior Tennis & Learning Chapters of the Year: Awards organizations that maximize their tennis programs according to their specific budgets, segmented into three tiers. Winners: A’s & Aces (Exceeding $500,000), New Orleans, LA; Prince George’s Tennis & Education Foundation ($50-500,000), Prince George County, MD; Olivencia Tennis (less than $50,000), San Sebastian, Puerto Rico.
  • Trainer of the Year: One who promotes tennis’ growth through exemplary on-court training. Winner: Bill Phillips, Lafayette, LA.

Troicki Missing ATP Action Midway Through 2014 Season

The International Tennis Federation announced that the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) panel has lowered Viktor Troicki’s ITF match suspension from 18 to 12 months.

This decision came after careful evaluation of Troicki and the Doping Control Officer’s misunderstanding. Given Troicki’s degree of fault, his suspension was replaced with a 12-month ineligibility period effective July 15, 2013; he is allowed to compete again after July 15, 2014. While Troicki’s Monte Carlo Masters matches, prize money and ranking points won are still disqualified, the CAS has allowed Troicki to retain prize money and ranking points attained from other competitions he played.

Last week the ITF announced Marin Cilic’s reduced tennis suspension. Read more about Troicki’s here: http://www.itftennis.com/antidoping/news/decisions/cas-decision-in-the-case-of-viktor-troicki.aspx#fwlViMwqR6XJHsUx.99.

Opponent’s Ethnicity Makes Tunisian Tennis Player Forfeit Match

The International Tennis Federation banned Tunisia from the 2014 Davis Cup after one of its players was ordered not to compete against an Israeli opponent at a Challenger last month.

The ITF said in a statement that the Tunisian federation was guilty of “interfering with international sporting practice” when it ordered Malek Jaziri to withdraw from his quarterfinal against Israeli player Amir Weintraub at an ATP Challenger tournament in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

The ITF said its board voted unanimously to suspend Tunisia from the Davis Cup for one year, with Tunisian member Tarak Cherif recusing himself from the vote.

Jaziri, who was ranked top 70 ATP last year, caused his country’s Davis Cup suspension after tennis federation representatives allegedly forbade him from playing his Israeli opponent. Once Tunisia’s tennis federation officials heard of this upcoming match-up against Weintraub, a federation representative allegedly immediately interceded via e-mail and demanded Jaziri withdraw indefinitely. Tunisia’s top-ranked tennis player initially cited a knee injury as his reason for withdrawal.

“There is no room for prejudice of any kind in sport or in society,” said ITF president Francesco Ricci Bitti. “The ITF Board decided to send a strong message to the Tunisian Tennis Federation that this kind of action will not be tolerated by any of our members.”

Tennis Channel Debuting New Studio Set, Live Show

Tennis Channel unveiled its new studio set this November in conjunction with men’s year-end championships coverage Nov. 4-11 and Davis Cup Finals Nov. 15-17.

The Culver City, CA set introduced live coverage show Tennis Channel Live – similar to what the network provided on the US Open grounds and other tournaments in recent years.  In 2014 it becomes home to nightly tennis news update show Court Report.

“Viewers have reacted extremely positively to the on-site studio shows at the Slams and other competitions, and we’ve always planned to expand this concept to more events throughout the year,” said Tennis Channel Executive Producer Bob Whyley. “We cover more than 100 tournaments every year, and envision a point where Tennis Channel Live is used to enhance virtually all of them.  It was important to us that the new set reflected our signature conversational environment, as opposed to a straight news desk.  Tennis has never had this type of studio show on television, and this is a natural progression in our network’s evolution as the sport’s on-air home.”

The new set debuted on Monday during Tennis Channel’s live and week-long coverage of the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London, featuring coverage by sportscaster Brett Haber, Hall of Famer Tracy Austin and former top 5 ATP pro Jimmy Arias. Roland Garros Champion Michael Chang, renowned coach Paul Annacone and WTA sensation Sloane Stephens are making show appearances.

 

Liz Kobak won the 2013 USTA National Women’s Open Singles Grass Court Championship. She is a 2010 Columbia University graduate and Northwestern University journalism master’s recipient. She is a former WTA ranked pro and #1 ranked United States junior tennis player who rates her 6-4, 6-1 win on Italian clay over Sara Errani as her best victory.

USTA Rendering of Davis Cup at Petco Park
USTA Rendering of Davis Cup at Petco Park

US Open More Profitable Than Super Bowl – This Week In Tennis Business With Liz Kobak

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By Liz Kobak

@LizTennis

 

US Open More Profitable Than Super Bowl

Between illustrious players like Serena Williams, generous spending fans, sponsors and highly anticipated building projects, the 2013 US Open is expected to gross $720 Million.

That number is far higher than what the 2014 Super Bowl – the most-watched sporting event –will likely generate.

“The market audience comes with the sport, but the high-end sponsors come with the event’s length and visibility over the two-week period and the opportunity to entertain guests,” said Harvard Business School Business of Sports Professor Emeritus Stephen Greyser.

From spring 2014 to 2018, two new stadiums and a roof covering Arthur Ashe Stadium will be constructed and thus likely further economic growth.

Prince Back in Action Following Financial Scare

Prince is redefining itself and releasing new products 15 months after the American tennis brand went bankrupt.

Company employees attributed Prince’s economic failure to reduced consumer spending, heightened competition and overall economic depression. Company assets were $54 million against $78 million in debt.

“It’s been a long road over the past year. I think it all started by going back to basics,” said Prince Global Sports CEO Mike Ballardie, appointed to his post earlier this year.  “Prince is the authentic American tennis company. We went back to our roots.”

Prince is promoting its new products both on and off the court in New York City. Its tennis gear is on display in Midtown Manhattan throughout the US Open. The world’s No. 1 ranked doubles team of Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan wear only Prince. The legendary tennis twins are vying for their first calendar Grand Slam, which was last captured in 1951.

US Open Promotes Local Queens Businesses

The United States Tennis Associated (USTA) members have installed a front gate kiosk where local businesses are promoted. But this installation was not a revelation.

The US Open hosts more than 700,000 people annually, many of whom are from out of town and are unfamiliar with Queens. The tournament was criticized for not promoting local businesses enough to the thousands of fans who attend daily.

“As a result of the public hearings … the USTA is bending over backwards to be a great neighbor and to promote local businesses,” said Queens Chamber Executive Director Jack Friedman.

Included at this kiosk are Queens maps, brochures and hundreds of restaurant listings.

Tennis Channel Introduces US Open Coverage Apps

Tennis Channel and distribution partners Verizon FiOS TV and the National Cable Television Cooperative, Inc. (NCTC) recently unveiled the network’s first TV Everywhere applications.

Verizon FiOS TV and NCTC subscribers can access complimentary streaming on their phones, tablets and computers.

“For the first time in history, fans now have 24-hour, mobile access to the only television network that covers 85 percent of an entire sport, and every one of tennis’ top 100 tournaments, including all four majors,” said Tennis Channel’s Distribution Senior Vice President Patrick Wilson. “When we launched our Tennis Channel Everywhere app this spring we made clear that we wanted to work with our distribution partners to bring an authenticated linear stream to their subscribers as soon as possible.  Thanks to Verizon FiOS TV and NCTC, today we’ve taken those first steps, and we look forward to working with others.”

Apple’s Tennis Channel Everywhere mobile app is downloadable here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id651092377?mt=8 and Android’s at https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tennischannel.tceverywhere.

IBM, USTA Serve Fans Second Screen Experience

IBM (NYSE: IBM) and United States Tennis Association (USTA) recently announced that they are serving 2013 US Open tennis fans enhanced analytics, mobile and social technologies.This feature simultaneously engages spectators more with on-court action while handing them real-time match data insights that scores superficially cannot reveal.

“As the US Open continues to grow and reach tennis enthusiasts around the world, our fans are clamoring for access to more and more content, as well as deeper insights that allow them to join social conversations about the tournament,” said USTA Director of Digital Strategy and Partnership Nicole Jeter West. “Having a partner like IBM for over 20 years enables us to have great confidence the USOpen.org technology infrastructure and to feel like we have the best resources in place to meet our fans’ demands.

Through IBM software and services providing continual digital experiences, US Open enthusiasts are analytically empowered and appreciate tennis on another level regardless of where they are watching matches from.

For more information about how IBM is helping the US Open deliver an immersive second screen experience to fans, visit www.ibm.com/sports.

Doubles Prize Money at 2013 US Open Nearly Doubles

The 2013 US Open is offering $4.684 Million to doubles teams out of $32.2 Million in total tournament prize money, 40 percent more for doubles players than in 2012.

Should they win their calendar Grand Slam and claim this year’s US Open, the Bryan Brothers earn $460,000 ($230,000 to each brother) and a place in history as arguably one of the best doubles teams of all time.

Chase, USTA Restore Devastated NYC Tennis Courts

When Hurricane Sandy swept through Staten Island, it destroyed local children’s favorite tennis courts at Wolfe’s Pond Park.

Nearly one year after that devastation, Chase along with the USTA and City Parks Foundation revamped all Park courts, making them more playable than they ever were.

“This is important,” said 9-year-old tennis player Andrew. “This was destroyed and now we renewed it with the Chase company.”

Chase representatives are thrilled about their accomplishment.

“It’s been an amazing morning to have the kids out here, healthy and active and smiling,” said Chase Global Philanthropy Senior Associate Nubia Murray. “That’s what we wanted to do most. And we’re really excited about it.”

 

US Open
US Open

USTA Officially Announces New Retractable Roof For Arthur Ashe Stadium

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FLUSHING, N.Y., August 15, 2013 – The USTA today announced its plans for a sweeping transformation of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center that will include building a retractable roof over Arthur Ashe Stadium, and the construction of two new stadiums. The transformation will be implemented in three phases to begin at the conclusion of the 2013 US Open, with the goal of overall completion by the 2018 US Open.  The completion of the retractable roof for Arthur Ashe Stadium is scheduled for August 2017.

The cost for this historic transformation is estimated at $550 million, including the cost of the retractable roof, estimated to cost in excess of $100 million.  As it has done with improvements to the National Tennis Center in the past, the USTA will self-finance the entire cost of this transformation through a combination of bonds and USTA revenue generation. Since 1994, the USTA has invested more than $500 million in improvements to the site.

“We have been working toward a viable design for a roof on Arthur Ashe Stadium for more than a decade,” said USTA Chairman of the Board and President Dave Haggerty.  “Through a long and arduous process, we feel that we now have a design that meets the criteria of being architecturally sound, aesthetically pleasing, reasonably affordable, and buildable.”

In addition to the roof on Arthur Ashe Stadium, phase one of construction is scheduled to include the shifting of the existing practice courts and two tournament courts to the north. This will allow the construction of an expanded viewing area for the practice courts and the three new tournament courts. This enhanced fan experience will require the re-building of the current transportation facilities located adjacent to Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The retractable roof is being designed by ROSSETTI, the designer and architect of Arthur Ashe Stadium.  The USTA has hired Hunt Construction Group to build the retractable roof structure.  Hunt has a long and impressive track record of sports facility construction in New York City, including construction of the Barclays Center and Citifield.  As designed, the retractable roof constructed of flexible, translucent PTFE fabric stretched over a steel frame, will be supported by eight steel columns surrounding Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Phase two of the transformation will be anchored by the construction of a new 8,000-seat Grandstand Stadium in the southwest quadrant of the Tennis Center.  Simultaneously, field courts 7 through 16 will be moved south so that a larger pedestrian and fan esplanade can be created, better connecting the new Grandstand with Court 17.  This southern expansion also allows the USTA to further enhance the fan experience, with a new additional food court, new merchandise locations and sponsor exhibit booths, and other fan amenities across the southern expanse of the Tennis Center.

The project’s final phase will include the construction of a new 15,000-seat Louis Armstrong Stadium.  The USTA expects final design work for Armstrong to be completed in the next 12 to 18 months.  The targeted completion date of the stadium, which will be built “roof-ready,” is August 2018.  Also during the third phase, the USTA will complete a series of upgrades to the East Entrance, the most trafficked entry point to the US Open.

“We have an aggressive construction agenda for the entire National Tennis Center, with a new Grandstand Court built in time for the 2015 US Open, new retractable roof over Arthur Ashe Stadium by 2017, and a new Louis Armstrong Stadium opening for the 2018 US Open,” said Gordon Smith, USTA Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer.  “We recognize there are many known, and certainly many unknown, hurdles we will have to confront to meet this schedule.  We are ready for the challenge and hope we can achieve it.”

As a direct result of these collective enhancements to the NTC, the facility will be able to accommodate an extra 10,000 people each day during the US Open, increasing attendance by approximately 100,000 new visitors, and amounting to a significant economic boost to Queens, New York City and the entire metropolitan region.

The US Open of the Future
The US Open of the Future

Unpredictable Wimbledon Includes TV Ratings Drop for ESPN: This Week in Tennis Business with Justin Cohen

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By Justin Cohen @JustinCohen44

Wimbledon TV Ratings

According to the Nielsen Company, through its first six days of broadcast on ESPN and ESPN2, the audience averaged 598,000 viewers, down from 640,000 viewers during the same period in 2012. However, over the first four days of the tournament, ratings increased 80 percent among men 18-34.

Esurance extends partnership with USTA as part of a multi-year US Open Sponsorship Deal

The USTA announced on Tuesday, July 2 that Esurance, the direct-to-consumer car insurance company, has extended and expanded its sponsorship of the US Open. Esurance became a US Open sponsor in 2010, and following the new agreement, the company will continue as the official car insurance sponsor for the event through 2015. The new agreement includes a growing relationship with USTA digital platforms. This year, Esurance will be one of three sponsors of the “US Open Social Wall,” a new fan enhancement to the 2013 US Open. The Social Wall – a 50-foot wide by 8-foot high video wall located on the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center and replicated on USOpen.org – showcases fan passion for the tournament by centralizing and displaying the most compelling US Open-related social content. Esurance will also be the presenting sponsor of the US Open iPad app. This includes live streaming on the iPad app and USOpen.org, the official website of the US Open. Esurance’s on-site presence at the US Open will include branding exposure with courtside signage in Arthur Ashe Stadium, USTA shuttles to and from the event, select on-site maps and sponsorship of a bag-check station for the convenience of fans. The comprehensive partnership also includes media support of tournament television broadcasts and sponsorship elements surrounding Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day. Additionally, Esurance will sponsor six Emirates Airline US Open Series events leading up to America’s Grand Slam in New York including the BB&T Open in Atlanta, Bank of the West Classic at Stanford, Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, Winston-Salem Open and the New Haven Open at Yale. “Our continued partnership with the USTA provides Esurance with an incredible opportunity to engage with potential customers and millions of tennis fans,” said Esurance President and CEO Gary Tolman. “The expansion of our digital presence at the US Open aligns perfectly with Esurance’s approach of providing innovative technology that empowers consumers and makes experiences better and more enjoyable.”

Penn and Dasani partner to create limited edition tennis ball pack

Penn and DASANI have partnered up and have created a limited edition tennis ball pack just in time for the summer. The pack includes six cans of Penn’s America’s #1 Selling Championship tennis balls and a co-branded DASANI/Penn cooler made of recycled materials, perfect for holding DASANI water bottles while on the tennis court. The tennis ball pack also includes discount coupons for DASANI water and DASANI DROPS flavor enhancers. Penn and DASANI teamed up after finding they attracted similar consumers and shared similar sustainability initiatives. DASANI uses PlantBottle® packaging made from up to 30% plant-based material, which replaces some of the non-renewable petroleum or fossil-based resources used in conventional PET plastic. PlantBottle® packaging, which is 100% recyclable, helps conserve our world’s precious resources. DASANI also encourages people to recycle and when doing so, twist their bottles down to half of their size to help reduce overflowing recycling bins. When people “Twist, Recycle, Repeat,” recycled PET plastic bottles can be repurposed to produce products like T-shirts, coolers and even new bottles.

Federer commits to July’s Hamburg and Gstaad clay-court events

Following a shocking second round loss at Wimbledon last week, Roger Federer announced that he will compete later this month at clay-court tournaments in Hamburg and Gstaad. The Hamburg event starts on July 15, while the Gstaad ATP World Tour 250 event begins on July 22. “I’m really looking forward to playing in front of my home fans in Gstaad this summer,” Federer said on his official website. “I have got a lot of great memories of the tournament in the mountains of Switzerland.” Federer has a 27-8 record on the season, with his lone title coming on grass last month at the Gerry Weber Open in Halle.

ATP names season-ending trophy after Brad Drewett

The ATP World Tour is honoring their late executive chairman and president, Brad Drewett, by naming its season-ending tournament award The Brad Drewett Trophy. Drewett, a former pro and tournament director of the ATP World Tour Finals from 2001-2011, died in May.

Family Weekend set for this weekend at Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in Newport

The kick-off event for the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in Newport, R.I., will take place on Saturday, July 6 and Sunday, July 7 from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. ET., featuring kids tennis clinics on the grass courts every hour, scavenger hunts, arts and crafts, and other fun family activities in the museum. Fans attending can also expect to see world class tennis action up close as pros compete for the final four spots in the Main Draw in the Qualifying Round. For more information including ticket information, please visit www.halloffametennischampionships.com.

Professional Tennis Registry (PTR) launches educational website

Professional Tennis Registry (PTR) has announced the launch of their online educational website, PTRtennis.tv. As professional organization, PTR’s new online educational website will provide many valuable educational content from top rated speakers during PTR events around the world. Currently, there are 20 presentations available on PTRtennis.tv. Most are one hour, but three hour presentations are also available. Once a presentation is downloaded to a computer, Smartphone or tablet, it can be accessed at the viewer’s convenience – 24 hours a day, seven days a week, without expiration. The initial videos are presentations from Directors of Tennis, 10 & Under Tennis Conferences and PTR Symposium. PTR will continually upload new videos as lectures are taped during PTR educational events around the country. At least three more events will be filmed this year: the PTR Midwest Conference in early August, as well as the Directors of Tennis Conference and Junior Development Conference, both set for October.

Philadelphia Freedoms offering special ticket deals for upcoming matches in July

The Philadelphia Freedoms announced that if you buy a full price box seat for the July 10 match against Andy Roddick and the Springfield Lasers, you will receive a FREE ticket to the Freedoms match on July 17 featuring Top 20 player Sloane Stephens. Other attractions during the July 10 match include an appearance by tennis legend Billie Jean King, debut of the new Freedoms mascot and free junior Wilson tennis racquets for all children in attendance. The Freedoms also announced another special ticket price night set for the July 23 home match against the Boston Freedoms. Tickets for that match are on sale for just $25 for adults and $15 for kids. To order your tickets, please call (866) WTT-TIXS.

TITANIC: THE TENNIS STORY now available as an audio book

TITANIC: THE TENNIS STORY, the historical novel that narrates the incredible story of two tennis players, Dick Williams and Karl Behr, and how they survived the sinking of the Titanic disaster in 1912 only to play each other in the quarterfinals of the modern-day U.S. Open tennis championships — with the winner going on to stage a major upset victory in the final — is now available for sale as an audio book. Written by Lindsay Gibbs and narrated by Julie Eickhoff, TITANIC: THE TENNIS STORY tells a narrative tale of Williams and Behr and their incredible stories of survival from the Titanic disaster. The two tennis standouts amazingly survived the sinking and met each other on the rescue ship Carpathia. Two years later, the two became U.S. Davis Cup teammates and again faced each other in the quarterfinals in the biggest tennis tournament in the country, the U.S. Nationals — the modern-day U.S. Open. The winner went on to become the unexpected singles champion of the tournament, winning their first major singles championship with a final-round upset over the world’s best player Maurice McLoughlin – the Roger Federer of this era in tennis. The audio version is available on Amazon.com for $17.46 and also on Audible.com and iTunes.

USTA Serves Offering $395K In College Scholarships To 58 High School Students: This Week in Tennis Business with Justin Cohen

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By Justin Cohen @JustinCohen44

USTA Serves grants 58 high school students with $395k in scholarships

USTA Serves, the National Charitable Foundation of the United States Tennis Association (USTA), announced that it will grant 58 high school students a variety of college scholarships totaling $395,000. An objective of USTA Serves is to encourage children to pursue their goals and highest dreams by succeeding in school and becoming responsible citizens. Each year, USTA Serves awards scholarships to deserving youth who have participated in USTA and other organized youth tennis programs, have demonstrated high academic achievement and require financial assistance for college matriculation. “For many years, USTA Serves has proudly awarded students throughout the country for their outstanding achievements on and off the tennis court,” said Dan Faber, USTA Serves Executive Director. “I am excited that we can play a role toward their continuous excellence in academics, as well as their drive to succeed within this great sport. We look to them as the next great leaders, scholars and champions, and for that, USTA Serves congratulates them on their future endeavors.” The following scholarships will be awarded: Marian Wood Baird Scholarship Award ($15,000), Dwight F. Davis Memorial Scholarship (Students each receive $10,000 award), Dwight Mosley Scholarship Award (Students each receive $10,000 award), Rosalind Walter Scholarship Award (Students each receive $10,000 award), Eve Kraft Education & College Scholarship (Students each receive $2,500 award), USTA Serves College Education Scholarship (Students each receive $8,000 award) and USTA Serves College Textbook Scholarship (Students each receive $1,000).

Lanson renewed as official champagne for Wimbledon

Lanson Champagne announced late last week that they will be the official champagne for Wimbledon for another five years. This year sees the 25-year anniversary of the partnership, and to Lanson has launched a series of Wimbledon-themed neoprene jackets to celebrate, along with an exclusive champagne cocktail, Lanson Fraise, created for visitors to this year’s event. Paul Beavis, MD of Lanson International UK said: “We are absolutely thrilled to be continuing our longstanding – and very happy – relationship with the team at the All England Lawn Tennis Club and everyone involved with Wimbledon. “This is undoubtedly the world’s finest tennis event. It is very exciting to be able to continue to be a part of the Wimbledon story and we have ambitious plans to build on its success in the years to come,” added Beavis. Mick Desmond, Commercial Director at The AELTC said: “We are delighted to renew our partnership with Lanson for another five years. We have shared a strong and close working relationship for 25 years.”

The Tennis Show in New York City will not be held in 2013; will return in 2014

The Tennis Show, which debuted in New York City last year just before the US Open, and tied into the 2012 USTA Tennis Teacher’s Conference (TTC), will not be held in 2013. However, the Tennis Show will return to New York in 2014. The TTC, also on hiatus for 2013, will resume in 2014 with expanded plans to provide the best possible learning experience for tennis teachers and coaches. The Tennis Show, coordinated by the Tennis Industry Association and supported by the U.S. Tennis Association and the tennis industry,  was timed to offer the hundreds of Teachers Conference attendees, along with all segments of the industry, a look at upcoming products and services from dozens of tennis companies, organizations and manufacturers. For tennis teachers, coaches and the industry in general, plans are in the works for the industry-supported 2014 Tennis Show to be even bigger and broader event. In addition to the return of the Tennis Show, the TIA Tennis Forum and Tennis Industry Hall of Fame will also return to New York in 2014.

Nadal’s first round loss at Wimbledon sets tournament Twitter record

According to Wimbledon, more people tweeted on Monday about Rafael Nadal’s first round loss to Belgian Steve Darcis – 7,000 tweets per minute – than last year’s men’s final.

Sirius XM to broadcast all of Wimbledon

In developing news from SW19 at Wimbledon, Sirius XM just announced that they will offer up to 13 hours of live Wimbledon coverage daily from 4 a.m. EST through the end of each day’s last match. Matches scheduled to be broadcast on the radio will be from Centre Court as well as several of the side courts. The broadcasts will offer subscribers live coverage through the Ladies’ and Gentlemen’s Singles Finals on Saturday, July 6 and Sunday, July 7. Listeners can tune in on Sirius Channel 158 and XM Channel 202 and on Channel 963 on the SiriusXM Internet Radio App and online at SiriusXM.com.

Former WTA player Jamea Jackson named USTA National Coach

The United States Tennis Association recently announced that former WTA Tour player Jamea Jackson has been hired as a USTA National Coach for Women’s Tennis. Jackson will be based out of the USTA’s Training Center in Boca Raton, Fla. and will start on Monday, July 1. The 26-year-old reached a career-high WTA Ranking of No. 45 before retiring due to injuries just before turning 23. She most recently spent the last four years as the women’s assistant tennis coach at Oklahoma State University, and was a USTA Collegiate Team coach.

Bollettieri, Braden, Wilkinson to be inducted into USPTA Hall of Fame on September 27 in Orlando

Nick Bollettieri, Vic Braden and Steve Wilkinson will be inducted into the United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) Hall of Fame on September 27 during the USPTA’s national awards luncheon at the World Conference at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress in Orlando, Fla. The three legendary coaches will join only 13 others who have already been inducted into the USPTA Hall of Fame. “I cannot think of three other tennis-teaching giants who deserve this recognition more than Nick, Vic and Steve,” said USPTA CEO John Embree. “In their own individual ways they have contributed mightily to our mission of elevating the standards of tennis-teaching professionals and coaches across the country and around the world. This will be a special occasion for all.”

USTA Maryland hosting ‘Aces and Bases Night’ at Bowie Baysox baseball game on July 14

USTA Maryland is hosting an “Aces and Bases Night” at the Bowie Baysox vs. Richmond Flying Squirrels baseball game in Bowie, Md., on Sunday, July 14 with the first pitch set for 6:05 p.m. EST. Tickets that usually run from $15-$17 will cost just $10 for USTA Members. Please call Chris Rogers at (301) 464-4813 if you are interested in purchasing tickets. The pre-game tennis fun festivities start at 4 p.m. including a mini-tennis court that adults and children can rally on. Tennis fans planning to attend the game can enter a raffle with a chance to win a driveway tennis kit. Also, the first 500 10 and under kids in attendance will receive free prizes.

Freedoms now accepting applicants for Hamlin Family Foundation Billie Jean King Character Award

The Philadelphia Freedoms are currently accepting applications from youth athletes for the Billie Jean King Character Award. This award provides scholarships to ten selected youths, ages 10-18, who are seeking to become a competitive athlete in any sport, to participate in tournaments or on their school team, and who have displayed outstanding character. The top male and female scholarship recipients will receive a $1,000 scholarship and the second place male and female recipients will each receive a $500 scholarship. The awards will be presented to the recipients by WTT co-founder and Philadelphia Freedoms owner Billie Jean King at a Freedoms home match in July at Villanova University. The objective of the Hamlin Family Foundation-Character Initiative and CITRS is to honor the actions of those who have displayed good character, integrity and fortitude in their lives, and prepare recipients to become mentors and character ambassadors. CITRS is the cornerstone of the Hamlin Family Foundation’s philosophy for character education. Applications are due by Friday, June 28 by 6 p.m. EST and must be submitted along with two (2) letters of recommendation, a short essay regarding the applicant’s demonstration of character, and a CITRS Character Mini-Assessment. For the award application, visit http://www.philadelphiafreedoms.com/teams/freedoms/pictures/2013_BJK_Award_OnlineApp.pdf

Philadelphia Freedoms offering special ticket deals for upcoming matches in July

The Philadelphia Freedoms announced that if you buy a full price box seat for the July 10 match against Andy Roddick and the Springfield Lasers, you will receive a FREE ticket to the Freedoms match on July 17 featuring Top 20 player Sloane Stephens. Other attractions during the July 10 match include an appearance by tennis legend Billie Jean King, debut of the new Freedoms mascot and free junior Wilson tennis racquets for all children in attendance. The Freedoms also announced another special ticket price night set for the July 23 home match against the Boston Freedoms. Tickets for that match are on sale for just $25 for adults and $15 for kids. To order your tickets, please call (866) WTT-TIXS.

TITANIC: THE TENNIS STORY now available as an audio book

TITANIC: THE TENNIS STORY, the historical novel that narrates the incredible story of two tennis players, Dick Williams and Karl Behr, and how they survived the sinking of the Titanic disaster in 1912 only to play each other in the quarterfinals of the modern-day U.S. Open tennis championships — with the winner going on to stage a major upset victory in the final — is now available for sale as an audio book. Written by Lindsay Gibbs and narrated by Julie Eickhoff, TITANIC: THE TENNIS STORY tells a narrative tale of Williams and Behr and their incredible stories of survival from the Titanic disaster. The two tennis standouts amazingly survived the sinking and met each other on the rescue ship Carpathia. Two years later, the two became U.S. Davis Cup teammates and again faced each other in the quarterfinals in the biggest tennis tournament in the country, the U.S. Nationals — the modern-day U.S. Open. The winner went on to become the unexpected singles champion of the tournament, winning their first major singles championship with a final-round upset over the world’s best player Maurice McLoughlin – the Roger Federer of this era in tennis. The audio version is available on Amazon.com for $17.46 and also on Audible.com and iTunes.

Tennis Channel Signs Jim Courier As Analyst For Wimbledon Coverage: This Week in Tennis Business with Justin Cohen

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By Justin Cohen @JustinCohen44

Jim Courier

Jim Courier joins Tennis Channel as Wimbledon analyst; Also joins network for BNP Paribas Open

Los Angeles-based Tennis Channel, the only 24-hour, television-based multimedia destination dedicated to both the professional sport and tennis lifestyle, has extended the contract of Jim Courier to include analyst’s duties at Wimbledon and the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif. The multiyear agreement expands upon Courier’s role as full-time lead men’s US Open analyst, begun in 2012, and comes in time for Tennis Channel’s sixth year of coverage in London via the nightly Wimbledon Primetime, set for June 24-July 7. Courier, a tennis Hall of Famer who currently captains the U.S. Davis Cup squad, will offer his insight as part of a Wimbledon Primetime team that includes fellow Hall of Famer Martina Navratilova (@Martina), sportscast veteran Bill Macatee (@BMacatee) and on-point fan-favorite Mary Carillo. Former players Lindsay Davenport (@LDavenport76) and Justin Gimelstob (@justingimelstob) also will return in 2013, joined this year by former player Rennae Stubbs (@rennaestubbs) and frequent Tennis Channel contributor Jon Wertheim (@jon_wertheim) of Sports Illustrated. Macatee, Navratilova and Gimelstob have been part of Tennis Channel’s on-air team at every Grand Slam telecast in network history. “I’ve enjoyed working with Tennis Channel at the US Open the past few years and am pleased to get the opportunity to join them for other important events,” said Courier. “Wimbledon holds a very special place in the landscape of our sport and I look forward to being there to cover it alongside the entire Tennis Channel team.”

Tennis Channel’s Wimbledon coverage begins on Monday, June 24

Tennis Channel’s 2013 Wimbledon coverage starts with the first day of play on Monday, June 24, and continues nightly through the final weekend. Wimbledon Primetime typically runs from 5 p.m. ET each afternoon until 8:30 p.m. This first edition will be followed immediately by a second, entirely new three-and-a-half-hour show from 8:30 p.m.-midnight. Exceptions to this schedule come on the weekends. On the middle Sunday, June 30, an annual day without any matches, Wimbledon Primetime will focus on the best of week one, and air one edition from 7 p.m.-11 p.m. ET. The following weekend, Saturday, July 6, and Sunday, July 7, also will feature single editions from 7 p.m.-11 p.m. ET each night, as the tournament concludes and champions are crowned. Tennis Channel will run encore editions of Wimbledon Primetime throughout the late night and early morning until 7 a.m. ET, on the eve of the following day’s play. Nightly encores usually will begin at 12 a.m., with 11 a.m. starts on altered-schedule evenings. The network plans close to 90 hours of first-run Wimbledon Primetime coverage during the two-week tournament, with late-night encores pushing the overall number of hours to more than 180.

USTA sues filmmaker of ‘Venus and Serena’

According to an article written by Richard Sandomir in The New York Times ‘Straight Sets Blog’, the United States Tennis Association accused the makers of a new documentary about Venus and Serena Williams of copyright infringement for using more than 20 minutes of video from the 2011 United States Open and previous ones without signing an agreement. In a lawsuit filed Friday in federal court in White Plains, the USTA also said that Maiken Baird and Michelle Major, the makers of “Venus and Serena,” used four times more video than would have been permitted in an agreement. The association also said the filmmakers used video that was “not in the best interest of the sport”: Serena Williams’s 2009 vitriolic tirade against a line judge. Davidson Goldin, a spokesman for the filmmakers, said that talks collapsed over an agreement to use archival footage when the USTA refused to let them use the 2009 clip. They used it anyway, saying it fell under the fair-use exception to a copyright owner’s right to control his or her intellectual property. In 2011, Baird and Major first asked the USTA about obtaining permission to use archival video of the Williams sisters from previous United States Opens and to shoot video from the 2011 event, according to the lawsuit. They obtained access to the 2011 tournament, but, after they did not sign an agreement, the USTA believed that the documentary project had been abandoned. “Having failed to reach an agreement or otherwise pay for the footage they used,” the tennis association said, Baird and Major “simply misappropriated” the footage “for their commercial advantage without regard to the USTA’s rights.” Baird and Major disputed the accusations. “In trying to censor this film about the Williams sisters,” they said, “the USTA is simply making up an agreement that never existed — we shot footage at the U.S. Open with the USTA’s permission and of course never agreed to pay them for our own work.” They said that the association was engaged in a “shameful effort to interfere” with the film.

Mylan World TeamTennis sets TV and Live Streaming schedule

More than 200 hours of action from Mylan World TeamTennis presented by GEICO, including over 70 hours of live coverage, will air on a combination of national and regional television networks and online this July. The Mylan WTT preview show, matches and highlight recap telecasts are expected to reach close to 200 million households worldwide, including the U.S., India, Africa, Russia, New Zealand, Europe, Southeast Asia and the United Kingdom. Altitude, Comcast Sports Net, Madison Square Garden Network (MSG), Mediacom, Tennis Channel, and Time Warner Cable Sports will air five Mylan WTT matches this summer, starting with Venus Williams leading the defending champion Washington Kastles at home on July 9 against the Boston Lobsters. The Kastles have a 32-match win streak heading into the 2013 season, the second longest in major professional U.S. team sports. Former ATP World Tour player and Princeton University standout Leif Shiras will be the host for all televised Mylan WTT matches, along with former doubles great Rennae Stubbs, who will provide color commentary. Harry Cicma will report from the sideline.

USPTA, Emirates Airline US Open Series collaborate

The United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) and the USTA have joined forces to make the Emirates Airline US Open Series available to the USPTA and its members. The partnership is modeled after other successful agreements already in place in Stanford, New Haven and Cincinnati. The goal is to develop partnerships in the other Emirates Airline US Open Series cities and use the Series to promote tennis and the USPTA. “The Emirates Airline US Open Series is a great platform for tennis fans, old and new, to enjoy our sport,” said J. Wayne Richmond, General Manager, Emirates Airline US Open Series. “The teaching pros are so vital to the success of tennis throughout the country and we are delighted to work the USPTA on several fronts to grow our sport.” The Emirates Airline US Open Series is in its 10th year and links nine events during the five-week period leading into the US Open. The Series has boasted a television audience of more than 30 million in past years and an overall attendance of more than 750,000 in 2012. This year, the Series will air more than 200 hours of live tennis and more than 350 hours total. “The USPTA has an obligation to support professional tournaments in the U.S. We owe it to those tournament directors to create interest in their events with the consumers that we touch by encouraging them to attend Emirates Airline US Open tournaments in those respective markets,” said USPTA CEO John Embree. “In return, our members receive a tangible benefit by being able to go to the tournaments early in the week as a guest of the tournament.”

Andy Murray donates entire Queen’s Club winner’s pay check to London’s Royal Marsden Hospital

After winning the AEGON Championships at London’s Queen’s Club this past weekend for the third time in five years, World No. 2 Andy Murray donated his entire winner’s pay check of £73,000 to London’s Royal Marsden Hospital in honor of his close friend, British Davis Cup doubles player Ross Hutchins, who is currently battling Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

Tonic by Martina Hingis named Official Clothing Partner of Southern California Open

Tonic by Martina Hingis has been named the official clothing partner of the Southern California Open. Hingis, who is set to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame this July in Newport, collaborated with Tonic to create her own signature tennis clothing collection. “We are extremely proud to have Tonic by Martina Hingis as the official clothing partner of the Southern California Open,” said Tournament Director Alastair Garland. “We are happy to be associated with a partner whose clothing has been inspired by such a great champion.” “Tonic is delighted with the opportunity to sponsor this top tennis event. Martina loved to play at the La Costa Resort and Spa when she was on tour, so we’re excited to be involved in this tournament as our first major sponsorship,” said Leopoldo Gutierrez, CEO Tonic Active Wear. “As a long-time supporter of women’s tennis, the Southern California Open highlights the importance of furthering the development of women in sport, which is an important aspect of Tonic’s involvement in tennis.”

Roddick, Courier to play exhibition match in Cashiers, North Carolina

Recently-retired American tennis star Andy Roddick, a former World No. 1 and 2003 US Open Champion, will take on U.S. Davis Cup Captain Jim Courier in the United Community Bank Mountain Challenge on Saturday, July 27 at the Cedar Creek Racquet Club in Cashiers, North Carolina. The Cashiers Area Chamber of Commerce in cooperation with McKee Properties will host the event with proceeds benefitting the new non-profit organization Mountain Youth Charities. A gala dinner will be held on Friday, July 26 hosted by Roddick and Courier. This will be held in Cashiers at Lonesome Valley s famed restaurant Canyon Kitchen.

Dick Norman retires from ATP World Tour following 22-year career

Following his first round doubles loss with fellow Belgian David Goffin at the Topshelf Open in ‘s-Hertogenbosch in The Netherlands, 42-year-old Dick Norman officially retired from the ATP World Tour. In April 2010, Norman reached a career-high World No. 10 in the Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings and won four tour-level titles from seven finals. The highlight of his professional career came in 2009 when he teamed with Wesley Moodie and reached the finals of the French Open. That year, he also reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon including a win over World No. 1 Bob and Mike Bryan and the US Open quarterfinals. The 6’8” lefty finished his career with a 119-120 record while earning just over $2 million in tournament prize money.

USPTA Buying Show set for September 26 at Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress in Orlando

The United States Professional Tennis Association’s Tennis Buying Show will be held on Thursday, September 26 at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress in Orlando, Fla., during the World Conference. Booth space is still available for the largest national tennis-only buying show. The buying show is part of the larger World Conference, which begins on September 23 and annually attracts the who’s who of the tennis industry. Tennis-teaching professionals, industry leaders and representatives, media and manufacturer representatives are expected to attend. Manufacturers are encouraged to submit booth registrations early to guarantee their space since the buying show sells out each year. To obtain booth reservation forms, visit www.usptaworldconference.com and click on the buying show menu tab or call John Embree at 713-978-7782 ext. 117 or email him at john.embree@uspta.org. Exhibitors include tennis equipment, apparel and footwear companies, marketers and wholesalers of hard and soft goods, video analysis, Web-based programs and software, teaching aids, court surfacing and lighting, awards, educational materials, nutrition bars and vitamins, and more.

T2Tennis and Ultimate Tennis merge

T2Tennis and Ultimate Tennis recently announced that they have merged, creating the largest tennis flex league in the United States. With over 100,000 members and operations in seven states T2Tennis and Ultimate Tennis provide organized tennis league play to more players than any other organization except the United States Tennis Association (USTA).