Beach Tennis USA Returns to Virginia Beach
Two-Day Event At Site of North American Sand Soccer Championships
Beach Tennis USA(R), the organization responsible for launching the sport of beach tennis in North America, will hold its Virginia Beach Blast, Saturday and Sunday, June 6-7 on the beach at Atlantic Ave. between 19th and 20th Streets in Virginia Beach, VA. The event will take place at the site of the 16th Annual North American Sand Soccer Championships (NASSC). NASSC is the major charity event conducted for the development of the Hampton Roads Soccer Complex in Virginia Beach.
On Saturday, June 6, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., a Junior and Amateur tournament will be held followed by preliminary round play in the Pro division. On Sunday, June 7, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., there will be a special Co-ed Doubles tournament followed by the Men’s and Women’s Pro division advanced rounds and finals. Players from all over the country will compete for the $1,000 first-place prize, plus a guaranteed spot in the 2009 Beach Tennis USA National Championship in Long Beach, New York, September 5-6.
Beach tennis, which was launched in the U.S. as a pro and recreational sport in 2005 by real estate developer Marc Altheim, is a true hybrid sport that combines tennis and beach volleyball into one exciting and fast-paced game. Played on a regulation beach volleyball court, two players on each team use standard tennis racquets to hit a depressurized tennis ball back and forth over the net without letting it hit the sand.
Since its inaugural season in 2005, Beach Tennis USA (BTUSA) has experienced tremendous growth in player participation and crowd attendance, due largely to the company’s creation of regional licensing agreements and local leagues. To date, Beach Tennis USA has signed domestic licensee agreements in Charleston, SC, Tampa, FL, Ft. Lauderdale, FL and the Metro New York region as well as similar international deals in Japan, South Africa, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico and Bermuda.
“Beach Tennis Believes,” the official charity of BTUSA, will be accepting donations throughout the weekend on behalf of “Twinkling Eye Day Center,” a prominent daycare center in the Hampton Roads area that caters to the needs of children with disabilities. Beach Tennis Believes helps raise funds and awareness for community centers and youth programs.
Beach tennis, which was launched in the U.S. as a pro and recreational sport in 2005 by real estate developer Marc Altheim, combines tennis and beach volleyball into one exciting and fast-paced game. Now in its fifth season, Beach Tennis USA has garnered increased attention while hosting events throughout Florida, Southern California, South Carolina, and New York. Beach Tennis USA has also gained recognition in the tennis world, attracting many former top-rated tennis players. The company continues to grow by adding new licensees in various U.S. cities and establishing “Team Beach Tennis,” which promotes year-round league play. To learn more about this fast-growing sport, or to learn how to join the movement, please visit www.beachtennisusa.net.
Source: Beach Tennis USA
Mladenovic Named Head Men’s and Women’s Tennis Coach at Hope International University
Hope International University is pleased to announce the hiring of Rajko Mladenovic as the new Head Men’s and Women’s Tennis Coach effective immediately. Mladenovic takes over the reins of the Men’s program for which he has spent the last four years serving up aces and returning volleys from the baseline. He is no stranger to the women’s program after serving as their assistant coach just a season ago.
Mladenovic takes over the tennis programs from his coach of one year and former teammate Felix Haufe. Under Coach Haufe, the Royals produced their first two NAIA All-Americans in tennis (Mladenovic and Bettina Radke).
Athletic Director Aaron Siefker said, “We are very excited about Rajko making the transition from a Hope International Tennis Player to a Hope International Tennis Coach. He has been a fine example of what it means to be a Christian student athlete. I am confident that he will lead our tennis programs with the same drive and passion that he showed as a player.”
As a player, Mladenovic finished his four year career with 55 wins in singles play — an HIU tennis record. As a senior, he was named a 2009 NAIA All-American after posting a 15-8 record.
In 2008, he led the Royals to a National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) National Championship. He was named an NCCAA Singles All-American for his play at the national tournament.
Born and raised in Serbia, Mladenovic has been playing tennis since the age of eight. By the age of fifteen, he was playing under legendary coach Srdjan Daskovic.
Mladenovic credits his family (Radomir, Bozana, and Mihajlo) for his success in life. He stated “My family is very important to me, and without their support I could never succeed in my life and career.”
Founded in 1928, Hope International University is a private Christian University comprised of two schools: Pacific Christian College and the School of Graduate & Professional Studies. The University provides students with a leadership and ethics focused education through undergraduate and graduate programs in business, education, ministry, music, psychology and counseling, human development and more. Total University enrollment is approximately 1700 students representing 35 states and 40 countries.
To learn more, please visit our website at http://www.hiu.edu/
Itau Private Sponsors Tournament in the United States
Competition will gather the best tennis players from over 35 countries
This month, Florida will host one of the five main tennis events of the world, the Sony Ericsson Open. Itau Private Bank International is once again present at the competition, this time as host sponsor, and will provide its clients with a privileged view of the main court during the 12 game days. The 25th edition of the event at Crandon Park in Key Biscayne, Florida, will convene 153 of the best players of both genders from more than 35 countries.
“The sponsorship has the goal of strengthening our image among Latin American families who are very interested in the tournament, and is in line with the commitment to make Itau Private Bank one of the three largest in the sector in Latin America,” said Flavio Souza, director of Itau Private Bank in Miami. The games on the traditional purple tennis courts will be followed by some 260,000 spectators and will be broadcast to over 200 countries through the TV channels FOX Sports, ESPN International, SKY, Eurosport and Globosat.
Itau is a Brazilian bank, one of the largest in Latin America. The operations in Miami contribute to the consolidation of the internationalization strategy of Itau Private Bank. The acquisition of the private bank operations of BankBoston International (BBI), with main office in Miami; BankBoston Trust Company Limited (BBT), with main offices in Nassau; and ABN AMRO Bank N.V. (Miami and Montevideo), in 2007, were important business drivers, making Itau Private Bank one of the leaders in the region. A good part of the 9,000 clients were acquired through the acquisition of the operations of BankBoston and ABN AMRO proceeds from other Latin American countries, such as Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Venezuela. In order to meet their requirements for information and recommendations, Itau Private Bank established a specialized structure in those countries.
Source: Banco Itau
Tennis Growth Skyrockets 43 Percent!
According to Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association (SGMA) 2009 Sports and Fitness Participation Report
According to data just released by the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association (SGMA), Tennis is the fastest growing sport in America among individual traditional sports with an increase in participation of 43% from 2000 to 2008. According to the SGMA, tennis was one of only six sports to experience participation growth exceeding 40% from 2000 through 2008. Tennis is well ahead of other traditional sports like baseball, ice hockey, gymnastics and football, all of which suffered a decline in participation during the past eight years. In the last year alone (through December 31, 2008), Tennis experienced a 9.6% growth in participation.
The SGMA study is the latest in a series of reports and studies that have cited the extraordinary growth for tennis. In December, the Taylor Research Group (TRG) reported that tennis participation reached a record high of 27 million players in 2008, more than any other period in the past 15 years. Sales of tennis racquets and balls have both also increased significantly, most notably, an 88% increase in the sale of youth racquets from 2003 through 2008, according to the TRG report.
“The SGMA study is a clear validation of all the hard work and commitment that our industry has put into the sport,” said Jon Muir, president of the Tennis Industry Association (TIA), and General Manager of Wilson Racquet Sports. “We’ve focused not only on reinforcing our already strong base, but at the same time, we’ve developed new, innovative programs to bring players, of all ages and skill levels, into the game.”
“From programs like QuickStart Tennis that makes it easy for young players to get into the sport and begin a developmental pathway; to high school and college programs like USTA’s No-Cut and Tennis on Campus, which keeps them in the game; to the innovative and fitness based Cardio Tennis, which combines tennis with a healthy and fun work-out curriculum, the tennis industry is at the forefront of engaging and retaining players,” Muir added. “The TIA has also established more than 2600 Tennis Welcome Centers across the country, and provides an online GrowingTennis System that lets consumers find places to play, partners with comparable skill level and other programs that all serve to enhance their overall tennis experience.”
The TIA, USTA and many other industry partners have been united since 1993 in a joint effort to support “Grow The Game” activities, a strategy to increase tennis participation on several levels.
Tennis Participation vs. Economy
“We are especially pleased that interest in tennis has been able to withstand this soft economy,” added Jolyn de Boer, Executive Director, TIA. “We’ve charted the various economic indicators against industry shipments and participation numbers from 2003. We’ve clearly seen that tennis has experienced a level of growth unmatched among other major sports and participation doesn’t seem as impacted by a down economy.”
In addition to the rise in tennis participation, charting industry shipments over this same five year period showed shipments of adult racquets are up 30%, while shipments for youth racquets increased a remarkable 88% from 2003 thru 2008. Furthermore, tennis ball shipments for the same time period were up over 16%, continuing to demonstrate an increasing attraction to the sport. Muir adds: “While no industry can escape the current impact of the nation’s economic challenges, we will use the current report provided by the SGMA study and our own TIA/USTA Participation research to focus on creating even more players and consumers for our sport.”
TIA
The Tennis Industry Association, the not-for-profit trade association for tennis, is THE unifying force in the tennis industry bringing together competitive companies to work collectively to promote and grow the sport. The TIA works closely with the USTA and industry partners to develop and implement initiatives to increase tennis participation. Core TIA activities include Participation Research, Consumer and Trade Research and the Growing Tennis System. For more information, please visit TennisIndustry.org or GrowingTennis.com.
USTA
The USTA is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the U.S. and the leader in promoting and developing the growth of tennis at every level — from local communities to the highest level of the professional game. It owns and operates the US Open, the highest attended annual sporting event in the world, and launched the Olympus US Open Series linking 10 summer tournaments to the US Open. A not-for-profit organization with more than 725,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds in growing the game. In addition, it owns the 94 Pro Circuit events throughout the U.S., and selects the teams for the Davis Cup, Fed Cup, Olympic and Paralympic Games.
SGMA
SGMA, the trade association of leading industry sports and fitness brands, enhances industry vitality and fosters sports and fitness participation through research, thought leadership, product promotion and public policy. SGMA produces the industry leading National Health-through-Fitness Day on Capitol Hill as well as representing the industry on trade and consumer issues. More information about SGMA membership and SGMA’s Sports Research Partnership can be found at www.sgma.com.
Current Tennis Industry Initiatives:
Tennis Welcome Centers: These public and private tennis facilities have led the charge in growing the sport by welcoming new players to the game the right way – through instruction. The facilities provide well-rounded programs to new and current players of all ages and abilities. On average, each Tennis Welcome Center, reports 39 new players, retains 34 players and 82 percent of the centers reported increased revenue from lessons. Visit http://www.tenniswelcomecenter.com/ for more information.
Cardio Tennis: This program brings new players to tennis by demonstrating the exercise and fitness benefits of the sport. Cardio Tennis is a fun way to get in shape and lose weight, even for someone who has never played tennis. In just 4 years, Cardio Tennis is now offered in over 1,700 facilities nationwide. Find more information about Cardio Tennis at: www.cardiotennis.com.
QuickStart Tennis for kids: This program is a great way to integrate children – primarily 10 years old and younger – into tennis by using a progressive format to teach basic skills on shorter courts, using smaller racquets, low pressure balls, and modified scoring. This method will train the next generation of tennis players as the QuickStart format is now being used in almost 1,000 locations across the country! For more information please visit: http://consumers.quickstarttennis.com/.
Tennis On Campus: Developed by the USTA to promote and support the expansion of recreational tennis on college campuses. Either through intramural tournaments and leagues or in a more structured sport club environment, teams compete interscholastically. Tennis On Campus focuses on providing opportunities for the entire campus community, and is currently run on more than 500 campuses across the country, providing organized play for 30,000 participants. For more information about Tennis On Campus please visit: http://www.tennisoncampus.com/.
No-Cut: This program was introduced to encourage and recognize high school coaches who make a commitment to their schools by not cutting any student who tries out for the team. Since its inception, the USTA’s No-Cut program has been embraced by coaches across the country, nearly doubling each year since its inception. With almost 1,800 coaches now implementing a no-cut philosophy, thousands of students who may have otherwise dropped the sport are now part of a team and competing for their school. Find more information about the No-Cut program at: http://www.usta.com/Coaches/HighSchool.aspx.
GrowingTennis System / Online Enrollment: The national TIA database has more than 20,000 facility listings and contacts that can post their programs and events online at GrowingTennis.com. Every month, more than 2.4 million consumer queries are made to these informational postcards on consumer sites including usta.com, tennischannel.com, tennis.com, tenniswelcomecenter.com, cardiotennis.com, quickstart.com and others. Visitors and players can also automatically register for programs, events or reserve court time online, saving time and money. For more information please visit: www.growingtennis.com/.
Source: Tennis Industry Association
Beach Tennis USA Returns to Sony Ericsson Open
Two Week Exhibition To Conclude With Pro and Amateur Tournament
Beach Tennis USA(R), the organization responsible for launching the sport of beach tennis in North America, will return to The Tennis Center at Crandon Park, site of the Sony Ericsson Open, in Miami, Florida, March 25-April 5, for a series of exhibitions, open “free play” and competitive play. A Pro and Amateur, and Juniors division tournament, which will feature both men’s and women’s competition, showcasing many the top-ranked beach tennis teams from around the country, will take place April 3-5. Instructional clinics and Cardio Tennis demonstrations will also take place at the BTUSA-Fila Family Zone, an interactive area for fans at the Tennis Center.
Visitors to the Sony Ericsson Open are encouraged to give beach tennis a try during open play sessions. Racquets and balls will be provided courtesy of HEAD/Penn, official equipment suppliers to BTUSA. Tournament registration will take place on April 3 at 9:00 a.m., in Crandon Park, between Lots 1 and 2. Amateur and Juniors divisions will compete April 3-4, and Men’s and Women’s Pro divisions will compete April 4-5. Semifinal and Final rounds will take place at the Fila Family Zone court, April 5 at 12:00 p.m. To register, visit www.beachtennisusa.net.
Not surprisingly, Florida has played a huge role in the development of pro and recreational beach tennis, producing many of BTUSA’s top-ranked pros as well as several regional licensees and league directors. “We are very excited to be back at The Sony Ericsson Open. Florida is really leading the pack in regards to our new member growth,” said BTUSA President, Jim Lorenzo.
BTUSA members receive a 20% discount on all 400-level tickets for Sony Ericsson Open Session 11-16 (March 30-April 1), and can purchase grounds passes for April 2-5 for just $10.00. BTUSA members must present their membership ID numbers at the box office or when calling to order tickets.
Admission to the BTUSA activities is free of charge to all Sony Ericsson Open ticket holders. A full schedule of events is available at www.beachtennisusa.net.
Beach Tennis USA
Beach tennis, which was launched in the U.S. as a pro and recreational sport in 2005 by real estate developer Marc Altheim, combines tennis and beach volleyball into one exciting and fast-paced game. Now in its fifth season, Beach Tennis USA has garnered increased attention while hosting events in South Florida, Southern California and New York. The company continues to grow by adding new licensees in various U.S. cities and establishing “Team Beach Tennis,” which promotes year-round league play. To learn more about this fast-growing sport, or to become a licensee, please visit www.beachtennisusa.net.
Sony Ericsson Open
The 2009 Sony Ericsson Open will be played March 25- April 5 at the Tennis Center at Crandon Park in Miami. The 12-day combined event, founded by Butch Buchholz in 1985, is owned by IMG. The Sony Ericsson Open is one of nine ATP Masters Series events on the ATP calendar, a top tier event on the Sony Ericsson WTA TOUR calendar, and features the top men’s and women’s tennis players in the world. In 2008, Nikolay Davydenko defeated Rafael Nadal for his first Sony Ericsson Open title, while Serena Williams defeated Jelena Jankovic to win her record-tying fifth title in Miami. For ticket information, call (305) 442-3367 or visit the website at www.SonyEricssonOpen.com.
Tennis Star Serena Williams Selects Her Match at Gatorade G2 Everyday Athlete Search
Five Semi-Finalists — All Named Serena — Share Their Inspired ‘Everyday Athlete’ Stories For Chance To Appear Next to Serena Williams in G2 Low- Calorie Sports Drink Campaign
Top world ranked tennis player Serena Williams — who just came off winning her 10th Grand Slam Singles Title at the 2009 Australian Open — teamed up with Gatorade G2 today at Hollywood’s famed Roosevelt Hotel to select who will appear alongside her in a new national “Everyday Athletes” ad campaign for the Gatorade G2 low-calorie sports drink. Emceed by Access Hollywood host and upcoming Dancing with the Stars competitor, Nancy O’Dell, The G2 Everyday Athlete Search featured five semi-finalists — all named Serena — who traveled to the event from around the country to discuss their personal stories of how sports and exercise have helped them overcome a challenge or allowed them to reach and accomplish a significant, personal goal.
A casting panel consisting of Serena Williams, and representatives from Shape Magazine and Gatorade G2 selected winner Serena Cuevas, 23, from San Diego, Calif. based on Cuevas’ story of growing up with a passion to dance that was sidetracked by a horrific car accident at the age of 17. She was told by the doctors she may never dance again. With determination and passion, Cuevas recovered and went on to compete in national and international salsa competitions, as well as establish her own dance company — Deseo Dance Company — in San Diego.
Cuevas will appear with Serena Williams in the national ad campaign beginning this spring that will help draw attention to the Gatorade brand’s broadened definition of what it means to be an athlete. If your body is moving, Gatorade considers you an athlete. In addition to Serena Williams, G2 is also unveiling three more “everyday athlete” ads, featuring the NBA’s Kevin Garnett, WNBA’s Candace Parker, and Gold Medal Beach Volleyball star Kerri Walsh with their “everyday athlete” counterparts. Others are invited to share their own “everyday athlete” stories at missionG.com, the new sports and entertainment portal for Gatorade.
“Whether you are Serena Williams or Serena Cuevas, we all have it within us to achieve our dreams and goals, thanks to sports, exercise and being active,” said Sarah Robb O’Hagan, chief marketing officer for Gatorade. “This G2 campaign invites more consumers to see themselves as athletes while motivating them to be the best they can be.”
In recent weeks, Gatorade has launched a comprehensive marketing campaign designed to appeal to a broader range of athletes and beyond the traditional sidelines. The G2 Everyday Athlete Search, part of the new G campaign, is a call to action for all active people, not only to think about Gatorade in new and exciting ways, but also to search for compelling ways they can challenge themselves to achieve while promoting the low-calorie benefit of the beverage with a tagline of “Less Calories for More Athletes.”
Along with winner Cuevas, the other semi-finalists who traveled to Hollywood to meet with Serena include Serena Marrero, 47, Tillson, New York; Serena Lehman, 27, Seattle, Wash.; Serena Orgel, 34, Brooklyn, New York; and Serena Martinez, 38, Ventura, Calif.
For more information on the low-calorie G2 beverages, visit Gatorade.com. To view the G2 Everyday Athlete Campaign, visit missionG.com.
Caroline Wozniacki and Victoria Azarenka Headline Singles Field at 2009 Cellular South Cup
Women’s Professional Tennis Tournament Will Be Played February 13 – 21, 2009 At The Racquet Club of Memphis
Ticket Packages And Group Tickets To The 2009 Cellular South Cup Are On Sale Now
The Cellular South Cup announced today that Caroline Wozniacki (DEN), the No. 12-ranked player on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, will join Victoria Azarenka (BLR), the No. 15-ranked player on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, at the 2009 Cellular South Cup tournament, the premier women’s professional tennis tournament in the Mid-South. The Cellular South Cup will be played February 13-21, 2009 at The Racquet Club of Memphis.
“We are pleased to be adding two of the world’s Top-15 ranked players to our 2009 singles field of players,” said Cellular South Cup Tournament Director Peter Lebedevs. “Caroline Wozniacki and Victoria Azarenka are two of the most promising, up-and-coming stars on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour and we know tennis fans will enjoy watching them compete.”
“We’re very pleased to be continuing our affiliation with the Racquet Club of Memphis and the new ownership group,” said Jim Richmond, director of Corporate Communications for Cellular South. “This tournament always attracts some of the top players in women’s tennis and this year will be no different with the addition of two of the sport’s brightest upcoming stars.”
Wozniacki, Denmark’s top female tennis star and ranked No. 12 in the world, will be making her fourth appearance in Memphis. In her career, the 18-year-old Danish star owns a 5-3 singles record at the Cellular South Cup. 2008 was a breakthrough season for Wozniacki, highlighted by her first three Tour singles titles, which included championships in Stockholm, New Haven and Tokyo and her 100th career win. She is the first Danish woman to ever to win a Tour singles title. In 2008, she had 10 wins over players ranked in the Top 20, including four victories against players ranked in the Top 10. Wozniacki finished 2007 ranked No. 64, but jumped an impressive 52 places to finish 2008 ranked No. 12.
Azarenka enters the 2009 WTA Tour season as the world’s No. 15-ranked player and the No. 1-ranked player from Belarus. 2009 will mark the 19-year-old player’s second visit to the Cellular South Cup. 2008 was the first year that Azarenka finished the season in the Top 20, highlighted by runner-up finishes at Gold Coast and Prague. On May 12 (after Berlin), she cracked the Top 20 in the singles rankings for the first time in her career when she rose from No.26 to No.19 in the world. That same day she entered the doubles Top 10 (rose from No.12 to No.10) for the first time in her career. In 2008, Azarenka earned impressive singles victories over Top 10 players Anna Chakvetadze, Agnieszka Radwanska and Elena Dementieva.
In its history, the Cellular South Cup has hosted some of the biggest names in women’s tennis. Recent tournament winners include two-time defending champion Lindsay Davenport (USA – ’08 and ’97), three-time champion Venus Williams (USA – ’98, ’99 and ’07), Vera Zvonareva (RUS – ’05 and ’04) and Monica Seles (USA – ’02 and ’03) to name a few.
Ticket packages and group tickets to the 2009 Cellular South Cup are on sale now and are available by calling (901) 765-4401. Order tickets today to ensure the best available seating.
Source: Cellular South