Tennis/tour news

[jenhatter06]

The following article has been reproduced from the current issue of Tennis Week

MY VIEW: Etienne de Villiers, ATP Executive Chairman & President

When John F Kennedy spoke of “change as the law of life and those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future,” he could easily have been talking about tennis.

Next season will see the new-look ATP World Tour launch, with an improved calendar, underpinned by restructured tiers of tournaments, a full rebrand and unprecedented levels of marketing support. Designed to ensure our best players play in the best events, this is change on a scale never seen before in men’s tennis.

According to fans around the world it’s change that is much needed. Tennis has long been a sport that based its decision making on personal opinion and hunches, not consumer feedback. By undertaking two years of comprehensive research and by listening to the full spectrum of fans - from the dedicated , through the casual to the ‘lapsed’ - we have gathered a true picture of what fans want. That global research has shown consistently that we do a poor job at telling our story. Fans struggle to understand how the ATP Tour works and are confused by our calendar and its seemingly unrelated tournaments.

When 61% of tennis fans tell you they do not understand the sport they follow, only a fool would ignore them.

But its not just fans that tell us, the market place does too. We trail behind many sports in terms of TV coverage and revenues. In a world with ever increasing ways of filling ever decreasing amounts of leisure time one thing is clear: we will miss our future if we don’t start attracting more fans, sponsors and broadcasters into men’s tennis.

That’s why we have overhauled our structure of tournaments, to introduce three new tiers of events – Masters 1000, 500s and 250s - that are explicitly linked together and to the ranking system by virtue of their winner point’s levels. In an instant we are telling our story more coherently than ever before. Underpinned by a record breaking annual financial commitment from tournaments in excess of $100m from 2009, it’s a concept that is simple but effective; and has received positive feedback from fans through our ongoing research.

But it’s no good having a strong narrative if the principle actors don’t show. That’s why we have asked our players to accept a new commitment that will see them play eight mandatory Masters 1000 events and four 500 events a year. It’s imperative that fans know that when they attend our best events or when broadcasters agree to televise our tournaments that they will see the best players. What other sport has fans crossing fingers that their favorite stars will show?

And there’s no doubt that our players are the stars of this show. We are a sport that’s blessed with wonderful athletes, from all corners of the globe, and we must do much more to reward and support them. With reduced travel over multiple continents, no five set matches and 56 draws at Masters 1000s we will allow players to plan healthier schedules and continue to reduce withdrawals. Our new schedule also fixes existing problems. For instance the revised calendar ensures that a shortened European clay season will never happen again and with London’s spectacular O2 Arena becoming the new home of the World Tour Finals, players will no longer be asked to play an indoor European season that climaxes in China.

But it’s not enough to just ensure a healthier schedule. Our players should also be properly rewarded for their talent. That’s why we will introduce a 35% increase in prize money to players next season, as well as a multi million dollar bonus pool and a revenue sharing model to ensure players share in our sport’s growth.

We’ll ensure they have more stadia that befit their status as world class athletes and allow more fans to experience first-hand the sheer excitement and intensity of our sport. Between them, the 20 Masters 1000 and 500 tournaments have sparked $800 million of investment into new builds and upgrades - improvement at the top of men’s tennis that will raise the standard of our sport at all levels. Never before has tennis seen the construction of so many purpose built stadiums at one time. From Shanghai to Madrid, Valencia to Acapulco we are seeing a commitment to investment unprecedented in our sport’s history. Combine this with the wonderful tradition of events like Monte Carlo and Rome and we have a potent mix. Our tournaments are to be applauded for taking such confident and decisive steps for the future.

By building on our position as the world’s most global sport we will create an environment for continued investment into men’s tennis. That’s why we have developed new mini swings in Latin America and Asia. It is also why by 2011 six of our Masters 1000 events will be combined events, ensuring that we have all of the world’s best players at the sport’s best events.

All of this change will be backed by unprecedented levels of marketing support. Jointly funded by ATP and tournaments, a multi million dollar marketing fund will look to build the profile of our sport and its stars. Combined with the availability of a new and enhanced TV package comprising our 20 Masters 1000’s and 500’s events we will tell our compelling ‘road trip’ story to sports fans across the globe.

These are just some of the innovations that will encourage new fans, sponsors and broadcasters into the sport. No one likes change, but we must provide the very best product if we are to compete with other sports and entertainment. President Kennedy was fond of telling skeptical staffers that “the time to change your roof is when the sun is shining, not when it is raining.” Despite what the cynics might have you believe, tennis is on the verge of huge, positive change that I firmly believe will see this great sport of ours realize its true potential. We must not miss our future!

Etienne de Villiers is the ATP's Executive Chairman and President. This column appears in the current issue of Tennis Week Magazine.

www.atptennis.com/1/en/2008news/devilliers_tw.asp

[jenhatter06]

Nadal, Federer, Djokovic qualify for Masters Cup

SHANGHAI, China (AP)—Wimbledon champion Rafael Nadal, No. 1-ranked Roger Federer and No. 3 Novak Dkojokic have qualified for the season-ending Tennis Masters Cup.

The ATP announced Wednesday that those three singles players and doubles teams Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic, and Bob and Mike Bryan clinched berths at the Nov. 9-16 tournament at Shanghai’s Qi Zhong Stadium.

Nadal is second to Federer in the entry rankings, which determine seedings at tournaments and are based on the past 12 months of results. But the Spaniard, who beat Federer in an epic, five-set Wimbledon final Sunday, leads the 2008 race, which is based only on results this season. Nadal is 56-7 with a tour-leading six titles, including two at Grand Slam tournaments.

Federer is headed to his seventh consecutive Masters Cup, which he won in 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2007.

For Djokovic, who won the Australian Open in January, it’s his second berth in the event.

Only eight singles players and eight doubles teams are invited to the tournament.

[coolgirl]

Great Article from Peter Bodo as this concerns ADIDAS, Sam Querrey, and can be good for Marat too.

Peter Bodo Tennis World
Papa Gil
Posted 07/18/2008 @ 12 :20 PM



As I mentioned in my previous post, I recently had a chance to catch up with Gil Reyes, the man who trained Andre Agassi during the remarkable resurgence that transformed him from a "mere" multiple Grand Slam title winner into a beloved icon of tennis. All you need to know about the indebtedness and loyalty Andre feels toward Gil is that Andre named his first born "Jaden Gil."

I called Gil because he's back on the pro tour radar, as part of the Adidas Player Development program, the innovative system whereby shoe and apparel manufacturer Adidas provides athletes under contract to the brand with high-quality support on everything from nutrition to tennis strategy. The most noteworthy athlete to exploit this free support structure is Ana Ivanovic. Grand Slam champions usually hire the best coaches and advisers money can buy. Ana, by contrast, got hers free.

Sven Groeneveld, the most renowned coach (as well as a founding mastermind) of the Adidas program is Ivanovic's only coach - even though Sven is duty-bound to refrain from advising Ivanovic on what she needs to do before confrontations with other Adidas players. So, for two year running in the French Open final, Sven was not only excluded from drawing up the game plan on the evening before the match, during the final he was absent from his usual post, the player guest box. That's because on each occasion, Ivanovic was playing another Adidas athlete (Justine Henin in 2007, Dinara Safina this year).

Anyway, Gil joined the Adidas team recently, and his impact was made known almost immediately. He worked with Sam Querrey, preparing the young American's legs for the European clay-court season. Until this year, Querrey had exactly one win on clay in an ATP event. After working with Gil for two weeks in Las Vegas, Querrey went to Monte Carlo and beat Carlos Moya, Andreas Seppi and Richard Gasquet before he lost to Novak Djokovic. " 'How did this happen?'," Sam asked me, Gil recalled. "I said it was easy - you just asked your body to do something new and it responded. It underlined my basic belief that an aware athlete is always learning to ask more of his body. Training is seen by some as monotonous, and I'd say anybody who feels that way isn't doing the right kind of training."
Here's a funny thing about Gil. Andre's fans love him for who he is - his personality. This has tended to obscure the amount of work Agassi put into his career, particularly in the later stages. In some ways, many of Agassi's fans didn't even want to hear that he left his all on the practice court and in the gym, day after day, because they preferred to cling to their perception of Agassi as a spontaneous, mercurial, sometimes wayward talent, never entirely at ease with his identity as a pro tennis player.

The facts suggest otherwise, and if you don't believe me, you can ask Gil. He's worked with Agassi for nearly two decades, leaving his post as the highly successful strength coach of the NCAA Division I University of Las Vegas, Nevada, basketball squad (Gil was their strength coach when the Runnin' Rebels won the 1990 NCAA championships).

You want to know what Andre and Gil did, work-out wise, on December 11th, 2002? Call Gil. How about March 5, 1994? Call Gil. Pick a day, any day, from the time they began working together Andre retired, and Gil can look up exactly what they did that day at the facility informally called the Agassi Training Center. Every workout they ever went through is written down and saved in a binder.

That's a tribute to the extreme degree of professionalism both men brought to the partnership, and it's too bad if that runs counter to the way we wish to remember Andre. The bottom line is that Agassi worked like a dog, although a well-treated, much-loved one. Here's my theory, for what it's worth: In Gil Reyes, Andre - a young man often at odds with, and in rebellion against, his father, Mike - found the father figure that a part of him longed to hold. It takes just a few minutes of conversation with Gil to realize that he's an extraordinarily sensitive man, in spite of the fact that he's built like a brick you-know-what and could probably take any two Ultimate Fighting idols and snap them in half. Trust me - that's not a slight of the cage warriors.

Gil understood Agassi perfectly, right from the get-go. As he says, "In his heart, Andre was always a seeker. He was in search of his best, and I happened to be the one who helped him realize that in his identity as a tennis player."

Today, Agassi's Grand Slam trophies and his Olympic Games gold medal are on display not on the armoire in the living room he shares with his wife, Steffi Graf. They're on a shelf at the Agassi Training Center. It was the place Andre and Gil designed and built when they grew tired of working out in the garage at Gil's home. Gil designed all the equipment (the machines) and had them fabricated with an overarching philosophy in mind: Strength training is a separate, unique endeavor, not an add-on or afterthought intended simply to make a player "stronger" in what might be called the dictionary sense of the word. Gil had two goals in mind for Andre, and anyone else who works with him: First, to get stronger. Second, to accomplish that safely, with minimum stress or potential for damage through over-exertion or fatigue.

"We really pride ourselves on the fact that we're safe," Gil told me. "Young tennis athletes are not weight lifters, and shouldn't be expected to do some of the things lifters do. One of our priorities is to ensure that when we work on a particular muscle or group, we don't risk collateral damage to other groups. If a player just spent two hours serving, his serving shoulder is fatigued. He shouldn't just go into the gym and start pushing iron. Actually, I've always believed that going straight from the court to the weight room is not a good thing."

Gil takes a great deal of pride in the fact that Agassi won the Australian Open four times, at a time of year when everyone, at least in theory, was prepared for the Grand Slam grind. "Andre was so ready in Melbourne that he actually requested day matches, so that he could play in that intense heat. The officials always cringed when he asked for that, because the (television) ratings wars are played out at night."

Everyone talks about how much the game has changed in recent years, and Gil endorses the idea. "Today's players aren't chasing shots, they're running after lasers. It's become a game of rapid, violent accelerations and equally violent stops and changes of direction. You see how many hip injuries there are today? That's probably the reason. Players are needing to slam on the brakes like never before, which is why there's an premium today on learning to use your thighs as shock absorbers for every C.O.D"

That's Gil-speak, for change of direction.

Andre The operational phrase for every responsible trainer, according to Gil, is "wear and tear." He believes that young players are committed, but wonders if they're sufficiently schooled in the nuances of off-court training. "The persistent sociology in tennis has been that there's no real strength and conditioning regimen in place. It commonly comes down for many of these young players to have a dad in charge. I have nothing against the role of parents in tennis, but you just can't expect an parent to be on top of these things. That's the sociology of our industry, for better or worse."

Gil believes that Rafael Nadal is the new proto-type for developing players - after all, the talent of Roger Federer is self-evident and it doesn't take long for a youngster or his mentors to recognize that the bar he sets is virtually unattainable. But Nadal - that's a different story. To many, Nadal 's success owes as much to hard work and strength as it does to talent. While this certainly sells Nadal short, legions of juniors are thinking: If I can just get as big and powerful as Nadal, I've got a shot. . .

This puts a new premium on strength training, and we have yet to see where that will lead. "There are many, many coaches who know what they're doing," Gil says. "I have to believe they'll respond to this new sensibility out there."

The Agassi Training Center is not a public space; it's a private gym where Gil trains whomever he chooses.It strikes me that a stint at the ATC might benefit Federer; you all saw how he rubbed his serving shoulder late in that Wimbledon final, and how the sting seemed to depart from his backhand under persistent bombardment from Nadal's heavy topspin shots - particularly off the forehand wing. But Federer (and Nadal) are Nike athletes, and Gil has thrown his lot in with Adidas. You know who that leaves: three players who could benefit enormously from some time with Gil: Novak Djokovic, Marat Safin, and Marcos Baghdatis. I'll be curious to see if any of them makes the effort.

It's hard to describe how uplifting it was to talk with Gil. The man just radiates good intentions, which explains why he is so often called Yoda-like. I've always bought into that; how could you not, when Gil says things like: "My best teaching is done with my ears open, my eyes open, and my mouth closed. I had a special thing with Andre. He was a teaching me what I needed to learn, and that ultimately led both of us to reap enormous rewards. I don't know if that can every be duplicated."

[maryb]

I'd already commented that the Big Yin could emulate Agassi in the twilight years of his career ... and I still think that's the case. Andre dropped down the rankings, played Challengers and qualies ... and then went on to the most successful time in his career. I think the Big Yin could well prove that he is a late bloomer. He's got something else in common with Andre ... an early hatred of grass. LMAO. Andre was beaten by Leconte many, many years ago early in the tournament and vowed never to play at Wimbles again. He relinquished, eventually ... and went on to win the title, and the hearts of the crowd. Ok Big Yin, let's go for it. You're ready now for lifting more trophies ... Time to unleash the mature Marat Safin ... hook up with Gil.

[davis]

The fight for No. 1 is getting serious:

www.tennis.com/features/general/features.aspx?id=140332

Should be an interesting summer! ;D

[justsafin]

news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/7518238.stm

Duo banned and fined for betting
Frantisek Cermak
Frantisek Cermak is ranked 34th in the world in doubles

Doubles specialists Frantisek Cermak and Michal Mertinak have been suspended and fined by men's governing body the ATP for betting on tennis matches.

Neither player had bet on their own matches, and the investigation found no evidence of any intent to affect the outcome of matches wagered upon.

Czech player Cermak, who does not have a singles ranking, was banned for 10 weeks from Monday and fined £9,450.

Slovakia's world number 616 Mertinak got a two-week ban and a £1,900 fine.

"The ATP's tennis anti-corruption program is clear that gambling on any form of tennis match will not be tolerated," said Gayle David Bradshaw, ATP executive vice president.

"The programme was introduced to ensure the integrity of our sport, and all connected to the tour have a duty and responsibility to ensure that integrity is upheld."

Five Italians - Alessio di Mauro, Potito Starace, Daniele Bracciali, Giorgio Galimberti and Federico Luzzi - have already been banned by the ATP for gambling on tennis matches.

The governing body has stepped up its fight against corruption.

At Wimbledon last month the board approved new match-fixing sanctions which require players to report any suspicious contact from gambling syndicates within 48 hours of being approached.

Players could face life bans if found guilty of match fixing, while players, and their families and entourages, are banned from betting on any form of tennis.

[jenhatter06]

ESPN held their annual ESPY awards last week (wonderfully hosted by Justin Timberlake ):
espn.go.com/espy2008/postshow/index.html

Best Male Tennis Player: Roger Federer
Best Female Tennis Player: Maria Sharapova
Best International Male Athlete: Rafael Nadal

can't wait for next year, 'cause the Wimby Final should (hopefully) get some recognition ;D

[davis]

Now how ridiculous is this?

Child ejected for earpiece at junior event

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) -- An eight-year-old girl was ejected from a junior tennis tournament at Christchurch on New Zealand's South Island when officials discovered she was wearing a radio earpiece to receive instructions from her father.

Tournament referee Rob Wilkinson said officials became suspicious because the match involving Ukranian-born Anastasiya Korzh featured a "heightened number of questioned calls."

Officials found the earpiece hidden under the girl's headband, linked by a cord to a receiver under her shirt, the Press newspaper reported.

Korzh's father said the earpiece was only being used to help the girl keep score in the under-10 tournament.

She was playing in her first tournament

[jenhatter06]

^^ saw that too - couldn't believe that *shakes head*

[coolgirl]

Steve Tignor Blog

Picking Up the Story
Posted 07/28/2008 @ 4 :17 PM

Yes, women’s tennis exists right now, but can you really say much more than that? The subject came up in a conversation that my friend and sometime Tennis.com correspondent Asad Raza and I were having with a casual tennis fan this weekend. He asked, like so many people seem to ask these days, “What’s going on with women’s tennis? Anything?” Neither Asad nor I had a good answer. Various wins and losses were certainly occuring, but they fit no storyline. There are few things more depressing to a sportswriter than a sport with no recognizable narrative arc. Without one, tennis is just one winner and unforced error after another.

This is nothing new to WTA fans. The summer months, when injuries and indifference tend to peak among the women, can stifle even the most fascinating emerging narratives. As of last week, Ana Ivanovic, who had won her first major this spring in Paris, hadn’t made the U.S. hard-court scene. The Williams sisters, who had found themselves together in a Slam final again at Wimbledon, had caught the injury bug. The one story that was played up last week—can Jelena Jankovic reach No. 1 for the first time?—was anything but fascinating. In fact, it only reinforced the idea that the tour makes no sense right now. Not only has Jankovic never won a Grand Slam, she’s never even been to the finalof one. She had ascended not because she had won when it counted, but because she had entered a lot of tournaments and done pretty well in most of them. Imagine if Nikolay Davydenko were the No. 1 player on the men’s computer. On second thought, don’t. You may start to wonder if there’s a point to anything.

Then, this weekend, we picked up the tale of Dinara Safina again. Marat’s little sister had been a story herself this spring at Roland Garros, where she reached her first major final. After cramping and losing at Wimbledon to Shahar Peer, she continued in Los Angeles where she had left off in Paris. There she had saved match points and won on two separate occasions; here she did the same against her countrywoman Alla Kudryavtseva. Safina was asked afterward how she did it. I liked her answer: “I just kept remembering that the match isn’t over until you shake hands.” Seems simple and realistic enough. Maybe I’ll try it the next time I’m losing.

For the first time, I’ve also begun to like watching Safina’s game. She had always seemed clumsy and overly infuriated to me in the past, a red face inevitably filled with painful emotion. Now I found myself realizing, and enjoying, how early she takes her backhand and how she isn’t afraid to gun it crosscourt on crucial points. Safina’s backhand is not just the equivalent to other players' forehands; she almost uses it like a serve. I also like how heavily she clubs her forehand, particularly from shoulder height, and how committed she seems to be to improving and winning. Like Ivanovic, Safina is fitter than she has ever been, and it’s making a difference; she can even scramble a little on defense. In the semis, she made Jankovic look more like the actress she wants to be than the top tennis player she is, beating the smiling Serb in straight sets and ending her bid for No. 1. (Jankovic wasn’t too distraught at the end.)

Of course, Safina could be another short story. She played a nervous game at 5-1 in the second and was broken. While she broke back for the title, the top women—the Williamses, Sharapova, Ivanovic—are the ones who can serve matches out consistently, rather than break them out. Safina also didn’t beat any of those top women in this tournament. But she’s a worker, and a strong ball-striker, and she seems more focused than angry now. She's also not a pusher, which you have to like no matter what the results may be.

Safina has the down-to-earth honesty of her brother, without the dark cynicism. On match point against Jankovic, the Serb sent a ball over the baseline that was called long. As the two players walked to the net, Jankovic challenged the call. Safina looked at her and said, “I think it was out.” There was something very calm and normal, friendly and honest, about the way she looked when she said it (and she was right, it was out). One of the Safins staying calm and normal on a tennis court? OK, we’ve found our story.

[coolgirl]

TennisTalk

The Sinners, The Saints, and Sex in Cincy

2008-07-29 11:11:00

The heat index continues to soar in Cincinnati, as the tennis gods have shown yours truly a little love this week. Follow me, as I am granted an all-access pass, and a rare, inside look at what goes on behind the scenes of the current Masters Series event.

Here is part one, of my exclusive interview, with a trusted member of the Cincy staff. In exchange for me paying the tab, as we chatted in the hotel bar of the Marriott Northeast, as well as a promise to keep the conversation "off the record," my source was eager to tell me what he has experienced, during his tenure as part of the Western & Southern Financial tournament elite.

DdV= Dani DeVine
CSI= Cincy Staff Insider

DdV: Which tour player is the easiest to work with?

CSI: Many of them are a pleasure to work with, like James Blake and Roger Federer. Andy Murray has always been low maintenance, despite his public persona. The best, in terms of sheer friendliness, and a total absence of that "I'm-a-huge-star," attitude, is Rafael Nadal. We all really like the guy, from the top tournament organizers, all the way down to the ballkids. No acting for the cameras with him; he is a genuine person.

DdV: You know I have to ask- who is the most difficult to work with?

CSI: (Laughing) Getting me into trouble early, here. Only a few players are a real pain in the **** to deal with. Haas and Clement are not the nicest guys around, and Safin can drive a sane person crazy. If I have to answer, I go with Nicolas Kiefer. He is the Big Three: unfriendly, uncooperative, and difficult.

DdV: Best sense of humour?

CSI: On a good day, Marat Safin can be a lot of fun. If we are talking about someone who is naturally funny, as a general rule, then it has to be Novak Djokovic. He's a good guy. (smiles)

DdV: Which player is the most likely to hook up with a groupie, or a fan?

CSI: (Laughing) How did I know this question would be on your list? I will not admit to knowing anything, but if I had to guess, it would be Safin. I have heard stories about Feliciano Lopez, Tommy Haas, and Mario Ancic as well. If the walls of the rooms in this hotel could talk....

DdV: Who do your female coworkers like the most?

CSI: You mean looks-wise?

DdV: Yes. That question was intended to be shallow.

CSI: Roddick, on the American side. Verdasco, on the Euro side. I hear about that guy a lot. Roddick doesn't bother me, though. I'm better looking than he is, right? If I were insecure, Verdasco might make me feel a little bit bad about myself. (laughs)

Stay tuned for Part two! Until next time...

Kisses,
Dani DeVine

[jenhatter06]

Haas, Querrey, Harkleroad in unisex tournament
8/1/2008 5:54:00 PM


LOS ANGELES (AP) -Tommy Haas, Sam Querrey, Donald Young, Ashley Harkleroad and Alexandra Stevenson are among those entered in Sunday's inaugural Shotgun 21 World Championships, a tennis competition where men and women will play each other.

The one-day tournament in suburban Pacific Palisades offers a purse of more than $20,000 in prize money, with $10,000 and a limited edition Fender Stratocaster going to the winner.

Tournament founder/director Steve Bellamy said the event will have a 32-player main draw, and should be completed in about three hours. He said a committee examined the value and qualifications of every entrant and choose the top 28. The other four will come from a qualifier earlier in the day at the Palisades Tennis Center that's open to the public.

There are four significant rule changes from traditional tennis: no overhand serve, second serves or lets, and the winner is the first to reach 21 points as opposed to deuce/ad scoring. All serving is drop-hit and struck from below the waist.

``The player field for this event is flat-out amazing,'' Bellamy said. ``Even the celebrities playing are incredible.''

They include Gavin Rossdale, the founder and lead singer of the band ``Bush,'' and husband of entertainer Gwen Stefani; actor/model Boris Kodjoe, and actress/model Sara Foster, Haas' girlfriend.

Haas, ranked as high as No. 2 in the world, lost to Wimbledon champion Rafael Nadal 6-4, 7-6 on Thursday night in the Cincinnati Masters tournament and is considered one of the favorites.

Querrey is the third-ranked male in the United States; Harkleroad is the fifth-ranked woman, and Stevenson is in the midst of a comeback after a shoulder injury. She reached the Wimbledon semifinals as an 18-year-old unknown in 1999.

The first tournament where men and women play each other recalls the 1973 exhibition match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs. King, at the top of her game, won easily against her long retired opponent.

``Women traditionally keep the ball in play longer and are very solid off the ground,'' Bellamy said. ``So you take the serve out of the equation, and you really have a leveling of the playing field.''

---

On the Net: www.palitenniscenter.com

www.thetennischannel.com/news/NewsDetails.aspx?newsid=4412

[justsafin]

www.topix.net/tennis/2008/08/usta-agrees-to-buy-cincy-masters-event

USTA agrees to buy Cincy Masters event

The United States Tennis Association has agreed to buy a majority interest in the Masters Series tournament in Cincinnati.

sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/news/story?id=3518538&campaign=rss&source=TENNISHeadlines
USTA wants to make Cincinnati a combined men's-women's event

Associated Press

Updated: August 4, 2008, 12:04 PM ET

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- The U.S. Tennis Association reached an agreement to buy a majority interest in the Cincinnati Masters ATP hard-court tournament and hopes to turn it into a combined event for men and women.

The deal is pending ATP approval.

"This tournament has elevated the sport of tennis in the country's heartland, while providing significant contributions to community causes. This is a legacy we look forward to building upon," USTA CEO of pro tennis Arlen Kantarian said Monday.

The USTA plans a multimillion-dollar renovation to the tournament stadium in Mason, Ohio.

The event is part of the U.S. Open Series of hard-court tournaments leading up to the year's final Grand Slam.

[davis]

I guess now it's finally "Bye Bye Hamburg"

Jury rejects Hamburg's claims against ATP

WILMINGTON, Del. — A jury in a U.S. federal antitrust lawsuit filed by the German Tennis Federation has upheld the ATP Tour's planned tournament restructuring.

Jurors deliberated for about nine hours Tuesday before rejecting the German federation's claims that the Association of Tennis Professionals' tournament restructuring, which would move the Hamburg clay court tournament from May to July and downgrade it to second-tier status, violates American antitrust laws.

ATP lawyer Bradley Ruskin said he was gratified by the jury's decision, which came after two weeks of testimony.

Robert MacGill, a lawyer for the German federation, declined to comment on the ruling.

[davis]

Hallelujah!!!!!! ;D ;D

Etienne de Villiers To Step Down As ATP Executive Chairman

London, U.K. – Etienne de Villiers, Executive Chairman and President of the ATP, governing body of the men's professional tennis circuit, today announced that he will not be renewing his contract at the end of the 2008 season. Executive Chairman since June 2005, Mr de Villiers has overseen the most extensive set of changes to the ATP Tour since its inception in 1990.

The changes, which will see $1 billion of new investment into the ATP Tour, include record breaking levels of prize money for players, new, world class tournaments, an enhanced, healthier calendar structure, unprecedented levels of promotional spend and a new brand look and identity based on extensive consumer research, designed to make the Tour more fan friendly.

Etienne de Villiers said:

"I was tasked by the ATP Board, three years ago, to create a vision that would involve bold changes for our sport. I believe that has now been achieved. I believe we have delivered the biggest modernisation of the ATP Tour since its inception, have attracted unprecedented levels of investment into men's tennis and have begun to feed the growing appetite for men's tennis globally, both in established and emerging markets. I am incredibly proud of what the Board and my dedicated team have achieved for men's tennis and I am honoured to have played a part in taking our great sport to the next level. Now that this much needed change has been realised I believe this is the right time for someone new to build on this strong platform. I leave knowing, without doubt, that finally our players, tournaments and above all our fans have the foundations of a world class sport they truly deserve.'

Heineken Auckland Open Chief Executive and ATP Board member Graham Pearce said:

"Etienne has been an outstanding leader for our sport over his three year term, not least in the past months as we were forced to defend ourselves, successfully, in a Delaware court of law. He was asked to instigate change to our sport and he has done that and more. The levels of investment into facilities and promotion, as well as rises in prize money, are unprecedented for our sport and are set to take men's tennis to the next stage of global popularity. Etienne has put in place a programme of change that is far reaching and exciting, and the end result is a sport that will be reinvigorated and ready to fulfil its true potential. Men's tennis owes him a huge debt."

Etienne de Villiers joined the ATP in June 2005 as Chairman and became Executive Chairman and President in November 2005. As well as overhauling the management structure of the ATP, Mr de Villiers undertook for the first time, extensive, global research to understand the fan's perspective of the sport. The result was the overhauling of the doubles format to create a more popular version of the team game; fan friendly initiatives such as Hawkeye being introduced to the ATP Tour; a series of measures designed to improve player health including the end of 5 set finals and byes for seeded players at Masters tournaments resulting in substantial increases in player turn out and the first increases of player prize money in over five years.

Mr de Villiers, working with the tennis industry, has also put in place a series of changes designed to unlock the potential of men's tennis, not least the creation of a new ATP World Tour calendar with key tournaments strategically placed to ensure 'swings' of events leading into the sport's five 'pillars' - the four Grand Slams and the ‘Barclays ATP World Tour Finals’ (formerly known as the Tennis Masters Cup). Working together with the Sony Ericcson WTA, in 2011 five of the nine ‘Masters 1000s’, the ATP’s top tier, will be major mandatory combined events - a format that fans acknowledge is one of the sport’s major attractions and mirrors the success of the Grand Slams.

In addition, post US Open, the calendar will now be strengthened by an Asian swing of three weeks that will showcase the world's best players at new tournaments - Shanghai "Masters 1000", and the Tokyo and Beijing "500s". This will be followed by an enhanced European indoor swing concluding at the new look Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London's iconic O2 Arena. The new Tour calendar ensures a healthier schedule for players, with less travel across continents and less congested sections of the season.

Mr de Villiers will fulfil his current three year term as ATP Executive Chairman, a term that ends in December 2008 and will now assist the ATP Board in their recruitment of a successor.