2013/05/18

Tennis Hall Of Famers John McEnroe, Jim Courier To Compete In Mylan WTT Matchup July 22 To Benefit Johnny Mac Tennis Project

John McEnroe

John McEnroe

NEW YORK, May 16, 2013 – Former World No. 1 players, Davis Cup standouts and International Tennis Hall of Famers John McEnroe and Jim Courier will battle it out on the Sportime Stadium hard court on Monday, July 22nd, as the NY Sportimes take on the Texas Wild in a Mylan World TeamTennis matchup. The annual night benefiting the Johnny Mac Tennis Project (JMTP) will also feature fellow Hall of Famer and Mylan WTT Co-Founder Billie Jean King in celebration of the 40th anniversary year of her historic matchup with Bobby Riggs in the famed “Battle of the Sexes.” The match begins at 7:30 p.m. on Randall’s Island.

JMTP provides scholarships, coaching, transportation and other financial assistance to qualified young tennis players in the greater New York area. JMTP benefit nights in previous years have featured the likes of Bjorn Borg (2011) and Andre Agassi (2012). JMTP and SPORTIME Clubs, home of the John McEnroe Tennis Academy, have already provided over $1M in scholarships and no cost programming to young players in NYC and its communities.

JMTP scholarship recipients attend the John McEnroe Tennis Academy, which is completing its third year at Sportime Randall’s Island. Ticket prices for the July 22nd match will be $75, $150 and $300, with additional special VIP packages also available; please consult your tax advisor concerning the tax deductibility of ticket and package purchases. Tickets for the JMTP benefit night on July 22nd and for the NY Sportimes home match vs. the Washington Kastles at Randall’s Island on July 23rd can be purchased by calling 1-888-WTT-NYC1 or by visiting www.nysportimes.com. The July 23rd match is also benefiting JMTP and features former Sportime, and soon-to-be enshrined International Hall of Fame inductee, Martina Hingis, playing for Washington. Purchasers of tickets to the July 22nd match may elect to receive a ticket to the following night’s match for $1.00.

“Jim Courier has meant so much to American tennis, and we couldn’t be more pleased that he and the Texas Wild will be the opponent for this special night,” said Sportime Clubs and NY Sportimes CEO Claude Okin. “To have two of our country’s all-time premier players and tennis ambassadors in Jim and in our own Captain and leader, John McEnroe, will make for a very competitive and entertaining evening, but most importantly will ultimately help so many children in New York.”

“The JMTP Benefit night is a highlight of the year for me and for the Johnny Mac Tennis Project,” said McEnroe. “My commitment is stronger than ever to the youth of New York, and just as Bjorn and Andre helped make the evening special in years past, getting to compete against Jim again will, I hope, pump people up about American tennis – past and future.”

“I am honored and excited to be participating in this benefit, and to help John do what he is doing in his home town of New York City,” said Courier. “I live in NYC and I practice at SPORTIME so I see what John and his Academy are accomplishing there. I wanted to do my part to support John’s efforts in furthering the development of American tennis and young players in NYC.”

The night will also be part of a year-long celebration of the 40th anniversary of the “Battle of the Sexes” match between King and Riggs, which took place in Houston on Sept. 20, 1973. The spectacle, won by King in straight sets, is often cited as a turning point towards females earning equality in many aspects of American life.

The Sportimes open their Mylan World TeamTennis home schedule on July 9 vs. Springfield (featuring Andy Roddick for Springfield) at SEFCU Arena in Albany, N.Y. New York will play four other matches in Albany, on July 12, 15 (featuring Sloane Stephens for Philadelphia), 16 and 18 (featuring McEnroe vs. Orange County) and the aforementioned two at Sportime Stadium (July 22nd vs. Texas, July 23rd vs. Washington, featuring former Sportimes star Martina Hingis).

Conference championships are scheduled for Thursday, July 25th, at the higher of the top two seeds in each conference, and the season concludes with the Mylan WTT Finals presented by GEICO, on Sunday, July 28th, at the site of the Eastern Conference champion.

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Kourtin’ Karen’s Tennis News Week in Review

 

(January 7, 2013) NEW YORK, NY –  Kourtin’ Karen’s brief review of the previous week in the world of tennis, on and off-court.

0-15

British Player Hutchins Has Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

15-15
Murray Dedicates win to Hutchins

 

15- 30

Walking wounded?

Maria Sharapova withdrew from Brisbane nursing a right collarbone injury

John Isner withdrew from Hopman Cup with a knee injury.

Andrea Petkovic underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus in her right knee the result of an injury in her first Hopman Cup match.

 

30-30

Gangnam Style

40-30

Swear I don’t swear

Andy Murray commented that he did not promise not to swear:

 

“I was doing an interview over the phone. I got asked about swearing on the court. I said ‘obviously I don’t mean to do it. I don’t want to do it. Sometimes you get frustrated and you do and obviously I will try to stop.’

“I didn’t make any promises or guarantees that I was going to.

“Then it came out that I’ve said this year I will stop swearing. What I also said was that a lot of players swear on the court and a lot of people say a lot worse things than me – in other languages. It doesn’t get picked up the same.

“So where I would obviously love to stop doing it, I try not to. But I can’t guarantee it.”

40-40

I’m relly boring now

 

Advantage

iPhone

Serena and Venus Williams in an iPhone commercial
Ad -out

Beware of Pedicures

No.  1 Victoria Azarenka blamed “a bad pedicure experience” forced her to pull out before her semifinal match in Brisbane against Serena Williams. Thirty minutes before the match Azarenka said she had undergone a small procedure to correct an ingrown toenail of her right big toe.

 

Deuce

Walking with “Sunshine”

Caro-Rory-Tower8-640x426

Caroline Wozniacki and boyfriend golfer Rory McIlroy took to Sydney’s Skywalk

 

Advantage Time?

The ATP is cracking down on the time taken by players between points this year. Players including Andy Murray  say they agree with the concept but 25 seconds between points is not enough.

 

Deuce

On the market, back off the market?

Recently, ESPN’s Darren Rovell “confirmed” that 25 year-old Maria Sharapova is indeed dating 21-year-old Bulgarian player Grigor Dimitrov dubbed “Baby Fed” for his similar playing style to Roger Federer. At the end of last year tennis journalist Colette Lewis reported this on her twitter account. Sharapova had  split up with her fiancé to basketball player Sasha Vujacic back in the spring.

 

Advantage

Australain Open Wildcards

Men Women
Wu Di (CHN) Asia Pacific Wildcard Play-off Yuxuan Zhang (CHN) Asia Pacific WildcardPlay-off
Benjamin Mitchell AO Play-off winner Bojana Bobusic AO Play-off winner
Rhyne Williams US Open Reciprocal Madison Keyes US Open Reciprocal
Josselin Ouanna French Open Reciprocal Caroline Garcia French Open Reciprocal
Luke Saville Discretionary Olivia Rogowska Discretionary

 

Deuce

Court Coverage

During a a match versus Dustin Brown in Doha, top seed David Ferrer made a hole in the court. Play had to be stopped to fix the court.

 

Advantage

Tennis Queen becomes bowling queen

Billie Jean King now the celebrity owner o of the New York City WTT KingPins, joining Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul and former NFL stars Jerome Bettis and Terrell Owens as celebrity owners in the Professional Bowlers Association’s inaugural PBA League.

 

Game, Set, Match and Champions

Serena Williams captures her 47th WTA title by defeating Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-2, 6-1 to win the Brisbane International in Brisbane, Australia.

Andy Murray defeated Grigor Dimitrov 7-6(0), 6-4 to win the Brisbane International for his 25th ATP World Tour title.

Richard Gasquet rallied from a set and a break down to beat Nikolay Davydenko 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-3 to win the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha.

Li Na beat Klara Zakopalova 6-3, 1-6, 7-5 to win the inaugural Shenzhen Longgang Gemdale Open in Shenzhen, China.

Janko Tipsarevic over surprise finalist Roberto Bautista-Agut 3-6, 6-1, 6-3 to win the Aircel Chennai Open in Chennai, India, his 4th career title.

Agnieszka Radwanska over Yanina Wickmayer 6-4, 6-4 to win the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand

Spain upsets Serbia 2-1 to win the Hopman Cup in Perth, Australia.

 

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WTT Smash Hits raises a record $1 million as Team Billie Jean beats Team Elton 19-17

PITTSBURGH, Pa. (Oct. 16, 2012) — The 20th anniversary edition of Mylan WTT
Smash Hits presented by GEICO, was one for the record books with the event
posting a record $1 million for the Elton John AIDS Foundation with a
portion of those proceeds benefitting the Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force. The
event, hosted annually by Sir Elton John and Billie Jean King, has now
raised more the $11.5 million to support HIV and AIDS prevention and
awareness programs since the first Smash Hits was held in Los Angeles in
1993.

Team Billie Jean King won the match, besting Team Elton John, 19-17.

Tuesday’s match at the Petersen Event Center on the University of Pittsburgh
campus featured one of the first tennis appearances of Andy Roddick since
announcing his retirement from the sport, and hall of famer Andre Agassi in
men’s singles. Team Elton’s Roddick won the final set of men’s singles over
Agassi, 5-3, to push the match into Overtime. Agassi captured the first
game of Overtime to give Team Billie Jean the win and even the 20-year
series at 10-10.

Sir Elton John kicked the evening off, partnering with Martina Navratilova
to take a 3-2 victory against Agassi and Stefanie Graf in an entertaining
celebrity doubles set.

Women’s singles brought two of the top junior players in the world and saw
Team Elton’s Taylor Townsend post a 5-2 win over the 2012 US Open girls
singles champion Samantha Crawford. In mixed doubles, Roddick paired with
the legendary Martina Navratilova to lead Team Elton to a 5-3 win over
Agassi and Graf.

In women’s doubles, Christina McHale teamed with Crawford and cruised to a
5-0 win over Navratilova and Townsend to bring Team Billie Jean even with
Team Elton 10-10 after three sets. “I am so happy with my team tonight,”
said King following the match. “Girls doubles really turned it around for
us. The young ones got us back in the match.”

King’s squad increased their lead in men’s doubles as Mark Knowles joined
Agassi to pick up a 5-2 win over Roddick and Jan-Michael Gambill.

Earlier in the evening, a silent and live auction raised more than $375,000
of the night’s total. The top auction item of the night went for $200,000
when two bidders paid $100,000 each for a package that included tickets to
Sir Elton John’s “The Million Dollar Piano” show at Caesar’s Palace in Las
Vegas and dinner with Elton and Billie Jean King. A hitting session with
Andre Agassi and Stefanie Graf in Las Vegas sold for $55,000. Other auction
items were a 2013 Super Bowl Package with a dinner hosted by NFL legend
Franco Harris, an Elton John-signed piano bench, a hitting session with
Martina Navratilova, and Wimbledon and US Open packages.

For more information on Mylan WTT Smash Hits, visit www.WTTSmashHits.com.

Final Results – Mylan WTT Smash Hits presented by GEICO at Petersen Events
Center in Pittsburgh, Pa.
PRO-CELEB MATCH (didn’t count towards final match score): Elton John /
Martina Navratilova def. Andre Agassi / Stefanie Graf, 3-2
Coaches for the pro-celeb match were Anna Kournikova (Elton/Martina) and
Franco Harris (Andre/Stefanie)

Team Billie Jean def. Team Elton 19-17 (1-0 Overtime)
Mixed Doubles: Andy Roddick / Martina Navratilova (Team Elton) def. Andre
Agassi / Stefanie Graf (Team Billie Jean) 5-3

Women’s Singles: Taylor Townsend (Team Elton) def. Samantha Crawford (Team
Billie Jean) 5-2

Women’s Doubles: Christina McHale /Samantha Crawford (Team Billie Jean) def.
Martina Navratilova / Taylor Townsend (Team Elton) 5-0

Men’s Doubles: Andre Agassi / Mark Knowles (Team Billie Jean) def. Andy
Roddick / Jan-Michael Gambill (Team Elton) 5-2

Men’s Singles: Andy Roddick (Team Elton) def. Andre Agassi (Team Billie
Jean) 5-3

Overtime:
Andre Agassi (Team Billie Jean) def. Andy Roddick (Team Elton) 1-0

TEAM ELTON:
Elton John, Andy Roddick, Martina Navratilova, Taylor Townsend, Jan-Michael
Gambill.
Co-captain: Anna Kournikova.

TEAM BILLIE JEAN:
Billie Jean King, Andre Agassi, Stefanie Graf, Mark Knowles, Christina
McHale, Samantha Crawford.
Co-captain: Franco Harris

All photos by Fred & Susan Mullane/Camerawork USA

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Anna Kournikova and NFL Hall of Famer Franco Harris Celebrity Coaches for WTT Smash Hits

Pittsburgh, Pa. (October 15, 2012) — NFL Hall of Famer Franco Harris and two-time Grand Slam doubles champion Anna Kournikova are lending their support to Mylan WTT Smash Hits presented by GEICO, the annual charity event co-hosted by Sir Elton John and Billie Jean King.

 

Harris and Kournikova will kick off the October 16 event in Pittsburgh by serving as celebrity coaches in the opening pro-celebrity set featuring Elton John teaming with Martina Navratilova to take on Andre Agassi and his wife Stefanie Graf. Kournikova is a co-captain of Team Elton and will be the coach for John and Navratilova. Harris, who is co-captain for Team Billie Jean, will be the coach for Agassi and Graf in the opening set. Action begins at 7:00 p.m. at the Petersen Events Center.

 

During a pre-match reception, Harris will also help auction off a Super Bowl package that includes tickets to the big game along with an autographed commemorative football celebrating the 40th anniversary of the “Immaculate Reception”.

 

After the pro-celebrity set, some of tennis’ biggest names will form two teams and play five sets of World TeamTennis (WTT) – one set each of men’s and women’s singles, doubles, and mixed doubles – on teams captained by King and John.

 

Playing for Team Billie Jean are Hall of Famers Graf and Agassi, along with former world No. 1 in doubles Mark Knowles; world No. 30 Christina McHale and the 2012 US Open junior girls singles champion Samantha Crawford.

Team Elton includes former US Open champion Andy Roddick; Martina Navratilova, a 59-time Grand Slam champion in singles, doubles and mixed doubles; No. 1 ranked junior Taylor Townsend, and former top 15 player, WTT veteran Jan-Michael Gambill.

 

This year’s event marks the 20th anniversary of Smash Hits, which has raised more than $10.5 million for the Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) and various local AIDS charities since 1993. Mylan WTT Smash Hits will benefit EJAF and the Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force, and will also include a pre-match VIP Reception and Auction hosted by Allegheny Sports Medicine.

John, King and all players will participate in the pre-match live auction, which will include an Elton John signed piano bench and King’s Wimbledon tickets among other items.

 

Official event sponsors include Mylan, GEICO, Highmark, Allegheny Sports Medicine, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Mercedes-Benz of Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh, Horizon Properties, Wells Fargo, Buck Consultants, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Cravath, Skadden, Alston+Bird LLP, Kelley Drye, Wiley Rein LLP, Frommer Lawrence & Haug LLP, Pietragallo Gordon Alfano Bosick & Raspanti LLP, Rakoczy Molino Mazzochi Siwik LLP, Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation, The Norton Agency, GA Communication Group, Generic Pharmaceutical Association, Re/Max, Heeter Direct, Mansions on Fifth, 94.5 3WS, KDKA, and Pittsburgh Magazine.

 

For more information on WTT Smash Hits, visit www.wttsmashhits.com.

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Tennis News Net Notes for September 25, 2012

Rafael Nadal tells European newspapers in interviews on Tuesday that he’s not sure when he’ll be back on tour due to his knee injury.

‘This is a day-to-day thing,” said Nadal. “I can’t predict what will happen.”

Read his interview with Reuters.

 

Novak Djokovic is set to play an exhibition match against recent International Tennis Hall of Fame inductee, former No. 1 Gustavo Kuerten in Brazil in November. The event will help to open a tennis court in Rocinha

Kuerten is also scheduled to play Roger Federer in an exhibition in December.

 

Bobby Chintapalli  interviewed Billie Jean King for USA Today on the subject of equal prize money.

 

Four-time major champion and former World No. 2 Guillermo Vilas told Argentine media on Monday that he is interested in becoming Argentina’s Davis Cup captain in the future.

Current captain Martin Jaite has said that he’ll be back in 2013.

Tennis Canada reports that Canada’s top female player, Aleksandra Wozniak has been diagnosed with an AC joint sprain in her right shoulder, an injury that will keep her out of action for a minimum of six weeks and puts an end to her 2012 season.

“I am keeping a positive attitude in spite of this new injury I suffered recently at the tournament in Quebec City,” said Wozniak. “I was in a good position heading into the last events of the season because I didn’t have a lot of points to defend. It’s unfortunate as I was hoping to improve my ranking (currently no. 43), but I will come back stronger.”

Once the inflammation and pain subsides, Wozniak will begin physiotherapy and physical training in order to be ready for the start of 2013 season. She expects to compete in the first WTA events of the year in Australia in January.

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Say “No” to Best of Three

By Dave Seminara

Why is it that tennis writers and former players always seem to be agitating for changes that would result in less tennis being played in the pro ranks? For years, we’ve been hearing that the Davis Cup shouldn’t be an annual event, and that tennis’s offseason should be longer. Now during the first week of this year’s U.S. Open, the buzz was all about reducing the men’s matches from best of 5 to best of 3 in majors.

 

Ben Rothenberg made a best-of-3 pitch in the New York Times’ U.S. Open Preview issue, ESPN tennis analyst’s Darren Cahill and Patrick McEnroe said that the idea was getting some traction and merited further discussion and Billie Jean King wrote a piece for The Huffington Post arguing the same point.

 

I’m a tennis fanatic and I live for dramatic five setters. While Cahill and others have said that the Olympics best of three until the final format proved that best of three could be as compelling as the best of five majors, I had the opposite experience. For me, the Olympics felt no different than a Masters 1000 series tournament like Toronto, Cincinnati and the rest.

 

King maintains that the men should play less in order to avoid injuries like the one that’s kept Rafael Nadal out of action this summer. But there are scores of current and former players that continued to win into their 30’s under the best of 5 format- Jimmy Connors, Ken Rosewall, Roger Federer, Andre Agassi- and some athletes from every sport will sustain injuries no matter how many sets they play.

 

Rothenberg’s primary justification for paring back the length of men’s matches is the notion that the player who is leading at the end of 3 sets nearly always wins the match. He cited a statistic indicating that the player leading after the first three sets won 90% of matches in the last five years, but this year’s Open certainly bucked that trend.

 

There was a total of 23 five setters, with 10 players coming from 2 sets to love down to win in the first four days, tied for the second most in the Open era, and only 4 behind the all time record set at the 2002 Australian Open. Of the 23 five setters, the player who was winning at the end of the 3rd set won on only six occasions.

 

If the final had been straight sets win for Andy Murray, just imagine all the drama we would have missed out on. The match was full of plot twists, and despite the fact that it lasted almost five hours, the crowd didn’t want it to end. After Murray won the first two sets, the crowd seemed to shift allegiance to Djokovic-because they wanted more tennis- and then shifted back to Murray in the 5th.

 

One could argue that this year’s draw has been the exception, not the rule, but consider how different tennis history would be if the men had been playing best of three in the majors during the Open era. Roger Federer wouldn’t have a career slam, because at Roland Garros in 2009, his one win there, he would have lost to Tommy Haas in the Round of 16. And he wouldn’t have regained the #1 ranking, breaking Pete Sampras’s record for weeks in the top spot, because he was down two sets to love in the 3rd round of Wimbledon this year against Julien Benneteau.

 

Then again, he would have won the 2009 U.S. Open over Juan Martin Del Potro and could have fared better in other majors, like the 1999 Wimbledon, the 2011 U.S. Open, and the 2002 and 2005 Australian Opens.

 

In a best of three set world, Rafael Nadal would have lost to Robin Haase in the 2nd round at Wimbledon in 2010, rather than winning the title; Novak Djokovic wouldn’t have won this year’s Australian Open or the 2011 U.S. Open; and McEnroe would have a career slam, having beaten Lendl in the final of the ’84 French, rather than blowing a two set to love lead, but he wouldn’t have won Wimbledon or the U.S. Open in 1980.

 

Neither Michael Chang nor Boris Becker would have won majors at 17, and Becker wouldn’t have won Wimbledon or the U.S. Open in 1989. The point here is twofold: first, it isn’t that uncommon for players who are trailing at the end of three sets to win the match and then go on to win the tournament, and second, the better player is more likely to prevail in best of five set encounters. For obvious reasons, fans want to see Rafael Nada late in the final, not Robin Haase; Roger Federer not Julien Benneateau. If the men’s game switched to best of 3 sets now, it would also make it difficult to compare records from one era to another.

 

But the most important reason for keeping the best of five format is that five set matches test a player’s mental and physical strength in a way that three setters don’t. All of the most dramatic men’s matches I’ve seen in my lifetime- Federer-Nadal in the final of Wimbledon in 2008, Federer- Roddick at Wimbledon in 2009, Borg-McEnroe at Wimbledon in 1980, Lendl-McEnroe at the ’84 French, Connors-Krickstein at the ’91 U.S. Open, Isner- Mahut at Wimbledon in 2010, and McEnroe-Becker at the Davis Cup in ’87- were five setters.

 

Yes, five setters are tough on the body, but at most majors, the players have a day off in between most of their matches. And, let’s face it; watching guys overcome cramps and other injuries to win is high theater. Who could forget watching Pete Sampras gut out a win over Alex Corretja at the U.S. Open in ’96 after throwing up in the plants at the back of the court?

 

Tennis writers often suggest making dramatic changes to the sport, but I love tennis too much to advocate any changes that would result in less tennis. As far as I’m concerned, the sport is just fine the way it is.

 

 

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Agassi, Graf, Roddick to Headline WTT Smash Hits on October 16

 

Pittsburgh, Pa. (June 25, 2012) — Longtime friends Sir Elton John and Billie Jean King are bringing their annual charity night of tennis, Mylan World TeamTennis (WTT) Smash Hits presented by GEICO, to Pittsburgh for the first time in the event’s 20-year history. Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl joined WTT CEO/Commissioner Ilana Kloss and Mylan CEO Heather Bresch at Pittsburgh City Hall this afternoon to announce the event, which will raise funds for the fight against HIV and AIDS.

Tennis greats Andre Agassi, Stefanie Graf, and Andy Roddick will join other top players for Mylan WTT Smash Hits on Tuesday, Oct. 16, at the Petersen Events Center. Tickets for the one-night event go on sale Monday, July 16, at 10 a.m. Eastern.

Mylan, a global pharmaceutical company based in the Pittsburgh area, has signed on as the title sponsor of this special 20th anniversary celebration of one of tennis’ longest-running and most successful charity events. Mylan will also be an official sponsor of the WTT Pro League, the innovative coed professional tennis league co-founded by Billie Jean King.

Smash Hits has raised more than $10.5 million for the Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) and various local AIDS charities since 1993. This year’s event will benefit EJAF and the Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force. The funds raised at the pre-match VIP Reception and Auction hosted by Allegheny Sports Medicine will be specifically targeted for local programs.

“As we celebrate our 20th anniversary of Smash Hits, we couldn’t ask for a better partner than Mylan, whose leadership work in the AIDS arena has continued to make such a positive difference on a global basis,” said WTT co-founder Billie Jean King. “Together, we will continue to use all our assets to expand awareness and ensure as many people as possible have access to affordable drugs to treat HIV/AIDS.”

“Mylan is honored to be sponsoring the 20th Annual Smash Hits event in Pittsburgh, as well as the WTT Pro League,” said Heather Bresch, CEO of Mylan Inc. “Mylan’s mission is to provide the world’s 7 billion people with access to high quality medicine. As one of the world’s leading providers of affordable antiretroviral medicines used to treat HIV/AIDS, Mylan has a long history of taking an active role in the fight against this disease. In fact, one in three people in the developing world being treated for HIV/AIDS depends on a Mylan product. We strongly support the missions of the Elton John AIDS Foundation, the Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force and World TeamTennis and share in their passionate commitment to reducing the incidence of HIV/AIDS in the U.S. and around the world.”

“We’re really excited to host this world-renowned event in Pittsburgh and bring light to such an important issue,” Ravenstahl said. “The generous support of companies such as Mylan and Highmark takes our City’s history of neighbors-helping-neighbors to a global level, enabling us to have a greater impact while still helping local residents in need.”

“It is always such a great pleasure to co-host this wonderful event with my dear friend Billie Jean King,” said Sir Elton John. “I’m so pleased that we will be teaming up with the Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force to raise awareness about the continuing challenges of the HIV/AIDS epidemic both locally and nationally and to raise urgently needed dollars for community-based HIV prevention, education, treatment, and care services. I urge all of the tennis fans and concerned citizens in the Greater Pittsburgh area to support this event and bring their families for a wonderful evening of tennis for a great cause.”

Captained by King and John, the players will form two teams and play five sets of World TeamTennis (WTT) – one set each of men’s and women’s singles, doubles, and mixed doubles. The music legend is expected to participate in a celebrity doubles match to open the event. Additional participants will be announced in the upcoming weeks.

Pittsburgh also served as home to one of the WTT Pro League’s first teams, the 1975 WTT Champion Pittsburgh Triangles, a storied franchise led by tennis greats Vitas Gerulaitis and Evonne Goolagong.

Tickets for Mylan WTT Smash Hits go on sale at 10 a.m. Eastern on Monday, July 16. Corner reserved seats are $40; premium reserved seats are $75; and courtside seats are $125. Order tickets through www.wttsmashhits.com or ticketmaster.com. For group sales of 10 or more tickets, call 412-924-8270.

Special VIP ticket packages, including VIP courtside seating and admission to the VIP Reception and Auction, will also be available for $500. John, King and all players will participate in the pre-match live auction, which will include an Elton John signed piano bench and King’s Wimbledon tickets among other items. To buy VIP ticket packages or for more information, call 412-924-8270.

This will be 12th Smash Hits appearance for Agassi. The 8-time Grand Slam singles champion and former world No. 1 is well-known for his philanthropy, which includes starting the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy in Las Vegas. Agassi was inducted into The International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2011.

This is the second Smash Hits appearance for Graf, a fellow Hall of Famer. Graf has long been considered one of the greatest players in tennis history, winning 107 singles titles, 22 Grand Slam singles championships, and an Olympic gold medal before retiring in 1999. Graf and her husband Andre Agassi have two children, daughter Jaz and son Jaden.

Roddick, who is playing in his 8th Smash Hits event, is a former world No. 1 and continues to be one of the most popular and successful players on the ATP Tour. The 29-year-old American has won 30 singles titles, including the 2003 US Open and has been ranked in the top 10 for nine consecutive years. In 2001, Roddick started the Andy Roddick Foundation (ARF), a charity dedicated to improving the quality of life and enhancing educational and economic opportunities for all children based on the principles of respect for family, education and morality.

Official event sponsors include Mylan, GEICO, Highmark, Allegheny Sports Medicine, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Pittsburgh Magazine.

For more information on WTT Smash Hits, visit www.wttsmashhits.com.

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Family Circle Cup to Hold 40th Anniversary Celebration

The Family Circle Cup announces 40Love: A Night of Empowerment Celebrating 40 Years of the Family Circle Cup, a special evening presented by Dove, featuring a reunion of the Original 9, including Billie Jean King and first-ever Family Circle Cup Champion Rosie Casals. Honorary coaches Billie Jean King and Virginia Wade will lead a star-studded World TeamTennis-style exhibition with former Family Circle Cup champions Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert, Tracy Austin, Martina Hingis and Rennae Stubbs, along with tennis legend Jimmy Connors and American standout Aaron Krickstein.

 

40Love: A Night of Empowerment Celebrating 40 Years of the Family Circle Cup presented by Dove begins promptly at 7:00pm on Saturday, April 7th, 2012. Tickets for this event are on-sale now, with seating options available throughout Family Circle Stadium.  Pricing begins at $20 in the Grandstand, $35 for Terrace Level, and $65 for Box Seats.

 

“This commemoration is designed to celebrate our 40th year in professional tennis, and honor the incredible women who made it all possible with their courage and steadfast determination for equality,” said Bob Moran, Tournament Director, Family Circle Cup. “The Original 9 served as a catalyst for change in not only women’s tennis, but helped shift our country’s attitude toward equality as a whole. I truly believe that this is an evening that should be experienced by every generation from daughter to grandmother.”

 

”We are thrilled to partner with Dove on this extraordinary celebration and recognition of these incredible women,” says Nancy Weber, EVP/Chief Marketing Officer, Meredith Corporation. “Over the past four decades, The Family Circle Cup has played a critical role in supporting their mission, and we are excited to have the opportunity to mark this historic occasion.”

 

Nikki Haley, Governor, South Carolina, Stacey Allaster, CEO, Women’s Tennis Association, and several representatives from Dove will be present to recognize the Family Circle Cup and the Original 9.

 

In September 1970, the birth of women’s professional tennis was launched when nine female tennis players signed $1 contracts with World Tennis publications publisher Gladys Heldman to compete in what would become the Virginia Slims Series. The Original 9, as they were called, included Billie Jean King, Rosie Casals, Nancy Richey, Kerry Melville, Peaches Bartkowicz, Kristy Pigeon, Judy Dalton, Valerie Ziegenfuss and Julie Heldman.  They have previously reunited in 1980 (US Open, NYC), 1986 (Virginia Slims Championships, NYC), and 1989 (Slims of Houston, TX).

 

Additional 40Love honorees will include Fern Lee “Peachy” Kellmeyer, the first employee and director of the WTA in 1973, a direct contributor to the creation of the Title IX amendment, and International Tennis Hall of Fame inductee.  Kellmeyer currently serves as WTA Operations Executive Consultant. She is also a member of the ITF Fed Cup Committee and oversees the WTA’s alumni program to ensure that past players and tournament directors remain engaged with the WTA that they helped build.  During Kellmeyer’s tenure, prize money on the WTA has increased from $309,000 in 1973 to more than $90,000,000 in 2012, and the number of WTA events has increased from 23 domestic tournaments to 53 events in 33 different countries.

 

“The WTA has been extremely fortunate to have the Family Circle Cup as its partner for 40 years and I congratulate them on running one of our most prestigious events,” said Stacey Allaster, Chairman and CEO of the WTA.  “We are excited to celebrate Family Circle Cup’s landmark anniversary along with the reunion of our Original 9 trailblazers. These amazing champions helped shape women’s professional tennis into the number one professional sport for women and it is wonderful to bring them all back together to celebrate the historic achievements of the past 40 years at the Family Circle Cup.”

 

“Women’s tennis is about more than serving up exciting match play,” said Rob Candelino, Vice President, Brand Building, for Unilever Skincare.  “Dove® believes that when girls see positive female role models in action at the Family Circle Cup, it helps expand their definition of beauty and builds their self-esteem to better equip them to become future leaders.  Our brand and the Family Circle Cup have a shared commitment to helping women and girls reach their full potential, on and off the court.”
About The Family Circle Cup

The Family Circle Tennis Center, home of the Family Circle Cup and World TeamTennis Finals Weekend, is a public facility owned by the City of Charleston and operated by Meredith Corporation that also hosts a variety of additional events including concerts, festivals, tennis tournaments and other activities throughout the year.  The Tennis Center features a 10,200 seat stadium, Grand Lawn, 17 tennis courts lighted for night play, Pro Shop, and a full service event management staff capable of handling all aspects of an event including ticketing, operations, sales, marketing, public relations, and food & beverage.  Charleston, South Carolina was named was named the “No. 1 tourist destination in America” in the 2011 Condé Nast Traveler Reader’s Choice Awards, and Charleston was also voted the “Best Tennis Town in America” in a 2010 USTA contest.

 

The Family Circle Cup is the largest women’s only tennis tournament in the world, and Family Circle is the longest running title sponsor of a sporting event in the United States, as well as in all of professional tennis, world-wide.  With over 21 million readers, Family Circle is one of the most widely read monthly magazines in America and is one of 14 leading subscription magazines owned by Meredith Corporation, which speaks to 80 million women nationwide.  The Family Circle Cup receives four days of live broadcast domestically on ESPN2, and is viewed internationally in over 25 countries, featuring over 200 hours of live and delayed global broadcast time, reaching 8.54 million viewers worldwide.

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State of Women’s Tennis “Up For Grabs” Says Billie Jean King

 

NEW YORK CITY (October 19, 2011) – Wednesday evening at Cipriani Wall Street, the Women’s Sports Foundation held their 32nd annual Salute to Women in Sports Awards. Dozens of women athletes took to the red carpet running the gamut of every sport imaginable from motocross’s Ashley Fiolek to first-time awards attendee seven-time grand slam champion Venus Williams. Women representing more than 130 sports are part of the foundation.
Founder of the Women’s Sports Foundation Billie Jean King addressed the state of women’s tennis in a red carpet interview with Tennis Panorama News. “I think it’s up for grabs right now,” said King. “I think anything goes, we don’t have a true rivalry the way the guys have. We used to have Martina Navratilova versus Chris Evert. It’s so interesting when the media, whatever is happening they say it’s not right.”
“I’d like Serena (Williams) to stay healthy. Wish Venus (Williams) could start playing all the time, don’t know with her auto immune situation.”
In terms of the United States and player development, ” we’ve got a lot of work don’t really have any great players right now. Mardy Fish is in the top ten, which is fantastic but you know it’s so global our sport there’s a lot of competition.”
King compared the situation to the documentary Waiting for Superman – a film which analyzed the failures of US public education by looking at students vying for a place in the a charter school through a lottery. “Sports are a microcosm of society and all we are doing is reflecting that now we have to compete with the rest of the world cause we didn’t used to have to,” explained King. “I didn’t have to when I played. I was playing Australians, Europeans, I didn’t have to deal with Asians that much. Actually near the end of my career we had a lot of Japanese women, we had about eight in the top 100 and the reason for that is that we took women’s professional sports, tennis being it, to Japan in 1971. We were the first professional women athletes ever to go to Japan and we’d go twice a year, that’s why almost all of a sudden we had all these great women Japanese players. You have to see it to be it and part of the Women’s Sports Foundation is supposed to be inspirational too.”
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WTA Reunion of Original 9 During 40th Anniversary of Family Circle Cup

From the WTA – Forty-one years ago, on September 23, 1970, women’s professional tennis was born when nine players, called the Original 9 and led by Billie Jean King, signed symbolic $1 contracts with the late Gladys Heldman, publisher of World Tennis publications, to compete on the newly-created Virginia Slims Circuit.

 

To celebrate this historic day, the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and the Family Circle Cup announced on Friday that a reunion of the Original 9 will take place April 6-8, 2012, during the final weekend of the Family Circle Cup.  WTA Founder Billie Jean King will be in attendance, along with Rosemary Casals, Peaches Bartkowicz, Judy Dalton, Valerie Ziegenfuss, and Julie Heldman.  Other members of the Original 9, Nancy Richey, Kerry Melville, and Kristy Pigeon, are also expected to attend.

 

“When the Original 9 signed our one-dollar contracts with Gladys Heldman, we envisioned a bright future for women’s professional tennis, and the women who compete on the WTA today are living our dream,” King said.  “I am proud the nine of us stood together with a vision for the future more than 40 years ago and I look forward to our gathering at the Family Circle Cup.”

 

The Family Circle Cup, a WTA premier event in Charleston, S.C., will be celebrating its 40th Anniversary in 2012.  Family Circle is the longest-running title sponsor on the WTA.  The Original 9 reunion will be co-hosted by the WTA, the Women’s Tennis Benefits Association (WTBA) and the Family Circle Cup.

 

“As one of the longest-running tournaments on the WTA, the Family Circle Cup is one of our most prestigious events and a favorite amongst all players, both former and active,” said Stacey Allaster, Chairman and CEO of the WTA. “With such a rich history and tradition, it’s only fitting that this reunion of the Original 9, celebrating over 40 years of women’s professional tennis, should take place at the Family Circle Cup. I congratulate the tournament on 40 spectacular years and thank Family Circle for its continued support of women’s tennis.”

 

“In celebrating our 40th anniversary, the Family Circle Cup is thrilled to host the reunion of the Original 9,” said Bob Moran, Tournament Director of the Family Circle Cup.  “This event has been around for almost as long as women’s professional tennis.  It’s more than just a tennis tournament.  It’s a celebration of women’s tennis, and we are proud to honor these nine incredible champions at the Family Circle Cup.”

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