USTA INVESTS IN WORLD TEAMTENNIS

1/20/2009
                         

USTA INVESTS IN WORLD TEAMTENNIS           New Relationship Provides Promotional Platform for USTA's Jr. Team Tennis Initiative through Advanta WTT Pro League Advanta WTT Pro League Champions and Award Winners to be Recognized at US Open     WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., January 20, 2009 - The USTA announced today that it will become a 25% owner  of  Advanta  World  TeamTennis  Pro  League,  the  unique  gender-balanced  team  format  co- founded by tennis legend Billie Jean King. One of the main goals in the new partnership is to provide an expanded marketing platform for the USTA's Jr. Team Tennis Program through the Advanta World TeamTennis Pro League teams and players.  The Jr. Team Tennis program is a recreational tennis league for children ages 6-18, and features  the  USTA's  QuickStart  format  for  children  under  the  age  of  10.   Jr.  Team  Tennis  was established in 1991 to provide youth with all of the health and social benefits of tennis in a co-ed, fun and competitive team environment.  USTA Jr. Team Tennis allows for participants to compete with and against individuals of similar skill and age levels and has more than 80,000 participants taking part across the United States, in all 17 USTA Sections. The Advanta WTT Pro League is a professional co-ed sports league featuring top tour players from more  than  a  dozen  countries.    The  League  showcases  three  generations  of  tennis  standouts, including  legends,  current  tour  players  and  up-and-coming  tennis  pros,  competing  on  teams throughout the U.S. each summer.  In each of the franchise markets, Advanta WTT Pro League teams and USTA sections will work together  on  youth  initiatives  to  broaden  the  reach  of  QuickStart  and  Jr.  Team  Tennis  programs. These  recreational  efforts  are  becoming  integrated  with  the  WTT  professional  franchises  to encourage more young children to take up tennis as a team sport.   Jr.  Team Tennis leagues are expected  to  contest  some  of  their  playoff  and  championship  matches  on  the  same  multi-colored courts used by the WTT pro teams and will also have the opportunity to interact with many of the top players who compete in the Pro League.  This  new  investment  is  consistent  with  other  USTA  investments  in  the  sport,  and  will  further  the USTA's mission of growing and developing the sport of tennis in the U.S.  Other recent strategic partnerships include investments in the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells and Tennis Channel.   "By working with the USTA, we will take World TeamTennis to the next level in the U.S.," said King.   "We've been looking for an opportunity like this for a long time and I can't think of a better partner than the USTA.  I'm excited about what the future holds for our partnership."     "We  are  thrilled  to  be  once  again  teaming  with  one  of  the greatest ambassadors in  tennis, Billie Jean King," said Lucy S. Garvin, Chairman of the Board and President of the USTA.  "The USTA recognizes  the  reciprocal  relationship  between  the  pro  game  and  grassroots  play,  and  our  new partnership  with  World  TeamTennis  provides  us  a  natural  platform  to  promote  our  many  youth initiatives including Jr. Team Tennis." WTT  is  well  known  for  introducing  innovative  elements  to  tennis  including  instant  replay,  co-ed format, multi-colored courts, cumulative and no-ad scoring, on-court coaching, and player names on back  of  their  shirts.    WTT  recently  renewed  their  sponsorship  agreement  with  Advanta  for  three years.  Advanta, the official business credit card of WTT, will continue to be the title sponsor of both the Advanta WTT Pro League and the Advanta WTT Rec League.  Advanta also supports Advanta WTT  Smash  Hits,  the  annual  charity  event  hosted  by  Sir  Elton  John  and  Billie  Jean  King  which benefits the Elton John AIDS Foundation. "Our   vision   is   to   grow   tennis   at   every   level   across   the   country,"   said   World   TeamTennis CEO/Commissioner  Ilana  Kloss.   "We  believe the  WTT  team  format  can  be  one  of  the  building blocks to do that.  The Advanta WTT Pro League connects professional players and communities in a unique way and can inspire kids to take up tennis as a team sport.  That's an initiative our pro team owners can build on by working with the USTA and the sections to showcase great youth- oriented programs like QuickStart and Junior Team Tennis."  The 34th season of the Advanta WTT Pro League runs July 2-26, concluding with the Advanta WTT Championship  Weekend.    This  year,  the  Advanta  WTT  Pro  League  Championship  Team  and Award winners will be recognized in a special ceremony at the US Open.  For more information on World TeamTennis, visit WTT.com.    In the WTT format, each team is comprised of two men, two women and a coach.  Team matches consist  of  five  events,  with  one  set  each  of  men's  singles,  women's  singles,  men's  doubles, women's doubles and mixed doubles.  The first team to reach five games wins each set.  A nine- point tiebreaker is played if a set reaches four all.  One point is awarded for each game won.  If necessary, Overtime and a Supertiebreaker are played to determine the winner of the match.  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.  A not-for-profit organization with 725,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds in growing the 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. 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. The  USTA  philanthropic  entity,  USTA  Serves, provides  grants  and scholarships and through tennis, helps underserved youth and people with disabilities to improve academics, build character and strive for excellence. For more information on the USTA, log on to usta.com.     World  TeamTennis,  co-founded  by  Billie  Jean  King  in  the  1970s,  is  a  leader  in  tennis  programming  at  both  the professional and community level.  The Advanta WTT Pro League is a professional tennis league featuring the biggest names  in  the  world  playing  in  an  innovative  co-ed  team  format.   The  season  culminates  with  the WTT Championship Weekend at the end of July, where teams battle for the coveted King Trophy.  In addition to the Pro League, the Advanta WTT Recreational League operates grassroots recreational and corporate co-ed leagues and tournaments throughout the U.S.  For more information, visit www.WTT.com.     For more information, contact:  Chris Widmaier, Senior Director, Public Relations, USTA  (914) 696-7284; widmaier@usta.com    For more information on World TeamTennis, contact:  Rose Crews, Vice President, Communications, WTT  (817) 684-0366; rcrews@wtt.com