December 2008 Monthly Archive

December 31, 2008

Racquet Sports Industry Magazine Names 2008 'Champions of Tennis'

*DEC. 31, 2008 - *Dave Haggerty, the chief executive officer of Head USA and president of Penn Racquet Sports, has been named “Person of the Year” by Racquet Sports Industry magazine in the publication’s January 2009 issue. Haggerty led off... (Full story …)

December 23, 2008

USTA Player Development Names Martin Blackman Senior Director for Talent Identification and Development

*WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., December 23, 2008 — *The USTA announced today that Martin Blackman has been hired as Senior Director for Talent Identification and Development for USTA Player Development. Blackman will be based at the USTA Training Facility in Boca... (Full story …)

John Isner and Christina McHale Win USTA Playoffs for 2009 Australian Open Wild Cards

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., December 22, 2008 - The USTA announced today that Americans John Isner and Christina McHale earned wild card entries into the 2009 Australian Open men’s and women’s singles main draws after winning USTA wild card tournaments at... (Full story …)

Several New USPTA DVD Titles Available

*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - December 23, 2008 - *Several new USPTA DVD titles available - The United States Professional Tennis Association just released several new DVD titles, including “On Court” shows and several seminars. The instructional DVDs are produced in... (Full story …)

December 18, 2008

Tennis Channel Asks Viewers to Pick Best Match of 2008

You Make The Call Lets Fans Rank Network’s Top 10 Matches of 2008, to Appear in Prime Time December 22-31 (Full story …)

December 17, 2008

ATP Unveils 2009 Feel It Advertising Campaign

London, UK. - The ATP, governing body of the men’s professional tennis circuit, today unveiled the latest evolution of its advertising campaign - FEEL IT. Now in its second year, the multimillion dollar campaign, will again feature ATP World Tour... (Full story …)

December 16, 2008

USPTA Hosts Competitive Player Development Conference at Academia Sanchez-Casal in Naples, Fla.

The United States Professional Tennis Association Competitive Player Development Conference, which took place in Naples, Fla., from Dec. 4-6, brought in close to 130 attendees. The conference, which is traditionally held by the association in Houston, was shifted to the... (Full story …)

HEAD Penn Racquet Sports Announces New Representatives

Phoenix, AZ - December 2008 — HEAD Penn Racquet Sports is pleased to announce two new Sales Representatives, Jason Thoerner and Chuck Bahn. Jason Thoerner is currently ranked in the Top 10 in the world for racquetball and has a... (Full story …)

34th Season of World TeamTennis Pro League Set to Open July 2

NEW YORK, N.Y. (December 16, 2008) - Some of tennis’ top names are expected to return to team action when the 34th season of the World TeamTennis Pro League presented by Advanta kicks off on July 2. The League announced... (Full story …)

USTA to Host Playoff Tournament to Determine 2009 Australian Open Main Draw Wild Card Recipients This Week

The USTA is hosting a playoff this week to award a men’s and a women’s singles main draw wild card to the 2009 Australian Open. The women’s wild card tournament began yesterday at the USTA Training Center in Boca Raton,... (Full story …)

PTR to Offer High School Coaches Tract

Hilton Head Island, SC -- Professional Tennis Registry (PTR) is offering a High School Coaches Tract over President’s Weekend, February 14-16, 2009, during its International Tennis Symposium & $25,000 Championships. The annual event will be held at PTR Headquarters on... (Full story …)

December 15, 2008

Circle C Manager Named Senior Player of the Year

December 10, 2008 - Fernando Velasco received the “CATA Senior Player of the Year” from CATA upcoming president Ray Delk, during the Annual Meeting and Awards Night of the Capital Area Tennis Association held at the Courtyard Tennis Club on... (Full story …)

Tennis Channel Asks Viewers to PIck Best Matches of 2008

You Make The Call Lets Fans Rank Network’s Top 10 Matches of 2008, to Appear in Prime Time December 22-31 (Full story …)

December 12, 2008

Tickets for U.S. vs. Argentina Fed Cup Quarterfinal Go on Sale Dec. 15

Two of the Top Fed Cup Nations to Face Off on February 7- 8 (Full story …)

December 11, 2008

U.S. Tennis Participation Continues to Increase Dramatically

2008 USTA/Tennis Industry Association (TIA) study shows highest number of players (26.9 million players) in 15 years; Total play occasions rise 13% to more than 600 million (Full story …)

USTA Player Development Names First Two USTA Certified Regional Training Centers

New USTA Certified Regional Training Centers will Expand USTA Player Development’s Programming Throughout the Country The Junior Tennis Champions Center in Washington, D.C. and The Racquet Club of the South in Atlanta Selected as First Sites for Program (Full story …)

USPTA Announces 2009 Certification Exams

The United States Professional Tennis Association, the world’s leader in tennis-teaching certification, provides tennis-teaching professionals with the opportunity to earn the sport’s most respected certification by participating in one of more than 110 USPTA Certification Exams scheduled nationwide in 2009... (Full story …)

Tennis Pro Shops/Stores Can Receive 50% off Membership Fee Until December 20th 2008

Advertising in Jan/Feb Tennis Magazine Issue set to hit the public December 23rd. Register your Store today at FindTennisStore.com to be recognized. FindTennisStore.com is a search website for tennis consumers to connect and work with local Tennis pro shops and... (Full story …)

December 9, 2008

Babolat Taps Tim McCool as Managing Director of US Operations

Boulder, Colorado - December 9, 2008 - Babolat, a leading manufacturer of tennis products, announces the company has hired Tim McCool as the new Managing Director of Babolat USA. After a five-month long intensive recruiting and interviewing process, Tim McCool... (Full story …)

December 8, 2008

The Ritz–Carlton, Key Biscayne Listed Among the 'Top 50 U.S. Tennis Resorts'

Miami, FL —The Ritz-Carlton, Key Biscayne has been recognized once again by TENNIS Magazine among the “top 50 U.S. Tennis Resorts”. The magazine presented four different categories: Best Lodging, Best Dining, Best Instruction and Best Family Resort. The Ritz-Carlton was... (Full story …)

December 3, 2008

Ashaway Extends String and Shoe Sponsorship Deal with Jack Huczek

-- Legendary player to also assist with product development and marketing (Full story …)

Golfsmith Innovates with Live Chat Service

AUSTIN, Texas & SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Golfsmith International Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:GOLF) today became the first golf and tennis specialty retailer to offer a Live Chat service online. With technology from InstantService, this addition comes just in time for the key holiday shopping... (Full story …)

Red Ledges Development Offers Tremendous Value with Golf and Tennis Amenities Created by Legends Jack Nicklaus, Cliff Drysdale and Jim McLean

HEBER CITY, Utah--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Red Ledges, a development in the beautiful valley of Heber City, Utah, is the world’s only recreational community offering golf and tennis amenities created by legends Jack Nicklaus, Cliff Drysdale and Jim McLean. Red Ledges is a... (Full story …)

Get Ready to Rock! Babolat Supports Rock-N-Racquets to Benefit The Andy Roddick Foundation

Boulder, CO — Babolat, one of the leading manufacturers of tennis products, announces the company is sponsoring a special event to support star Babolat player Andy Roddick. Benefiting The Andy Roddick Foundation, Rock-n-Racquets features the world’s most exciting tennis players... (Full story …)

December 1, 2008

Grip Loose Finger Sleeve

November 27, 2008 -- USPTA and PTR Master Professional Joe Dinoffer has announced the launch of a revolutionary training aid for tennis. Grip Loose finger sleeve is a quick and easy way to get players to relax their grip on... (Full story …)