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Atlanta Tennis Championships Announces Special Events Surrounding On-the-Court Action
TOURNAMENT’S 2ND YEAR IN ATLANTA WILL FEATURE
FUN ACTIVITIES FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY
ATLANTA, July 7, 2011 – The Atlanta Tennis Championships will feature events that appeal to the entire family including Opening Night Festivities, Kids Day, 10 & Under Play Day, the Corona Beach House, USTA Members Appreciation Day, ALTA Night and Military Appreciation Day. The ATP World Tour event that opens the Olympus US Open Series will be played at the Racquet Club of the South in Norcross, July 18-24, with qualifying starting on July 16.
Kids are a major focus of this year’s tournament beginning with Kids Day on Saturday, July 16. Kids aged 16 and under can purchase a half-price ticket at the gate and the first 500 will also receive a complimentary pack of Ace Authentic tennis trading cards. Famed tennis coach Nick Bollettieri from IMG Academies will be on court leading kids’ clinics. Kids 10 & under will be playing from noon to 2 p.m. and kids 11 & over from 2 to 4 p.m. Spaces are limited so participants must pre-register for the clinics online through www.atlantatennischampionships.com. Kids are also invited to the 10 & Under Play Day on Monday, July 18 where they will be introduced to 10 and Under Tennis, an innovative USTA program that allows kids to play tennis with racquets, balls and a court that fit their size. Also, USTA Southern invites kids of any age who want to experience the program throughout the tournament.
Opening Night Ceremonies will be held Monday July, 18th on the Stadium Court hosted by actor Boris Kodjoe who starred in the movie "Soul Food," and emceed by Sam Crenshaw, WXIA sports anchor. The national anthem for the opening and closing ceremonies will be sung by Alpharetta, Ga.’s Nicole Krinsky. She has belted out the national anthem at numerous pro tennis events, including the Delray Beach ITC Event, Sony Ericsson Open and the Family Circle Cup. The Parks sisters – Alycia, 10, and Mikayla, 11 – will highlight an opening night exhibition match. Originally from Atlanta, the Parks sisters moved to the USTA Training Center in South Florida nearly two years ago. The girls are on track to become the next upcoming American tennis stars.
Atlanta enjoys the distinction of having the largest number of tennis league players in the world with 80,000 ALTA members and over 42,000 USTA members. This dynamic tennis community will be recognized on Tuesday, July 19, with ALTA Night and all ALTA members will receive a 10% discount on tickets. USTA members from throughout the country will also be honored on Wednesday, July 20 with a Member Appreciation Day Reception from 3 to 4:30 p.m. and a ticket discount available for the night session. USTA members are asked to provide membership cards for entrance and will enjoy complimentary refreshments, gifts, player appearances and giveaways. USTA League members will be recognized during the Friday, July 22, day session with an entrance giveaway and on-court presentations.
On Thursday, July 21, the USTA will honor the men and women who have served our country’s military with Military Appreciation Day. The USTA is providing 100 tickets that will be distributed by local military organizations including Student Veterans of America, USO Atlanta and Blue Star Families for that day’s competition. Military, veterans and their family members may contact these organizations to inquire about these complimentary tickets. In addition to Military Appreciation Day, the Atlanta Tennis Championships is offering a “Buy One, Get One Free” ticket offer for all military personnel and veterans with military ID on Sunday, July 17 at the box office.
In addition to these special events, there will be an ATP Tour player signing autographs at the USTA tent each day. In between autograph sessions, tennis matches and activities, adults can relax at the ATC Pool Party at the Corona Beach House. Corona will create a special lounge at the beach-themed area near the pool that gives tournament attendees a place to enjoy cold beverages between matches, cool down with misting stations, listen to live music and watch all of the tennis action on two 50” flat screen televisions.
When it’s time to eat, enjoy delicious food in the International Food Court where there will be live entertainment by internationally renowned pop pianist Phil Thompson. He played at the US Open last year, with a return trip planned this year, in addition to gigs in Las Vegas and Vienna, Austria. Thompson has toured with the Canadian Tenors and has been featured on “Oprah” & “Dr. Phil”. He was most recently seen on “The Doctors” in early June.
For more information about the ATC and tickets, visit www.atlantatennischampionships.com.
About the Atlanta Tennis Championships
The Atlanta Tennis Championships will be played at the Racquet Club of the South, 6350 Courtside Drive, Norcross, GA 30092, July 18-24. The facility hosted the 1990 Fed Cup final and a men’s World Championship Tennis tournament in the 1980s. A USTA Regional Training Center, the facility is the home club of one of the top American players, Melanie Oudin, of Marietta, Ga. In 2010 top competitors included Andy Roddick, Lleyton Hewitt, James Blake and Robby Ginepri, of Kennesaw, Ga. More than 41,000 spectators attended the inaugural tournament that offered $600,000 in prize money. The ATP formally awarded the ATP 250 sanction Atlanta Tennis Championships to USTA Southern in December 2009. For ATC ticket information, call 866-840-8822, e-mail or visit www.atlantatennischampionships.com.
About the Olympus US Open Series
The Olympus US Open Series has established itself as a true regular season of hard court tennis, linking 10 summer tournaments to the US Open. Fans follow the action throughout the summer through national television coverage, culminating each week with back-to-back men’s and women’s finals on Sunday afternoon. Players battle for $40 million, including a chance for bonus prize money at the US Open. In 2008, Olympus became the first title sponsor of the Series. The Olympus US Open Series is also supported by sponsors American Express and Evian.Andy Murray won the 2010 Olympus US Open Series men’s title and CarolineWozniacki won the women’s title. In 2007, RogerFederer collected the biggest paycheck in tennis history – $2.4 million – for winning the US Open and the Olympus US Open Series. In 2005, KimClijsters also captured both the US Open and theSeries, winning $2.2 million – the largest purse in women’s sports history – and again equaled that amount in 2010, winning the US Open and finishing the Olympus US Open Series in second place.
About the ATP
The ATP is the governing body of the men's professional tennis circuits - the ATP World Tour, the ATP Challenger Tour and the ATP Champions Tour. With 62 tournaments in 32 countries, the ATP World Tour showcases the finest male athletes competing in the world’s most exciting venues. From Australia to Europe and the Americas to Asia, the stars of the ATP World Tour battle for prestigious titles and South African Airways 2011 ATP Rankings points at Grand Slams (non ATP events), ATP World Tour Masters 1000, ATP World Tour 500 and ATP World Tour 250 events. At the end of the season only the world’s top 8 ranked men’s singles players and top 8 doubles teams, based on their performance throughout the year, will qualify to compete for the last title of the season at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. Held at The O2 in London, the event will officially crown the 2011 ATP World Tour No.1 in singles and doubles. For more information, please visit www.ATPWorldTour.com.
About USTA Southern
The USTA is divided into 17 sections, of which USTA Southern is the largest. The 187,000+ USTA members living in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee make up USTA Southern, and account for approximately 25 percent of the total USTA membership. The section owns and operates the Atlanta Tennis Championships, an ATP World Tour 250 tournament. A professional staff housed in Norcross, Ga., carries out USTA Southern’s daily operations, but policy is formed and much of the organization’s work is executed via a board and committee structure of over 200 volunteers. For more information about the types of programs and services offered by USTA Southern, visit www.southerntennis.com.
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