WTA expands community outreach in Asia
LONDON, Great Britain – The WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) announced today the expansion of its successful WTA Charities and WTA Future Stars initiatives in Asia, complementing an expanded tournament swing through the region, which this year opens with a new WTA Premier event in the Chinese city of Zhengzhou and culminates with the inaugural staging of the season-ending WTA Finals in Shenzhen, China in October.
Building on past collaborations with the WTA, renowned tennis coach Judy Murray – mother of ATP stars Andy and Jamie Murray – has committed to return as WTA Finals Community Ambassador for the season finale in Shenzhen. In her role, Judy will lead a series of grassroots-level engagements at selected tournaments during the Asian Swing. The expanded community initiatives will be carried out alongside tournaments in Zhengzhou, Wuhan, Beijing, Hong Kong and Shenzhen. WTA Charities will support COME PLAY by covering equipment and other expenses for the clinics, while WTA players and Legend Ambassadors will also be engaged to lend a hand to Judy and her team.
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“I’ve really enjoyed helping the WTA build the foundations of COME PLAY over the past couple of years, and I have witnessed with pride the progress that has been made through our work with schools and other community organizations in Asia,” said Judy. “COME PLAY empowers young girls and boys to play tennis and live a better life through sport, and I’m excited by the opportunity to reach more kids than ever before.”
In another boost to a program that was first launched during the five-year tenure of the WTA Finals in Singapore (2014-18), the WTA Future Stars competition is set to continue in its new home of Shenzhen, with a global feel. Now in its sixth year, WTA Future Stars will welcome back Asia-Pacific’s best junior players, from countries such as Japan, Australia and India. For the first time, the field will also include competitors from Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom.In an innovative first, the United Kingdom’s representatives in both the Under-14 and Under-16 categories will emerge from playoffs held by the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) in partnership with the Tie Break Tens. Tennis Canada, in association with the Rogers Cup presented by National Bank, is also part of the global expansion, with winners of the U14 and U16 nationals qualifying process taking part in the WTA Future Stars event held in Shenzhen. In total, girls from 24 nations will make the trip of a lifetime to Shenzhen, where they will pit their skills against their peers and benefit from a diverse off-court program including development seminars and mentoring by some of the greats of the game.
The WTA Future Stars and Les Petits As - Le Mondial Lacoste are partnering to provide increased opportunities for junior players around the world. The prestigious junior tennis tournament (U14) counts many alumni including champions like Martina Hingis, Kim Clijsters, and Jeļena Ostapenko. The competition takes place in France and international qualifying playoffs are operated by Top Five Management in the US and Asia. As part of this partnership, the winner of the Les Petits As USA Playoffs Lacoste qualifies for the WTA Future Stars in Shenzhen. The WTA Future Stars Chinese representatives will join the Asia Playoffs Lacoste in November where the winner will qualify for Les Petits As - Le Mondial Lacoste 2020 (World Championships U14).
“WTA Future Stars flourished the last five years across Asia Pacific, and is a wonderful legacy of our time in Singapore,” said Melissa Pine, Vice President of Global Program Development. “Looking ahead to Shenzhen, the WTA, supported by returning sponsor partners like SAP, is presented with a unique opportunity to take this inspirational platform to a whole new level. Not only will some of the most talented youngsters have the chance to see tennis through the eyes of a professional player, our initiatives for community outreach will be bigger than ever.”
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Anchoring the WTA’s increased presence in Asia – with every WTA tournament tier now represented in China – the WTA Finals Shenzhen will feature the world’s top eight singles players and doubles teams who qualify based on their results on the year-long Porsche Race to Shenzhen. Offering a record prize purse of US$14 million, the WTA’s crown jewel event offers a tremendous stage to promote women’s tennis to the Greater Bay Area – a region that encompasses 70 million people in nine cities across Guangdong Province, Hong Kong and Macau.
Eddy Liu, CEO of Gemdale Sports and Co-Tournament Director of WTA Finals Shenzhen, commented: “Shenzhen is a multi-cultural, inclusive and open-minded city, and we can’t wait for the world’s greatest tennis players to see it for themselves. As the countdown to the first WTA Finals Shenzhen begins, we are proud to be part of such an elite, global sporting celebration and look forward to providing an unforgettable experience for the stars of the WTA and the fans who will come to watch them play.”
Fabrice Chouquet, Managing Director of WTA Asia Pacific and Co-Tournament Director of WTA Finals Shenzhen, added: “It is certainly a very exciting time for the WTA in this part of the world, as we continue to expand the footprint of women’s tennis through new tournaments as well as community engagement initiatives like COME PLAY and WTA Future Stars. Working closely together with our new partners in Shenzhen led by Gemdale Sports, we are confident the first WTA Finals Shenzhen will be a spectacular season-ending event, attracting a loyal fan base that will engage with our great sport year-round.”
