Stacey Allaster Likes Where Tennis Is Headed

Written by: Staff on 26th April 2013

Stacey Allaster Likes Where Tennis Is Headed

epa01923741 Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, Stacey Allaster talk to media during a press conference at the WTA Commonwealth Bank Tournament in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia on 06 November 2009. Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium has quit Bali's WTA Commonwealth Bank Tournament after receiving a doping ban from Belgian authorities. EPA/MADE NAGI |

WTA Chairman and CEO Stacey Allaster spoke to the media at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart this week and said the importance of tennis is increasing all the time.

“In the Forbes list of the highest paid female athletes, seven of the Top 10 are tennis players,” she said. “My goal is 10 out of 10. It’s why we want to nurture our established markets and generate growth in the others. At the same time we know that at the end of the day we need healthy athletes. They are our most important capital.”

The WTA has been making a big push into China and next year will not only have a Premier mandatory tournament in Beijing, but another Premier 5 level event in Wuhan, as well as some smaller tournaments. Two other cities, Singapore and Tianjin, are also bidding for the 2014 WTA Championships.

But Allaster says that Europe remains a critical part of the tour’s success. Not only are there Grand Slams at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, but a Premier Mandatory at Madrid, a Premier 5 at Rome, and various other Premiers like Stuttgart.

“Europe is an important market and one where we have a very solid foundation,” she said. “The majority of the players are Europe-based. Germany is one of the world’s most important markets and I’m thrilled to see a resurgence in excitement here. We are also delighted to see the growth in Asia-Pacific and in particular China that has been generated by Na Li’s rise to the top. When we started our journey and opened our offices in China there were only two tournaments in the country. Now next year it will be eight, possibly nine tournaments should the WTA Championships be held there.”

Allaster also mentioned the importance of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, which is seeing good crowds this week, possibly because Germany now has a good group of top 50 players including Angie Kerber, Sabine Lisicki, Julia Goerges and Mona Barthel.

“The Porsche Tennis Grand Prix is one of the best, or the best, tournaments on the WTA Tour. And the players think the same way as they’ve regularly voted it as their favorite tournament,” she said.

©Daily Tennis News Wire

Topics: Julia Goerges, Mona Barthel, ngie Kerber, Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Sabine Lisicki, Stacey Allaster, Wta