World Tennis Day Is Nominated for Industry Honor

Written by: Bob Larson Tennis on 30th July 2013

World Tennis Day Is Nominated for Industry Honor |

World Tennis Day, held for the first time earlier this year on March 4 and featuring the BNP Paribas Showdowns at New York’s Madison Square Garden and the AsiaWorld Arena in Hong Kong as well as grass-roots events in 52 countries around the globe, has been nominated in two categories for the 2013 SportsTravel Awards.

The successful event is one of seven nominated finalists for the “Best New Sporting Event” award, and the only one with both domestic and international locations,In addition, World Tennis Day is up for the “Best Sports Event of the Year” award.

Jerry Solomon’s StarGames, Inc., produced both BNP Paribas Showdowns that drew crowds of more than 20,000 and featured Rafael Nadal against Juan Martin del Potro and Serena Williams against Victoria Azarenka in New York while Hong Kong saw Caroline Wozniacki play Agnieszka Rawdwanska and a renewal of the legendary rivalry between John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl.

StarGames worked with the International Tennis Federation to promote World Tennis Day events to its National Associations.

It was very gratifying to see the way the idea of World Tennis Day resonated around the globe in just its first year,” said Solomon, President and CEO of StarGames. “The signature events of the day, the BNP Paribas Showdowns in New York and Hong Kong, were hits with sponsors, spectators and television viewers alike.

“What was most impressive was to see how more than 50 National Associations, with the aid of the ITF, were able to activate around this idea and host events to promote participation in tennis at a grass-roots level. The entire day was a celebration of the sport, and we’re bullish on the 2014 event after the success we had in 2013.”

Among the 52 countries that hosted World Tennis Day events were Argentina, Australia, Belarus, Ecuador, Cambodia, China, Egypt Fiji, Great Britain, India, Iran, Mexico, Namibia, Portugal, Russia, Serbia and Turkey. In the United States, World Tennis Day coincided with Tennis Night in America, which included activities at more than 2,000 facilities around the country.

The second annual World Tennis Day will be held on March 3, 2014.