Tennis News and Tidbits

Written by: Bob Larson Tennis on 24th January 2014

Tennis News and Tidbits

epa04039470 Rafael Nadal of Spain during his semifinal match against Roger Federer of Switzerland at the Australian Open Grand Slam tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, 24 January 2014. EPA/MADE NAGI |

Head has announced it will continue to sponsor Tennis Europe, the official ITF tennis federation, for another two years to expire at the end of 2015.This new sponsorship will give particular attention to junior tennis and will include sponsorship of 340 international junior events in 46 countries. Head will continue to be the official racquet, tennis ball and tennis bag…….After months of pessimistic speculation on the future funding awarded to Britain’s Lawn Tennis Association by Sport England, the funding body that invests £250m a year in grassroots sport, there are signs that warnings have been heeded. However the all clear has not yet been sounded in the Roehampton headquarters.Sport England had repeatedly made it clear that the LTA should try harder to address the trend of fewer people playing tennis at grass roots level in the United Kingdom and threatened a funding cut if things didn’t improve.If the LTA is to continue to receive its full £17.3m four-year funding allocation, it will have to start delivering quantifiable results. To receive its full £17.3m four-year funding allocation, the LTA will have to start delivering quantifiable results and Sport England said it had already docked £114,000 to reinvest into a local authority pilot project aimed at getting more 16 to 25-year-olds playing the sport.A new regime exists at the LTA following the departure of Roger Draper and the arrival this month of the new chief executive Michael Downey from Tennis Canada. And the demands are clear.Andy Murray’s Wimbledon title win didn’t seem to arrest the downward spiraling figures of committed participants that had slipped from 423,400 to 406,000. Since 2005, the number of people playing once a week has slumped from 457,200. However Sport England director Phil Smith said on Thursday: “I’m very positive about the LTA. They’ve had a change in leadership and a change in attitude. Those things are not a coincidence. They are devoting more energy to participation, they’re thinking about the game in a different way, thinking about tennis beyond traditional tennis clubs – parks and social tennis….The league’s newest team, the San Diego Aviators, picked up the top doubles team in the world this week in a trade with the Texas Wild.Bob and Mike Bryan are headed to San Diego after a deal between San Diego and Texas for undisclosed financial consideration.San Diego also announced that the Bryans’ coach David Macpherson will be the head coach of the Aviators. “Growing up in California, we know that San Diego is a great tennis town and we are excited to play in front of the fans, family and friends,” said Mike Bryan.The eight Mylan WTT teams will begin to put together their rosters on Tuesday, February 11, with the Mylan WTT Marquee Player Draft. Teams complete their lineups on Tuesday, March 11, when the Mylan WTT Roster Draft is held in Indian Wells, Calif…….—That Aussie Open finalist Dominka Cibulkova just switched to Dunlop M4.0 racket, which has a wider head, is stiffer, giving her more power and is a bit heavier.

–That Australian Open finalist Stanislas Wawrinka is committed to playing Davis Cup for Switzerland next week against Serbia in Novi Sad. Thereafter he was due to play indoor events in Montpelier, Rotterdam and Marseille. However his manager Lawrence Frankopan of StarWing Sports maintained this itinerary could well change.

Topics: 10sballs, Andy Murray, Dominika Cibulkova, Itf, Lta, Mike Bryan, Sports, Stanislas Wawrinka, Tennis, Tennis News