World Team Tennis–Facts and Figures

Written by: Staff on 17th April 2012

World Team Tennis--Facts and Figures |

World TeamTennis (WTT) Pro League – FACTS & FIGURES

Name: World TeamTennis (WTT) Pro League

Teams: Western Conference: Kansas City Explorers, Orange County Breakers, Sacramento Capitals, Springfield Lasers

Eastern Conference: Boston Lobsters, New York Sportimes, Philadelphia Freedoms, Washington Kastles

2012 Schedule: The 37^th season of the WTT Pro League runs July 9-28, and concludes with the WTT Finals Weekend, September 14-16, at the Family Circle Tennis Center in Charleston, S.C.

The eight coed professional tennis teams in the WTT Pro League presented by GEICO are battling for a spot in the Finals during the 2012 regular season which runs July 9-28. The top two teams from the regular season in both the Western and Eastern Conference will advance to the WTT Conference Championships in Charleston, with one Conference Championship match on Friday, September 14 (6:30pm ET), and another on Saturday, September 15 (6:30pm ET). The Conference Champions face off for the King Trophy, named after League co-founder Billie Jean King, in the WTT Finals presented by GEICO on Sunday, September 16 at 3:30pm ET. The Washington Kastles are the defending WTT Champions, capping the first undefeated season in WTT history by winning their second League title last summer in Charleston.

History: World TeamTennis was co-founded in the 1970s by Billie Jean King and Larry King. The WTT Pro League first hit the courts in 1974 for a five-year run. After a short hiatus, the League returned in 1981 and has been a highlight of the annual U.S. tennis calendar since.

The WTT Pro League, which begins its 37^th season in July 2012, is a showcase for three generations of tennis standouts, including legends, current tour players and future champions. Since the League’s debut, virtually every major champion of the Open era has played World TeamTennis including Pete Sampras, Andy Roddick, Kim Clijsters, Steffi Graf, Bob and Mike Bryan, Andre Agassi, Venus and Serena Williams, Martina Hingis, Maria Sharapova, Lindsay Davenport, John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert.

Sponsors: Official WTT Pro League national and regional sponsors for the 2012 season include Cancer Treatment Centers of America, DecoTurf, GEICO, Kraft, UBS and Wilson Racquet Sports. The United States Tennis Association (USTA) is a minority owner and promotional partner of World TeamTennis. WTT and the USTA are teaming up on number of initiatives, including development of the youth market through junior team tennis programs.

Format: In the WTT format, each team is comprised of two men, two women and a coach. Team matches consist of five sets, with one set each of men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles. The first team to reach five games wins each set. A nine-point tiebreaker is played if a set reaches four games all. One point is awarded for each game won. If necessary, Overtime and a Supertiebreaker are played to determine the winner of the match.

Matches: The eight teams will annually travel more than 60,000 miles to play 59 matches in 24 days.

CEO/Commissioner: Ilana Kloss

WTT Co-Founders: Billie Jean King, Larry King

MORE ABOUT WORLD TEAMTENNIS

THIS IS THE 37^TH SEASON OF WORLD TEAMTENNIS: The 37^th season of the WTT Pro League runs July 9–28, concluding with the WTT Finals Weekend, Sept. 14-16, at the Family Circle Tennis Center in Charleston, S.C.
WTT WAS FOUNDED IN THE 1970s ON THE PHILOSOPHY OF GENDER EQUITY. WTT co-founder Billie Jean King simply says, “If you have ever seen a WTT match you have seen my philosophy of life in action – men and women, competing together, on a team and both genders making equal contributions to the result.”
VERY COMPETITIVE TENNIS: While World TeamTennis is fun for the fans and players, it’s also very competitive tennis. The players take the matches seriously – it’s exciting, quality tennis. The format features cumulative scoring so every game counts.
FAN INTERACTION: WTT is a unique experience for players and the crowd. The fans are very close to the action. The atmosphere gives the players an opportunity to meet a lot of the fans and give back to people who have supported WTT for years. Teams host kids clinics each night before matches and children age 16 and under can come on the court after every WTT match and get player autographs.
SINGLES & DOUBLES: WTT matches feature singles, doubles and mixed doubles which allows fans to see some players in a new environment – all in less than three hours.
A NEW HOME & NAME OUT WEST: The Southern California franchise in the World TeamTennis Pro League presented by GEICO will have a new name and home court in 2012. The Orange County Breakers, who played in Newport Beach since 2003, will play their seven home WTT matches this July on a specially-constructed court at the Bren Events Center on the University of California, Irvine campus.
ALL-AMERICANS: Six current or former world No. 1s from the U.S., including Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Bob and Mike Bryan, Lindsay Davenport and John McEnroe, were among the names drafted by the eight franchises in the WTT Pro League. Other top Americans include Mardy Fish and John Isner. Though the League features many top Americans, players from at least 13 countries are expected to compete this season.
INNOVATIONS: World TeamTennis always tries new things that make the sport more fan-friendly – playing let serves, substitutions, instant replay, on-court coaching, music between points, names on back of players shirts, letting fans keep balls that are hit into the stands, multi-colored courts – it’s a little different but it brings the fans closer to the game.