Making News: Grabbing a share of the U.S. Open spotlight
By Liza Horan
Time for Andre: On the first anniversary of his retirement, Swiss watchmaker Longines announced Andre Agassi as the new worldwide Ambassador of Elegance for the brand. Longines celebrates its own 175-year-old anniversary this year by become the official timekeeper of Roland Garros. An official statement announced, "In choosing to sign Agassi as its new worldwide Ambassador of Elegance, Longines underlines its link with the world of tennis as well as its support for humanitarian ideals. Longines begins its support of The Andre Agassi Foundation at the Grand Slam for Children gala in Las Vegas this October, and will continue throughout the coming year. Longines contributions will also include the creation of special limited edition sport timepieces to benefit the Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation."
James on board: James Blake joins Maria Sharapova as a supporter for industry initiatives, the TIA announced at the TIA Tennis Forum presented by TENNIS Magazine. His image will be used in posters, ads and other messaging to promote Cardio Tennis, preaching "Tennis gets you fit!"
Cool feet: Drymax Sports formally announced its move into tennis with an announcement on Friday. The Drymax fiber is reported to keep feet 25 times drier than other moisture-wicking fabrics. For the full hi-tech explanation, click here.
Maria breaks ground: Not only is Sharapova the first woman athlete, but also the first tennis player to be featured in life-size art by Fathead Productions. The company turns photos into wall art. It's a breakthrough for the sport to be in the Fathead collection. Click for details.
DirecTV deal sealed: As of opening day of the U.S. Open, DirecTV subscribers can tune into the Tennis Channel on channel 217, available through the Choice Xtra programming package. By the end of the year, the nine million viewers of DirecTV will be able to watch the channel in high-definition.
Shoot this! Canon, whose products are endorsed by Sharapova, staged a swarm of Maria look-alikes in Times Square again this year. It's a great ploy to reinforce the face of the brand and bring tennis front-and-center to tourists from all over the world.
"Doubles Rules!" The Bryans reinforced this message by playing with the public and some celebs at an ATP event that benefited the St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. Click for related story.
Identical twins rule! Another pair of playing brothers, Angelo and Ettore Rossetti, achieved a couple of records of their own: The longest rally in U.S. history and the world's longest contrived rally (duration). They attempted to beat the Guinness World Recordof 24,696 strokes, but reached "only" 19,490 strokes when one Angelo fell asleep during play. They used a single ball, a USPTA Pro Penn, for the 10 hour, 38-minute feat.
Get organized: MyTennisGroup.com announced its service that allows team captains to organize season courts and team play online 24/7.
Improve that toss: SquareHitTennis launched TossAssist, a bio-mechanically designed device that developed a consistent toss for serving.
Go green: Billie Jean King, who aims to teach by example, has gone green—or is trying to. She took a giant leap forward by launching GreenSlam, an effort to encourage individuals and companies in the sports industry to make environmentally friendly choices.
Go, Justine! Another BJK offspring, the Women's Sports Foundation, has just closed voting for the "Sportswoman of the Year" award. No. 1 Justine Henin is a nominee. The honor will be presented to the winner (yet to be announced) at the "Annual Salute to Women in Sports Dinner" on Oct. 15 at the Waldorf=Astoria in New York. Previous tennis winners are Venus and Serena Williams (2000), Steffi Graf ('89), Martina Navratilova ('83, '84), Chris Evert ('81), and Tracy Austin ('80).
New York—It's no wonder that lots of news breaks during U.S. Open time. It just makes sense—the media is in town and the focus is on tennis. Here's a round-up of news points from new players, and some spectacles from not-so-new players in the tennis business world.
MAKING NEWS...
James on board: James Blake joins Maria Sharapova as a supporter for industry initiatives, the TIA announced at the TIA Tennis Forum presented by TENNIS Magazine. His image will be used in posters, ads and other messaging to promote Cardio Tennis, preaching "Tennis gets you fit!" Cool feet: Drymax Sports formally announced its move into tennis with an announcement on Friday. The Drymax fiber is reported to keep feet 25 times drier than other moisture-wicking fabrics. For the full hi-tech explanation, click here.Maria breaks ground: Not only is Sharapova the first woman athlete, but also the first tennis player to be featured in life-size art by Fathead Productions. The company turns photos into wall art. It's a breakthrough for the sport to be in the Fathead collection. Click for details.DirecTV deal sealed: As of opening day of the U.S. Open, DirecTV subscribers can tune into the Tennis Channel on channel 217, available through the Choice Xtra programming package. By the end of the year, the nine million viewers of DirecTV will be able to watch the channel in high-definition.Shoot this! Canon, whose products are endorsed by Sharapova, staged a swarm of Maria look-alikes in Times Square again this year. It's a great ploy to reinforce the face of the brand and bring tennis front-and-center to tourists from all over the world.
Listen up! Bob and Mike Bryan are accomplished players—on court and on stage (or in their home music studio). The two are known on the circuit as musicians and always pack their iPods. Now everyone (particularly the cool and younger set) can check out their U.S. Open playlists on www.itunes.com. Prince PR man Zach Perles is responsible for this clever segue to pop culture.
"Doubles Rules!" The Bryans reinforced this message by playing with the public and some celebs at an ATP event that benefited the St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. Click for related story.Identical twins rule! Another pair of playing brothers, Angelo and Ettore Rossetti, achieved a couple of records of their own: The longest rally in U.S. history and the world's longest contrived rally (duration). They attempted to beat the Guinness World Recordof 24,696 strokes, but reached "only" 19,490 strokes when one Angelo fell asleep during play. They used a single ball, a USPTA Pro Penn, for the 10 hour, 38-minute feat.
Get organized: MyTennisGroup.com announced its service that allows team captains to organize season courts and team play online 24/7.
Improve that toss: SquareHitTennis launched TossAssist, a bio-mechanically designed device that developed a consistent toss for serving.
Go green: Billie Jean King, who aims to teach by example, has gone green—or is trying to. She took a giant leap forward by launching GreenSlam, an effort to encourage individuals and companies in the sports industry to make environmentally friendly choices.Go, Justine! Another BJK offspring, the Women's Sports Foundation, has just closed voting for the "Sportswoman of the Year" award. No. 1 Justine Henin is a nominee. The honor will be presented to the winner (yet to be announced) at the "Annual Salute to Women in Sports Dinner" on Oct. 15 at the Waldorf=Astoria in New York. Previous tennis winners are Venus and Serena Williams (2000), Steffi Graf ('89), Martina Navratilova ('83, '84), Chris Evert ('81), and Tracy Austin ('80).
Wow. Packed full of info, this entry was an interesting read. I especially loved the bit about Angelo and Ettore Rossetti. Oh, and being an identical twin myself, I agree...Identical twins RULE!
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Liza, great tennis website! Liked the article on the duo setting a new "US Record" for longest rally "beating" my and Ray Millers record. Is there video of the entire attempt as required by rules, we would love to see it! most important, it was for a good cause! by the way, ray and I would be up for a challenge against the brothers side by side "Rally until ya miss"! keep up the good web Liza!
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