News

Primary school sport is set to be transformed thanks to a £150m-a-year boost that will improve coaching for the youngest pupils and inspire the Olympic and Paralympic stars of the future, the Prime Minister announced on Saturday.

London 2012 gave Britain a once in a lifetime opportunity to inspire a nation to enjoy sport and the Government wants to embed that into the school day from an early age.

The LTA and the Tennis Foundation has welcomed the new investment that will see every state primary school in England getting funding over the next two years to spend specifically on improving the quality and quantity of physical education and sport.

Tennis players feature in the top 100 most powerful athletes on-and-off-the-field in 2013 compiled for Bloomberg Sports by CSE, a leading integrated marketing agency.

Britain's Andy Murray rose twenty-five places from 2011 with a power rating of 54.81 and while LeBron James, the American professional basketball player, headed the list at No 1, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams have stolen the headlines by being ranked fifth, sixth and twelfth respectively.

The latest results are out from an annual impact survey independently conducted by leading pollsters YouGov showing that over 98% of schools (over 1,300 teachers) surveyed said that the Aegon Schools Tennis programme had helped them deliver tennis or more tennis at schools across the country.

The vast majority (90%) of schools reported that the programme was also helping them deliver more sport in general in their school.

Roger Draper has decided to step down as Chief Executive of the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) at the end of September 2013 after seven years in the role.

His decision comes after one of the most outstanding years in the history of British tennis, both on and off court.

2012 saw great success for Britain's junior and senior players, including Grand Slam titles and Olympic and Paralympic medals.

Virgin Active, the UK's health club operator with over 100 clubs nationwide, has partnered with the LTA to become the Official Health Club of British Tennis, in a three year agreement that will introduce a number of LTA tennis products to racquet members, including Mini Tennis, a fun programme for 3 -10 year olds and Cardio Tennis, an up-tempo group fitness class that takes place on a court.

Committed to making tennis more accessible, Virgin Active is investing heavily into the sport, including over £1million into 81 new courts.

Scorpion Sports Gifts promotes half-price offer as ERSA's Spring Symposium is announced

With an eye to the brighter and better weather Scorpion Sports Gifts is promoting a special half-price offer on their Mini Tennis Ball Keyrings , for one week only, so that coaches and others can stock up on prizes for the Spring and Summer.

After much debate on the issue of drugs in sport following the recent revelations surrounding Lance Armstrong, tennis is adopting a biological passport program and increasing the number of blood tests as part of a new anti-doping drive that players themselves have demanded.

The International Tennis Federation announced on Thursday measures that will go into effect this year on both the men's and women's tours in an effort to ensure the game is clean.

IMG & BNP Paribas have announced the return of one of the most exclusive tennis events in the social calendar, the BNP Paribas Tennis Classic at the Hurlingham Club, London from 18 - 22 June.

Managed by IMG, the global sports, fashion and media company, the BNP Paribas Tennis Classic takes place at the height of the summer tennis season and features high on London's social calendar.

Mike Ballardie, Vice Chairman of the Tennis Industry Association UK, has been named CEO of Prince Global Sports, a leading manufacturer and distributor of global racquet sports equipment, footwear and apparel in tennis and squash.

He has been responsible for operations in the eastern hemisphere for Prince for nearly 10 years.

Laura Robson is fast becoming a big star and is now being sought for endorsements.

Recently Robson signed up as Virgin Active's Ambassador to promote the health club chain owned by Richard Branson.

The 19-year-old became Virgin Active's first tennis ambassador for two years when the agreement officially began this week to coincide with World Tennis Day on Monday.