News

The Lawn Tennis Association appointed executive search firm Odgers Berndtson in late April to co-ordinate the search for the LTA's new Chief Executive, following Roger Draper's announcement that he will be stepping down in September.

The latest report from the US TIA states that the American tennis economy is up three per cent making it a $5.57 billion business.

The State of the Industry report, released by the Tennis Industry Association in the USA in late April, compares this year's total tennis economy figures against 2011.

Singapore will host the WTA Championships, the most prestigious event on the WTA calendar, from 2014 to 2018.

Under terms of the record-setting five-year agreement, the Top 8 singles players and - for the first time - the Top 8 doubles teams will compete for a share of a record prize money purse of $6.5 million.

The LTA has teamed up with StubHub, America's largest secondary ticketing marketplace and part of the eBay Inc. family, to unveil a new UK sporting partnership.

The agreement takes effect immediately and will continue through the next three years, making StubHub the official ticket marketplace for the three major UK grass court tennis events - the Aegon Championships at The Queen's Club, the Aegon Classic, Birmingham and the Aegon International, Eastbourne.

Tributes to Brad Drewett, the ATP Tour's President, are being made from all quarters of the tennis world following the news of his death at the age of 54 on Friday.

The popular Australian had announced his retirement in January because of ill.health but continued as Executive Chairman until a replacement was appointed.

Thanks to Sky Sports securing the rights to show the ATP Tour for another five years, viewers will be able to follow Murray's US Open defence in September.

The new deal will allow viewers to watch the likes of Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal on a regular basis, including at the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals at The O2 Arena in London.

Croatia has chosen to play September's Great Britain's crucial Davis Cup by BNP Paribas in Umag on clay.

The country's western-most city will see Team Aegon GB attempt to build on their victory over Russia earlier this month when Dan Evans, James Ward, Colin Fleming and Jonny Marray pulled off an unlikely upset by overturning a 2-0 deficit to win 3-2 in the Davis Cup for the first time in 83 years in their Europe/Africa Group I second-round clash in Coventry.

The launch of Wimbledon's state-of-the-art iPad App in mid-June illustrates how the traditional All England Lawn Tennis Club always has its eye to the future.

It is all about investment and almost as soon as the paint had dried on the Club's long-term development plan that began in 1993 and was accomplished in 2011, a new Master Plan was being considered to ensure that The Championships continued to be played at the finest tennis venue in the world.

Maria Sharapova, who the richest female athlete in the world, is breaking new ground by becoming the first woman to globally endorse German car maker Porsche.

The brand, which is dominated by male buyers, has chosen Sharapova to be the face of its company for the next three years.

Prize money at the French Open, which begins on 26 May, will rise for both singles champions and players who lose in some of the early rounds.

Roland Garros organizers said on Monday that the overall total for the tournament will go up from $24.6 million to $28.7 million, with the winners receiving $1.96 million compared to $1.64 million in 2012.