ABOUT: THE US OPEN SERIES
Welcome to the 2006 US Open Series. This is the third year of the successful series which links 10 summer tournaments to the US Open creating a cohesive, six-week summer tennis season for ATP and Sony Ericsson WTA Tour professional tournaments in North America.
There are 10 tournaments (11 events) that make up the US Open Series including one combined tournament, Pilot Pen Tennis.
The US Open Series runs for six weeks from July 17 – August 26, 2006 and culminates with the US Open from August 28-September 10. This is similar to a regular season followed by the playoffs.
Hawk-Eye officiating technology debuted in March at the NASDAQ-100 Open in Miami and will be part of the entire US Open Series on every Stadium Court. Fans will be able to watch the instant replay challenges live on the in-stadium video boards.
ABOUT: THE USTA
Mission Statement: To Promote and Develop the Growth of Tennis
The United States Tennis Association (USTA) is the national governing body for the sport of tennis and the recognized leader in promoting and developing the sport’s growth on every level in the United States, from local communities to the crown jewel of the professional game, the US Open.
Established in 1881, the USTA is a progressive and diverse not-for-profit organization whose volunteers, professional staff, and financial resources support a single mission: to promote and develop the growth of tennis.
The USTA is the largest tennis organization in the world, with 17 geographical sections, more than 665,000 individual members and 7,000 organizational members, thousands of volunteers, and a professional staff dedicated to growing the game.
Community Tennis
Community Tennis strives to grow tennis at every level with a goal of making the game accessible to everyone. It supports a wide range of programs designed to help people learn the game, play the game, and benefit from its many health/fitness and social benefits.
Community Tennis is also working hand in hand with the USTA’s seventeen sections, committed volunteers, and industry partners on the largest new player initiative that tennis, or any other sport, has ever conducted—to promote the benefits of tennis to new players and drive them to one of the thousands of Tennis Welcome Center facilities across the country that offer introductory group lessons and playing opportunities for new or lapsed players.
Professional Tennis
Professional Tennis manages all aspects of the USTA’s involvement in the professional sport, including the US Open — the world’s largest attended annual sporting event — and the recently launched US Open Series, which links 10 summer tournaments to the US Open.
It also oversees three professional tour events, 94 Pro Circuit events nationwide, all operations of the USTA National Tennis Center — the world’s largest public tennis facility and home of the US Open — and it manages and selects the U.S. teams for Davis Cup, Fed Cup, the Olympics, and the Paralympic Games.
Designed to operate as a true sports marketing, entertainment and media group, Professional Tennis generates — through television, sponsorship, ticket sales, merchandising, membership, and advanced media — the revenue for funding the USTA mission and works to increase the popularity of the pro game to positively affect player participation.
USTA Player Development
USTA Player Development facilitates the development of world-class American champions by providing promising players with access to the best training, coaching, and competition. This mission is facilitated through enhanced coaching education programs, top supplemental coaching in men’s and women’s tennis, and junior competition programs on the national and international level.
USTA Pro Circuit
The USTA Pro Circuit, the world’s largest professional tour for tennis development, provides the next generation of American champions with the opportunity to play against world-class competition without having to travel abroad.
Diversity
Embracing diversity and encouraging multicultural outreach efforts is essential to achieving the USTA mission to grow the sport of tennis. The USTA is committed to fostering a tennis environment that is more inclusive and inviting to all people. In working to expand the image of tennis, the USTA is focused on broadening and increasing multicultural participation in the sport and serving as a model for all organizations that aspire to successful growth and an inclusive environment.