Wake Forest Athletics
Wake Forest Holds Groundbreaking For New Tennis Facility
4/26/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
April 26, 2011
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Wake Forest University today held a ceremonial groundbreaking for the new tennis complex that is being constructed to serve as the venue for the Winston-Salem Open at Wake Forest University, an ATP World Tour event, as well as the new outdoor home for the Wake Forest men's and women's tennis teams.
The complex, which is nestled between BB&T Field and the Wake Forest Indoor Tennis Center, will feature 13 courts with the same Deco-Turf II surface as the courts used at the US Open, illuminated by a state-of-the-art lighting system. Temporary seating will be brought in for the first year of the tournament, but future plans call for the construction of a permanent stadium.
While construction on the site officially began in February, today's ceremony, which was attended by Wake Forest President Nathan O. Hatch, Wake Forest Director of Athletics Ron Wellman, Winston-Salem Mayor Allen Joines and Don Flow, Chairman of Winston-Salem Professional Tennis, marked the beginning of a new phase of the project, which is scheduled to be completed in late July.
"This will be as fine of a facility as there is in the ACC and maybe in all of college tennis. Our tennis coaches Jeff Zinn and Jeff Wyshner are extremely excited about what these courts will do for our tennis programs," said Wake Forest athletics director Ron Wellman. "With the tennis complex now joining our football, basketball and baseball stadiums on Deacon Boulevard, we are making significant progress towards our goal of making this area the sports entertainment capital of Winston-Salem."
The Winston-Salem Open, which will be held from Aug. 20-27, is part of the Olympus US Open Series and is the last ATP event before the US Open. Top American players Mardy Fish and John Isner have already signed on for the inaugural tournament. Tickets will go on sale to the public on May 10.
"I am incredibly excited that the first Winston-Salem Open is only months away, and the progress that has been made on the new facility is a tangible reminder of that," said tournament director Bill Oakes. "Having a tennis complex of this caliber will allow us to draw some of the best players in the world to Winston-Salem every summer."
About Wake Forest University Founded in 1834, Wake Forest University is a private, collegiate university located in Winston-Salem, N.C., dedicated to serving humanity through the pursuit of knowledge. Consistently ranked among the nation's top universities, Wake Forest offers students the personalized attention of a small liberal arts college with the resources, technology and co-curricular opportunities of a large university. With strong undergraduate and graduate programs and leading professional schools, Wake Forest maintains the highest academic and scholarly standards and strives to instill in all its students a desire to lead examined and purposeful lives.
About the Winston-Salem Open
The Winston-Salem Open, an ATP World Tour 250 event with a total purse of $625,000, will take place from August 21-27, 2011, with qualifying set for August 19 and August 20. The tournament will be the final men's event of the Olympus US Open Series. The tournament will receive national television exposure via Tennis Channel and ESPN2, including the singles final broadcasted by CBS. For more information, please visit www.winstonsalemopen.com.
About the Olympus US Open Series
The Olympus US Open Series has established itself as a true regular season of hard court tennis, linking 10 summer tournaments to the US Open. Fans follow the action throughout the summer through national television coverage, culminating each week with back-to-back men's and women's finals on Sunday afternoon. Players battle for $40 million, including a chance for bonus prize money at the US Open. In 2008, Olympus became the first title sponsor of the Series. The Olympus US Open Series is also supported by sponsors American Express and Evian. Andy Murray won the 2010 Olympus US Open Series men's title and Caroline Wozniacki won the women's title. In 2007, Roger Federer collected the biggest paycheck in tennis history - $2.4 million - for winning the US Open and the Olympus US Open Series. In 2005, Kim Clijsters also captured both the US Open and the Series, winning $2.2 million - the largest purse in women's sports history - and again equaled that amount in 2010, winning the US Open and finishing the Olympus US Open Series in second place.
About the ATP
The ATP is the governing body of the men's professional tennis circuits - the ATP World Tour, the ATP Challenger Tour and the ATP Champions Tour. With 62 tournaments in 32 countries, the ATP World Tour showcases the finest male athletes competing in the world's most exciting venues. From Australia to Europe and the Americas to Asia, the stars of the ATP World Tour battle for prestigious titles and South African Airways 2011 ATP Rankings points at Grand Slams (non ATP events), ATP World Tour Masters 1000, ATP World Tour 500 and ATP World Tour 250 events. At the end of the season, only the world's top 8 ranked men's singles players and top 8 doubles teams, based on their performance throughout the year, will qualify to compete for the last title of the season at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. Held at The O2 in London, the event will officially crown the 2011 ATP World Tour No.1 in singles and doubles. For more information, please visit www.ATPWorldTour.com.
