Mylan World Team Tennis

Transcription

MYL AN World TeamTennis
Celebrates its 40th Season
april 6-12, 2015
special advertising section
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street & smith’s sportsbusiness journal
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MYL AN World TeamTennis Celebrates its 40th Season wtt.com
Rich Kessler
When Mylan World TeamTennis launched
its 40th season in March, the draft of players
read like a laundry list of luminaries in the
tennis world. Venus and Serena Williams,
Martina Hingis, Andy Roddick, Eugenie
Bouchard, Bob and Mike Bryan, John Isner
and Madison Keys are among the league’s
premier players.
At the celebration later that night in
Indian Wells, Calif., past WTT players, such as
champions Chris Evert, Lindsay Davenport,
Roy Emerson and Roddick stopped by to
share fond memories about their time in the
league with Emmy Award winning master of
World No. 1 Serena Williams returns to Mylan WTT
this summer for the first time since 2011, playing
for the Washington Kastles.
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ceremonies, Mary Carillo.
Co-founded in 1974 by tennis great Billie
Jean King, her then-husband, Larry King,
and others, in part to promote gender
equality in tennis, World TeamTennis has reimagined the sport of tennis and brought
groundbreaking, innovative advances to
the game.
For three summer weeks each year,
some of the best and brightest professional
players in the world come together to play
on seven teams — Washington (D.C.) Kastles; Philadelphia Freedoms; Austin Aces;
Boston Lobsters; San Diego Aviators; Springfield (Mo.) Lasers; and the Sacramentobased California Dream. The rosters include
a minimum of two women, two men and a
coach. Team matches are five sets, with
one set each of women’s singles, men’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles and
mixed doubles.
From the scoring — a point is a point,
not a 15 or a 30 — to the up-close access
to pro players, to Mylan WTT clinics for kids
and autograph sessions after every match,
Mylan World TeamTennis makes the sport of
tennis accessible to long-time fans and
non-fans alike.
“I view us as innovators and the think tank
for the sport of tennis,” said Ilana Kloss, CEO
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Mylan World TeamTennis: 40 Seasons of
Innovation, Competition and Access
The Washington Kastles captured their 4th consecutive Mylan WTT championship (and 5th overall) with a
win over the Springfield Lasers in the 2014 Finals.
april 6-12, 2015
“We were wide-eyed going down to the Forum in LA
and watching the likes of Jimmy Connors. We were
ball kids and big fans of all these pros. And to see it
and be exposed to it at a young age really inspired us
to go on and have this career we’re having now.”
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and commissioner of Mylan World TeamTennis. “It has always been our goal to make
tennis more fan-friendly. Things that we tried
30 or 40 years ago have now become standard — colored courts, for example, moving lines people, music on the change-over,
fans getting to keep balls hit into the stands
during play — throughout the sport.”
“Mylan World TeamTennis is all five elements of tennis — men’s and women’s singles, men’s and women’s doubles and
mixed doubles — all tied up with a ribbon,”
The world No. 1 doubles team of Bob and Mike
Bryan hit the multi-colored courts this summer for
the Sacramento-based California Dream.
april 6-12, 2015
said Chris Evert. “It’s everything.”
Mylan World TeamTennis is also serious
tennis.
“Our core value is the high level of tennis
we bring to the courts,” Kloss said. “Mylan
World TeamTennis is very high quality, very
intense competition. Ultimately, it is the best
professional tennis players on a team competing for a championship, at the same
competitive level as the NFL, the NBA or any
other professional team sport.”
“There’s a lot on the line,” said Evert.
“Everyone wants to do well. World TeamTennis attracts players like Serena Williams and
Eugenie Bouchard, and that, in itself, is testament to the serious level of competition. If
the competitiveness were taken lightly, great
players wouldn’t be doing it.”
“Having notched 40 seasons under its
belt speaks to the success of World TeamTennis,” said John Embree, CEO of the U.S.
Professional Tennis Association. “Not only has
the WTT format introduced new fans to the
sport, but Billie’s commitment to gender
equality, both on and off the court, has
advanced the game on many levels, and
WTT embodies that core value. Her vision
and passion for the game is unparalleled.
The USPTA congratulates Mylan WTT for
reaching this impressive milestone.”
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Bob and Mike Bryan
Longtime Springfield Coach John-Laffnie “JL” de Jager has led his Lasers to the past two Mylan WTT Finals.
Kloss sees the team format as the biggest opportunity to grow the sport of tennis
in the U.S. Americans love team sports, she
said, and love both the sociability of playing
for a team and, as a fan, rooting for a
hometown team. As a sport for individuals,
tennis struggles to draw the casual fan and
to build tennis as a youth sport for both recreational players and future generations of
professionals, she said.
“World TeamTennis is not just more tennis,” said Jason Bernstein, former senior
director of programming and acquisitions
for ESPN. “It’s different tennis. With WTT, fans
have a team to root for and that establishes
players for fans to root for all through the
tennis year.”
“Our goal is to engage the community in
tennis on a year-round basis,” Kloss said.
“Tournaments are great, but the bigger ones
are mostly destination events, not a grassroots appeal across the board. A team
event is going to attract stronger support
with long-lasting appeal. People are drawn
to having someone out there to celebrate
and, for the young professional players, a
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Mylan World TeamTennis, from page 3
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“I don’t think [Mylan WTT] gets enough credit for the
amount of players at a young age that have gone
through it and learned along the way. It needs to
be referred to as a developmental tool on the same
lines of any of the successful ones. We’re constantly
looking for solutions, when I think it’s standing right in
front of us.”
ANDY RODDICK
with 11-year-old Kloss and later told her
father, “she’s got talent,” Kloss knew right
then that she wanted to be a professional
tennis player.
“You have to see it to be it,” Kloss said.
“You have to see it happen to believe you
can do it yourself. That’s what WTT is all about
– access. When a pro player autographs a
kid’s ball after a match or works with them in
a clinic, it inspires that kid in a way like no
other. We’re all about access — access to
the players for the fans, for the media, for
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teammate to celebrate with.”
“I love team tennis because it adds fun
to a very individual sport,” said Lee Sponaugle, director of national accounts for Sport
Court International. Sport Court partners with
the U.S. Tennis Association and other tennis
associations to build safer courts to promote
tennis to kids. “We need more kids to fill the
funnel toward playing professional tennis
and, at a recreational level, we want people
to play for more years. Team tennis reimagines tennis to make it fun. It inspires fans and
recreational players by breaking out of that
serious ‘everyone has to be quiet’ mold.”
Kloss came to the world of tennis as a
ball girl in her native South Africa. When
Billie Jean King took the time to hit balls
Stars like Venus Williams, Kim Clijsters and Serena
Williams have helped Mylan WTT distribute more
than 300,000 free junior tennis racquets at clinics
and matches over the past decade.
the sponsors. We invite every kid under 16 to
come on to the court for autographs. We’re
also about access within communities.
We’ve given away more than 300,000 racquets, with our sponsor Wilson, to ensure kids
have access to proper equipment.”
“We have to develop the next generation of American tennis fans,” said Bernstein.
“We love WTT’s focus on showcasing tennis
to the younger set. Not only does WTT
support bringing tennis to younger players,
but it also brings tennis to younger fans.
Younger viewers are our next generation of
fans and consumers.”
“For the past 40 years, making a difference in children’s lives through tennis and
sport has been the heartbeat of Billie Jean’s
and Ilana’s passion and unwavering dedication to World TeamTennis,” said Stacey
Allaster, chairman and CEO of the Women’s
Tennis Association. “Billie has been such a
visionary and a champion of innovating our
traditional sport to make it exciting for fans.
Together with WTT’s CEO and Commissioner
Ilana Kloss, this ‘doubles team’ has led the
way in pioneering so many fan-friendly firsts,
such as letting serves be played out, oncourt coaching, names of the players on
their shirts, getting racquets into kids’ hands
and providing fans with access to the players. Growing tennis at the community level
with teams has made a significant contribution to the Mylan WTT communities and the
development of tennis in the U.S.”
The venues themselves offer a point of
access for fans. “Our venues seat between
2,000 and 5,000 people, so every seat is a
good seat,” Kloss said. “And it makes all the
See Mylan World TeamTennis, page 6A
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april 6-12, 2015
To understand the core values Mylan
World TeamTennis embodies is to understand the core values of its co-founder,
tennis icon Billie Jean King.
“Since I was 12 years old, I’ve been
fighting for equal rights and opportunities
for boys and girls, for men and women,”
said King. “If you watch World TeamTennis,
you see my philosophy on life.”
In 1974, King, along with her then-husband Larry King and others, founded
World TeamTennis (WTT) to help bring about
King’s lifelong fight for gender equality.
Only a year earlier, King had founded the
Women’s Tennis Association, uniting all of
women’s professional tennis into one tour.
In WTT, King points out, you see gender
equality across the board. At various
places in the match, women and men
play both supporting and leadership roles.
“Because WTT is about a team. We
have athletes playing for something
greater than themselves, which is very
important to me,” she said.
In a tennis tournament, King points
out, half of the players go home after the
first round and 75 percent are gone after
the second.
“That’s very sad to me,” she said. “That
means that only the top three or four men
and women players in the world are recognized. Those few players can dominate
the sport.”
Having teams, she said, fosters
april 6-12, 2015
Larry King and Billie Jean King were among the co-founders who started World TeamTennis in 1974.
The two recently reunited at a 40th season celebration in Indian Wells to talk about the history and
future of Mylan World TeamTennis
inclusion and ensures that more players
are recognized.
“If you want more kids playing tennis,
put them on a team,” she said. “My
brother (Randy Moffitt) played Major
League Baseball and I could see how
accessible baseball always was for him, in
comparison to tennis. Team sports for kids
always start as something fun. Tennis
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always starts with a lesson. That doesn’t
give kids much incentive to play tennis.”
Giving back to communities is another
core value of King’s, which she finds aligns
with World TeamTennis’ title sponsor, pharmaceutical company Mylan, which is
dedicated to making sure its pharmaceuticals reach those who need them most.
Its work includes getting HIV/AIDS medica-
CameraworkUSA
WTT: A Perfect Reflection of King’s Values
tion into remote communities in sub-Saharan Africa.
“We’re very fortunate to have sponsors
like Mylan who believe in our vision,” King
said. “Nothing happens without having
strong partnerships. Geico has been a
sponsor for years, and having the longterm backing of Mylan, Geico, Adecco
and Wilson at the league level has
allowed us time and energy to be strategic in our planning and growth.”
King’s goals now are to continue to
expand team tennis as a concept, both
nationally and internationally, at both the
professional and recreational levels.
“The fastest growing segment of World
TeamTennis is in intramural college sports,”
King said. “Tennis on Campus, a program
run by WTT, the USTA and NIRSA, has grown
so much at the collegiate club level, we’re
now able to have regionals and a
64-team final championship. We’re asked
all the time, ‘why isn’t it a college varsity
sport?’ I think the format is perfect for college tennis, as well as the Olympics and
other global events.”
King is quick to note that bringing on
Venus Williams and Andy Roddick as a
new generation of league partners does
not signal any plans for her retirement.
“I’m not going anywhere,” said King,
71. “As long as I’m having fun, I will continue to be part of the WTT family, if they
will have me.” n
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Mylan World TeamTennis, from page 4A
“I met Billie Jean when I was 16 or 17 years old and
she’s just as intense now as she was then…talking
about TeamTennis…what I really respect about her is
that she never gives up and that’s a great lesson to
teach a kid. Billie Jean’s really a unique person.”
JOHN McENROE
“It makes a nice change-up on the calendar for them to play as part of a team,”
Kloss said. “For the younger players, it’s an
unbelievable opportunity to play 14
matches in three weeks, guaranteed,
whether they win or lose. They love the
coaching, the intensity of the competition
and the opportunity to learn a leadership
role. Our players have told us over and over
that World TeamTennis has played an instrumental role in developing their game. And
players love the relationships they build.
They make friends for life.”
“I loved the coaching,” said Evert. “It was
free coaching! The year I had Tony Roche
as our World TeamTennis coach, I won at
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difference to be that close to these superstar players.”
Bringing coaches onto the court is
another WTT idea that’s gaining wider traction in tennis. “On-court coaching is a way
to give tennis more media coverage by
keeping tennis in the spotlight,” Kloss said.
“Tennis coaches don’t get enough credit for
the work they do. It’s important that our
teaching professionals are recognized for
their talent. In team tennis, the coach is very
important. He or she sets the order, determines the timeouts, pulls together the best
strategy. It adds to the game and takes
nothing away from the individual athlete’s
performance on the court. The athlete still
has to hit the right shot.”
Virginia Wade was one of many of the world’s top
players who hit the World TeamTennis courts in the
1970s.
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Wimbledon — singles and doubles. You
also get to know another side of the other
players, people you’re very competitive
against in other tournaments. You get to
spend time with them in a way you normally
don’t. World TeamTennis was a wonderful
experience for me.”
Kloss has been involved with WTT almost
from its inception, starting as a player in 1974
and later serving as a coach. She became
involved off the court when King suggested
she take on the job of recruiting players.
“I remember learning from Billie that relationships are everything,” Kloss said. “You
have to understand both sides of the sport
for this job – the players’ perspective as well
as the business side. I feel really privileged to
do something that I love so much.”
“We have proudly partnered with
World TeamTennis for a quarter century,”
said Bud Theobald of Metro Signs Advertising. “In the ever-changing sports landscape,
that loyalty is rare. It means a tremendous
amount to me and to our business. I am
extremely appreciative of the relationship I
have with WTT and for the opportunity to
contribute towards a product that does so
much for so many.”
“People realize that the world is changing,” Kloss said. “There’s more competition
for entertainment dollars. Fans want more
than the match itself. They want more
entertainment. They want a place they can
bring their families. They want tennis to be
One-time rivals Venus Williams and Martina Hingis
teamed up in 2014, helping the Washington
Kastles to their 4th consecutive title.
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april 6-12, 2015
The late Vitas Gerulaitis was one of WTT’s most
popular players during the 1970s.
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The Tennis Channel’s Mary Carillo moderates a GameChangers and GroundBreakers discussion with WTT greats Chris Evert, Roy Emerson, Billie Jean King and
Andy Roddick during the Mylan WTT 40th season celebration in Indian Wells on March 16.
“We had so much fun and won a lot of matches.
We had great fans in the Walter Brown Arena in
Boston. Those were my favorite times because I really
learned the game. I really got in shape. Roy Emerson
helped me with my strokes, particularly my backhand
slice and volley. I actually thanked him for winning my
first Wimbledon because I really thought Roy helped me become a
better tennis player.”
MARTINA NAVRATILOVA
april 6-12, 2015
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appealing to the broader sports fan.
We’re well positioned for that. It’s a huge
growth opportunity.”
Sponsorships
“We’ve definitely secured some great
sponsors,” Kloss said. “That’s critical for an
organization our size. Mylan, Geico, Wilson,
Adecco, Decoturf, the USTA. Our long-standing partner Tennis Channel has been with us
since 2003. ESPN is now in the second of a
four-year agreement with us.”
“Tennis has been at the heart and soul of
ESPN since our company’s inception in
1979,” said Bernstein. “A week after we went
on the air, we telecast a Davis Cup match
with John McEnroe playing and Cliff Drysdale on the call. Our commitment goes to
all tennis, from day one in Australia to the
ATP World Tour Finals in November. World
TeamTennis is a perfect transition from the
Wimbledon Championships to the hard
court season. WTT has a good balance of
on-court battles. It delivers a nice platform
for the summer months and delivers on the
vision of Billie Jean King and Ilana Kloss.”
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“I can’t say enough about the format that Billie
Jean’s put together where the boys and the girls
get together and they play singles, doubles, mixed
doubles, all as a team format. It’s so unique because
tennis is such an individual sport, but yet when you’re
playing doubles and mixed and now you have a team
atmosphere; you’re playing for your town, your community, you’re
playing for the young kids out there.”
The Washington Kastles rewrote the sports record books during the 2013 season by setting the mark of 34
consecutive wins (2011-2013), the longest streak in major pro sports league history. The previous record of
33 consecutive wins was held by the NBA’s 1971-72 Lakers.
The Future
In 2012 after the League lost its title
sponsor in the aftermath of the financial crisis that hit the country, Kloss and King determined it was time to take a fresh look at the
future of World TeamTennis and sought the
advice of Teneo Sports to help them conduct a strategic review of the business and
develop a plan for the future of the league.
“Billie Jean and Ilana asked us to identify
new commercial opportunities and to evaluate areas for improvement going forward,”
said Michael Coakley, senior vice president
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of Teneo Sports.
After a nine-month analysis, four key
points were identified to bolster the strength
of the league. First, the league needed a
new title sponsor.
“Through a lot of hard work and dedication, Billie Jean and Ilana brought pharmaceutical company Mylan on board as WTT’s
title sponsor,” said Coakley. “It has been a
tremendously beneficial partnership for both
organizations.”
“For us it’s been about access and providing 7 billion people access to affordable
medicine,” said Heather Bresch, Mylan CEO.
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“At Mylan, we say seeing is believing and we
believe that World TeamTennis is a platform
that lets children see males and females
competing together, working together and
the platform gives these kids access to a
sport that they otherwise might not be able
to experience. All these programs that give
the children an opportunity to learn the
sport, play the sport and actually see it is
what it’s all about…that is what we mean by
seeing is believing. And that is our way of
giving back to our community.”
Mylan aligns with King and Kloss’ core
values: equality, access and teamwork.
That partnership has been such a success
that Mylan has renewed its sponsorship
through 2017.
A second key part of the strategy was to
begin succession planning. WTT built a list of
who could be future ambassadors of the
brand, who could be the next torch bearers.
“Now that we’ve brought in Venus Williams and Andy Roddick as minority partners, we’re building a new generation ready
to take on our vision,” Kloss said. “Billie Jean’s
fight for equality is what inspired Venus to
fight for equal pay for equal work at
Wimbledon. Both Andy and Venus have
been heavily involved, not only as ambassadors, but in the business end of running
the league.”
A third component has been challenging — to create more international opportunities in a fragmented tennis landscape.
Mylan WTT has showcased its format outside
the U.S. throughout the League’s four
decades, beginning with Russia in the late
70s. Since then, WTT has been involved in
team events based in Australia, France,
Serbia, South Africa and most recently in
December 2014 in England. Mylan WTT
Smash Hits, a tennis fundraiser founded by
King and Sir Elton John, filled the Royal Albert
Hall in London with fans ready to watch
team tennis played by Roddick, John McEnroe, Kim Clijsters and Tim Henman, and
coached by King and John. The event
raised more than $1 million for the Elton
John AIDS Foundation.
“We’re called WORLD TeamTennis for a
reason,” said Kloss. “We see WTT as a perfect vehicle for many great international
and national opportunities. We think our format would be perfect for a World Cup. It
would be great at the college level, with a
March Madness for tennis. It would be an
incredible Olympic sport. Whether it’s country vs. country or all-star tennis or a World
Cup, people are starting to see the potential growth for team tennis and the power it
can bring to the overall sport of tennis.”
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Willis Bretz
LEANDER PAES
Andy Roddick, who joined the World TeamTennis
ownership group in 2013, returns this summer to
play again for his hometown Austin Aces.
Smash Hits is a charitable event, but it
demonstrates the potential for expanding
World TeamTennis into international markets.
“The event builds upon the values of WTT
and Billie Jean,” Coakley said. “Smash Hits
provided access around the world to Mylan
World TeamTennis. It showed the tennis world
the amazing things that can be done to get
kids involved, whether it’s giving away racquets and balls or seeing superstars or participating through the community activities
of the teams and franchises.”
The Owners
Another component to the strategy was
to build on the strength of the league’s
seven franchises.
“We’ve got really strong owners,” Kloss
said, “who are willing to invest in their teams
for the long term. They all really believe in
the vision of World TeamTennis. You can do
april 6-12, 2015
“You never know who is going to come out of World
TeamTennis and became a professional player,
and a champion. Look at the case of Serena and
I, going to a World TeamTennis clinic, which was
so exciting for us. My first World TeamTennis match
was in 1990, when I was 10 years old. I feel like I’ve had
a good 25 years with World TeamTennis and am looking forward to
going for the 50th anniversary as well.”
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VENUS WILLIAMS
Hall of Famer Lindsay Davenport started playing WTT as a 17-year-old in 1993. She was twice named as
the league’s Female MVP and played on three championship teams.
well and do good at the same time. We’re
a small league, but I think that makes us
nimble. We can adjust quickly without having to go through layers of approval. I have
incredible respect for our owners; they all
believe in the dream.”
The league works hard to foster skills and
transfer knowledge from franchise to franchise, Kloss said.
“We want every franchise to be a successful business for the owners,” she said. “If
owners can maximize value to fans, then
happy fans bring more sponsors and it’s a
virtuous cycle. We look at best practices
across business operations and procedures
and say, How can we share those practices
with the other franchise owners?”
Well-known D.C. investor Mark Ein
founded the Washington Kastles seven years
ago and, since then, has taken home the
King Trophy five times. Ein, who has built a
series of growth companies across a diverse
set of industries in his 22-year career, has
been involved in the start of six companies
worth more than $1 billion. Along with several other companies, he is currently
founder and CEO of Venturehouse Group
and Capitol Acquisition Corporation 2, as
well as vice chairman of the Two Harbors
mortgage REIT.
“I was interested in getting involved in a
sports franchise and, over the course of my
life, tennis has been the sport with the biggest influence for me,” he said. “Tennis is a
great teacher, not just of how to play the
sport, but of life lessons to kids. All teams —
for any sport — that are successful, the owners see them as the community’s team,
rather than the owner’s team. That’s what
brings people together and inspires them to
love their team. In team tennis, the level of
engagement and commitment is greater
for fans than in a traditional tennis tournament. Everyone is invested in the outcome. I
have always seen WTT as a way for me to
give back to the community. That’s what
motivates and inspires me. We have the
opportunity to create a lifetime of memories
for our fans.”
To handle demand, the Kastles moved
into a bigger venue last year.
“Ticket sales are through the roof,” Ein
said. “We have 25 percent more seating
capacity than before and we’re sold out
every night. We’re generating extraordinary
revenues. Our renewal rates are virtually a
hundred percent and our sponsorships continue to grow every year. We invest heavily in
creating a great fan experience. Owning
this team has been one of the greatest thrills
of my lifetime. I have had the opportunity to
create great memories in the city where I
live and where I grew up. I’ve always made
this our priority; I feel a huge obligation to
deliver the best possible product to our city.
In our stands each night are thousands of
young Serena and Venus Williamses and
even young Mark Eins that I hope we can
inspire.”
Adds Bob Belote, president of the Springfield Lasers, “our team is a tremendous
source of pride for our local tennis fans,
sports fans and our community. “Our 20
years participating in Mylan World TeamTennis have helped make Cooper Tennis Complex one of the best facilities in the country.
It’s a major contributor to the enormous
economic impact that sports tourism has on
our community. It’s a lot of fun and it’s the
clearly high point of our tennis calendar.”

Mylan World TeamTennis
on your 40th anniversary!
We appreciate everything
you do for the sport!
UNITED STATES
PROFESSIONAL TENNIS ASSOCIATION
The world’s largest association of certified tennis-teaching professionals
april 6-12, 2015
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40 seasons of wtt
1974 A GOOD START Jerry Buss and
-75
1974 FIRST SET World
TeamTennis, which
was founded by Billie Jean
King, Larry King, Fred Barman, Jordon
Kaiser, Dennis Murphy and Frank Fuhrer,
debuts as the inaugural season
introduces professional team tennis
competition to the sports landscape.
• Based on a concept of gender equity,
WTT is also the first professional sports
league to feature men and women on
the same team with equal
contributions.
• The Denver Racquets defeated the
Philadelphia Freedoms to win the first
championship.
• League co-founder Billie Jean King is
named as the League’s first MVP and is
also the first woman to coach a team
with male pros as the player-coach of
the Freedoms.
• On May 9, 1974, WTT becomes the first
regularly scheduled tennis series
coverage on HBO when the New York
Sets take on the Pittsburgh Triangles.
• On-court innovations include
introduction of on-court coaching,
standing umpire box and moving line
officials.
Robert Kraft got their start in pro
sports team ownership. Buss, who went on
to own the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers, was
at the helm of the WTT’s Los Angeles Strings
in 1974 with his daughter Jeanie
overseeing the team as General Manager
beginning in 1981. New England Patriots
owner Robert Kraft bought the Boston
Lobsters in 1975.
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1978 5 MILLION By the end of the 1978
season, World TeamTennis had surpassed 5 million in attendance since
1974.
1984 COMMISSIONER KING Billie Jean
King plays her final WTT match for
the Chicago Fyre and then becomes the
first woman commissioner in professional
sports history.
All-Star Game on July 12, the
league debuts the latest innovation: a
multi-colored, no-line tennis court. The
league made its national television debut
on NBC that evening as well.
1990 LEGENDS SIGN ON Current Mylan
WTT CEO/Commissioner Ilana Kloss
signs Jimmy Connors and Martina
Navratilova to the League’s first multi-year
premier player contracts.
1977 FROM RUSSIA TO LOVE WTT
introduces The Soviets, a squad of
Russian players who become the first
traveling team in WTT competition.
.....Mylan WTT: Inside the 40th Season.....
Regular Season: July 12-29
Conference Championships: July 30
Finals: August 2
Check local listings for specific dates and times. For more information and tickets, visit WTT.com
Western Conference
LINDSAY DAVENPORT
This season, the league’s 40th, is a testament to Ilana Kloss’ leadership. Says Lindsay
Davenport, “I have an immense amount of
respect for any female leader, CEO, president around the world. Ilana was certainly a
great role model for me growing up. Seeing
how she’s able to handle business and
make all the pieces of the puzzle come
together … she’s been another great influence in my life. She’s always looked out for
me whether I’ve played TeamTennis or not.”
“The 2015 season will be phenomenal,”
Kloss said. “We’ve got one of the greatest
fields we’ve had in a long time.”
“We’re thrilled to have Serena back on our
team,” said Ein. “She has a strong attachment to Washington, D.C., and Washington
has a strong attachment to her. We’ve had
incredible continuity on our team year after
year. Having our core players back has been
critically important to our success on the
court, in the stands and in our community.”
The Washington Kastles have the poten-
unique part of the WTT format,
expands to 13 points. At the end of a tied
match, the teams play a Supertiebreaker
with the victor being the first to reach 7
points and Supertiebreaker becomes the
official magazine of WTT.
1975 COLORFUL TENNIS At the 1975
“I’ll never forget in my first season, it was the summer
of 1993 and I was 17 years old. When I signed up, I
was ranked outside of the top 100 and the owner of
the Sacramento Capitals kind of took a chance on
me. I loved it and had the greatest experience. It was
something we never got to experience in traveling day in
and day out with a team. Every season I played, I got to know players
I would have never gotten to know and share experiences with people
I would have never crossed paths with. I’ve always been very grateful
that I was given the opportunity to play and I always loved it.”
The 2015 Season
1977 LUCKY 13 The Supertiebreaker, a
tial to take the King Trophy for the sixth time
in eight years.
“I never go into a season thinking we’re
going to win the trophy,” said Ein. “There are
so many good teams and so many good
players. We definitely have a mark on our
backs each year. But our philosophy is to
give the players the best we have and
focus on the process rather than the outcome. If we always give everything we can,
we will never have any regrets and can live
with whatever the results.”
“Since establishing a clear strategic path
in 2012, Ilana and Billie Jean have worked
tirelessly toward this 40th season,” said
Coakley. “It’s incredible how much they’ve
been able to achieve.”
“At the ITF, we are known for our international team competitions, from Davis Cup
by BNP Paribas and Fed Cup by BNP Paribas
to competitions for juniors, seniors, wheelchair and beach tennis athletes,” said Francesco Ricci Bitti, president of the International Tennis Federation. “Both Billie Jean
King and Ilana Kloss represented their countries in Fed Cup and I know they appreciate
❘
Eastern Conference
Austin Aces
austinacestennis.com
Boston Lobsters
bostonlobsters.net
California Dream
californiadreamtennis.com
Philadelphia Freedoms
philadelphiafreedoms.com
San Diego Aviators
sandiegoaviators.com
Washington Kastles
washingtonkastles.com
Springfield Lasers
springfieldlasers.com
what it means to be part of a team. They
are also tennis innovators and their creation,
Mylan World TeamTennis, offers the best of
both, adding fresh ideas to the important
values of team. On behalf of the ITF, I congratulate Mylan World TeamTennis on their
40th anniversary. Well done.”
“The success of the league is due to the
fact that the core product is incredible,”
said Ein. “The overall experience has wide
appeal to the hard-core tennis fan and
casual fan alike, as well as to the players
and the owners. And the secret to the suc-
cess is the leadership and vision of Billie
Jean King and Ilana Kloss.”
“We’re only one of a small handful of
major sports leagues to reach the 40-year
milestone,” Kloss said. “For us, it isn’t about
what tennis can do for us; it’s about what
team tennis can do for the overall sport. It’s
a huge opportunity for U.S. tennis, both in
revenue opportunities and people opportunities if everyone gets behind it. We want to
see more American champion players
coming forth. And we want to keep tennis in
the spotlight in the U.S.”
n
april 6-12, 2015
1996 PLAY LETS In 1996, the league
said goodbye to let serves and
has played lets in every match since.
1999 HIGH FIVE WTT changes match
scoring to sets are now won by the
first team to win five games instead of six.
2011 THE KASTLES ERA In 2011, the
-14
2003 TENNIS CHANNEL
Washington Kastles completed the
first undefeated season in WTT history (160), and won their 2nd WTT Championship
with a victory over St. Louis Aces.
PARTNERSHIP Network
launches on May 15 and six
weeks later, WTT matches air
for the first time on the
network. WTT and Tennis Channel have
had a partnership ever since.
2005 GRAF, HINGIS HIGHLIGHT 30th
2013 NEW PARTNERS Mylan, one of the
SEASON WTT celebrates its 30th
anniversary and introduces Instant replay
to professional tennis competition.
Stefanie Graf makes her return to pro
tennis for the first time since 1999 to play
WTT. Martina Hingis makes her WTT debut
and leads the New York Sportimes to their
first title.
2000 4-PEAT Sacramento had an
unprecedented four-peat, winning
the title from 1997 to 2000.
ANDY IS A HIT A 17-year-old Andy
Roddick breaks onto the pro scene and
makes his WTT debut playing a full season
for the Idaho Sneakers.
2002
AMBASSADOR
AGASSI
Andre Agassi
joined WTT as a
player and
League
ambassador.
april 6-12, 2015
world’s leading generics and
specialty pharmaceutical companies,
and World TeamTennis announced a
three-year agreement whereby Mylan will
serve as the title sponsor of WTT, which
was renamed Mylan World TeamTennis
beginning in 2013. Andy Roddick and
Venus Williams join the World TeamTennis
ownership group in May 2013.
2009 NAVRATILOVA TURNS 20 Martina
Navratilova, playing for the Boston
Lobsters in 2009, becomes first player to
play 20 seasons in WTT. Kim Clijsters
comes out of retirement and makes her
WTT debut for St. Louis
in July 2009. Less
than two months
later, she
returns to the
pro tour and
stuns the
sports world
by winning
the US Open
title.
2014 ESPN PARTNERSHIP League signs
4-year deal to broadcast over 60
matches on ESPN3
and the Finals live
on ESPN2.
• In 2013, the
Kastles
became the
first league
champion to
be invited to
the White
House to meet
with the
President.
• Washington also rewrote the sports
record books during the 2013 season
by setting the mark of 34 consecutive
wins (2011-2013), the longest streak in
major pro sports league history. The
previous mark of 33 consecutive wins
was held by the NBA’s 1971-72 Lakers.
• In 2014, the Kastles tied the league
record of four consecutive
championship titles.
2015 ELITE
COMPANY Mylan
World TeamTennis becomes
only the 5th major
professional U.S. sports
league to reach the 40th
season milestone, joining
the NBA, NHL, NFL and MLB.
The 2015 season begins
July 12 and concludes
with the Mylan WTT Finals
on August 2.
❘
11A
Mylan is proud to
partner with
World TeamTennis
on overcoming
barriers to access.
From setting new standards
in health care as we provide
7 billion people access to high
quality medicine to helping
kids and adults participate in
athletics, our complementary
access-focused missions
make us strong partners.
Congratulations on
40 great seasons
of giving back to the
sport of tennis.
At Mylan, we are committed to setting new standards in
health care. Working together around the world to provide
7 billion people access to high quality medicine.
@MylanNews
@MylanCareers
Mylan.com
Mylan_WTT_fullpage_FINAL_3.2015.indd 1
12A
3/26/15 2:41 PM
❘
april 6-12, 2015

Mylan World Team Tennis

Transcription

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