Yes, We’re Ready! Phased Reopening of Pro Tennis Begins With Universal Tennis Match Series Next Week on Tennis Channel

UNIVERSAL TENNIS AND TENNIS CHANNEL PARTNER TO BRING PROFESSIONAL TENNIS BACK WITH THE UTR PRO MATCH SERIES FEATURING TOP ATP & WTA PLAYERS

May 1, 2020 (Palo Alto, CA) – Universal Tennis today announced the UTR Pro Match Series presented by Tennis Channel featuring top ATP and WTA players in tournament play. The UTR Pro Match Series presented by Tennis Channel will be broadcast live on Tennis Channel and will be the first top tier professional tennis events televised internationally since the global health crisis put a halt to tennis in March.

For fans like you and I, this is a godsend. I don’t know about you, but I’ve found myself watching sims play tennis on twitch.tv and, just like the player-controlled “Virtua Mutua” Madrid Open, it doesn’t even compare to the real deal of human competition. The last event I covered was the New York Open in February, and it feels like a year’s gone by since Kyle Edmund hoisted the hardware on Long Island. A big thank you to Universal Tennis and Tennis Channel is in order.

The UTR Pro Match Series showcases a vision for how tennis can be played locally and safely through one-on-one matchplay and counts towards a single global rating and ranking with UTR.

The first event of the series will be held May 8-10 with a four-player men’s round-robin event beginning at 12:00 noon ET each day with 3 hours of live coverage. The line up of competitors is as follows:

Reilly Opelka, 2019 New York Open Finalist (TennisAtlantic.com)

Matteo Berrettini – 2019 US Open Semifinalist, ATP #8, UTR 15.71 (#12)

Reilly Opelka – 3rd ranked American, ATP #39, UTR 15.51 (#25)

Tennys Sandgren – 5th ranked American, ATP #55, UTR 15.32 (#53)

Tommy Paul – 6th ranked American, ATP #57, UTR 15.31 (#58)

Tommy Paul, 2018 Charlottesville Challenger (Photo: TennisAtlantic.com)

A top-tier professional four-player women’s event follows May 22 – 24. The line up of competitors is as follows:

Alison Riske – 4th -ranked American, WTA #19, UTR 13.19 (#14)

Amanda Anisimova – 5th ranked American, WTA #28, UTR 13.04 (#33)

Danielle Collins – 8th ranked American, WTA #51, UTR 13.07 (#28)

Ajla Tomljanović – 2nd ranked Australian, WTA #56, UTR 12.85 (#68)

All matches will be held at a private court in the West Palm Beach, FL, area with no spectators or public access.

“We are excited to bring back the game to tennis fans and give players the opportunity to compete in a safe, competitive environment,” said Mark Leschly, Universal Tennis Chairman & CEO. “The world has changed and we must adapt and innovate. Local, individual and small group play will be the new normal for the foreseeable future. The UTR Pro Match Series showcases how tennis can be played locally, safely and have results count toward the UTR global rating.”

These are the first two events in what will be a continuing US and international series. UTR is partnering with others around the world to deliver UTR Pro Match Series events for players according to local guidelines as restrictions are lifted.

UTR Pro Match Series events are prize money competitions, not exhibitions, and have been reviewed by the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) to ensure strict compliance. Results from all Pro Match Series events will be included in a player’s Universal Tennis Rating (UTR), the most accurate international tennis rating system that provides real-time head-to-head rating comparisons based on performance.

UTR Pro Match Series events will follow enhanced safety precautions, going above and beyond the USTA health and safety guidelines, and implement strict screening, cleaning and social distancing measures for players, officials and staff. There will be no spectators, no handshaking, no ballkids and no line judges. One chair umpire will oversee the match, and the court and facility will be professionally disinfected before and after play. Each player will be provided with their own set of marked balls for use during the match. Players will provide their own drinks and towels, and each player will have their own separate area off the court.

“We’re excited to work with our longtime partners UTR to bring professional tennis and high-quality live sports coverage back to millions of tennis fans in the United States and Europe during this uniquely challenging moment,” said Ken Solomon, president, Tennis Channel.

Tennis Channel, partnering with Ross Mobile Productions, will show all matches live. Emmy Award-winning announcer Brett Haber will call play by play for Tennis Channel from the network’s Los Angeles studio during the event. He will be alongside former NCAA champion and professional tour player Prakash Amritraj. During coverage Friday, May, 8, former world No 1. And US Open champion Andy Roddick will also offer commentary via Skype. The four players competing in the tournament will have headsets and be able to interact with Tennis Channel’s studio during changeovers.