News

*New York, NY (June 17, 2010)— *Beach Tennis USA® (BTUSA), the organization responsible for the sport of beach tennis in North America, today announced a strategic partnership with The International Tennis Federation (ITF), the world governing body of tennis, to expand the global development of the sport of beach tennis. Under the new agreement, BTUSA may propose tournaments for sanction by the ITF as part of the ITF Beach Tennis Tour. All sanctioned tournaments will contribute to the international player ranking system and appear on the ITF’s official tour calendar.

BTUSA, founded by New York City real estate developer Marc Altheim, launched the first pro beach tennis tour in the U.S. in 2005 and has overseen the sport’s steady domestic growth, mostly through grassroots efforts in South Florida, Southern California, Chicago, and Long Island. “Beach Tennis USA has done a great job introducing, developing and promoting beach tennis in the U.S. since 2005 and we look forward to combining our knowledge and resources to further grow this exciting and dynamic sport in North America. With the ITF Beach Tennis Tour now in its third year we are thrilled to welcome the 2010 US National Championships onto the calendar, which will be one of only three tournaments this year to offer players maximum ranking points towards the ITF Beach Tennis World Ranking,” said Jackie Nesbitt, Head of Professional Circuits at the ITF.

“We’re very excited to be aligned with the ITF. The success of beach tennis as a truly global pro and recreational sport rests in our ability to unify the many countries and organizations currently playing, and to standardize the rules of play on an international level,” said Marc Altheim, BTUSA’s Founder and Commissioner. “This partnership with the IFT is one major step in that direction,” added Altheim.

About The International Tennis Federation

The International Tennis Federation is the world governing body of tennis, including beach tennis, and is responsible for the rules of both sports and maintaining the integrity of tennis. In addition to its administrative role, the ITF is the owner and international rights holder of the two largest annual international team competitions in sport, Davis Cup by BNP Paribas and Fed Cup by BNP Paribas. The ITF also organizes the Olympic Tennis Event on behalf of the IOC. Through its Technical Department, the ITF closely monitors both equipment and technology, while its Officiating Department oversees the education and advancement of officials worldwide. The ITF organizes over 900 weeks of men’s and women’s professional tournaments on the ITF Pro Circuit and coordinates the rapidly growing ITF Beach Tennis Tour. Through its Tennis Development Department that oversees the development of tennis worldwide, the ITF manages the ITF Junior Circuit and Team Competitions for elite juniors as well as international tennis events and programs for wheelchair and senior players. The ITF also manages the Tennis Anti-Doping Program on behalf of the sport and is a partner in the Tennis Integrity Unit.