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Universal Tennis has invested more than $20 million to create more than 450 tournaments around the globe. The UTR Pro Tennis Tour’s innovative format and guaranteed $25,000 in financial commitment per event allow players with a UTR Rank of 200-2000 another opportunity to play more matches and earn more money – creating a viable pathway to the top levels of the sport.
The 2021 Australian Open showcased many of the elite athletes who competed in UTR Pro Tennis Tour tournaments within the last twelve months. From Grand Slam winners to aspiring champions playing in their first major, the players recognized the opportunity the UTR Pro Tennis Tour provided, both in terms of notching valuable match play as well as pocketing a significant amount of money to help fund their continuation of their careers.
“This is what it’s all about. The UTR Pro Tennis Tour provides a pathway for players to jump-start their careers and earn valuable matchplay and prize money. Even in the beginning stages of this $20 million initiative, we have seen instant successes in players like Li Tu, Aslan Karatsev and Olivia Gadecki. We can’t wait to see who else shines on the UTR Pro Tennis Tour and beyond.” - Universal Tennis Chairman and CEO Mark Leschly
In all, sixty-two of our players were represented at the Australian Open, including thirty athletes in the AO main draw. 2011 US Open Champion Samantha Stosur, former ATP World No.10 Pablo Carreno Busta, top Americans Danielle Collins and Alison Riske, and eventual 2021 Australian Open semi-finalist Aslan Karatsev all saw the immense value the UTR Pro Tennis Tour provided them. Even more so, players looking to jump start their careers have ridden the UTR Pro Tennis Tour to success at the pro level.
Li Tu
A year ago, Li Tu was a coach – he had aspirations as a junior to play at the upper echelons of the sport but left the competitive game at a young age due to the pressure of his own expectations. Hearing about the implementation of the UTR Pro Tennis Tour in Australia last summer, he regained the desire to compete. He won 34 of 36 matches he played and turned the heads of the powers that be at Tennis Australia – ultimately earning wildcards into his first ATP tournament and the Australian Open. In both events, he lost incredibly competitive matches against tour veterans and will use this confidence to continue to build his career on the circuit.
Olivia Gadecki
18-year-old Olivia Gadecki was one of the standout players in the 2020 UTR Pro Tennis Tour, winning a total of 22 matches in Pool A (the top tier) and recording a 15-match win streak between August and November. Despite having no WTA ranking entering 2021, she was awarded a wildcard into Australian Open qualifying, winning her first round match. From there, she was given another into the Phillip Island Trophy, where she won her first tour-level match over Destanee Aiava and followed it up with a victory over World No.4 Sofia Kenin. The matchplay from her participation in last year’s UTR Pro Tennis Tour events surely helped build confidence and hone her game for success against the world’s best.