The first half of this upcoming year will see thousands of players competing for millions in prize money
(Palo Alto, Calif.) - Universal Tennis has announced the release of the first six months of the 2022 UTR Pro Tennis Tour calendar for the Americas, Europe, and the Middle East. The initial first half 2022 schedule features more than 63 events, and additional events in Asia/Pacific will be announced soon.
“The UTR Pro Tennis Tour has made an innovative and immediate impact on the pro tennis landscape, and we are so excited to continue that momentum into 2022,” said Mark Leschly, Chairman and CEO of Universal Tennis. “We have established a strong foundation for the tour, expanding into new locations and providing aspiring professional players a fantastic way to earn money and improve their game.”
The UTR Pro Tennis Tour launched in January 2021 with a three-year investment of $20 million (USD) to provide players with valuable guaranteed matches and prize money. Every UTR PTT event has a minimum $25K financial commitment with at least $20K offered in prize money. By year’s end, the tour will have reached 15 countries, offered 10K competitive, level-based matches and over $3.5 million in prize money. The PTT format is unlike any other, with every event offering its competitors 3-6 guaranteed matches.
The first six months of 2022 will bring the total PTT prize money to more than $5M. Host countries will include Australia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Mexico, the Netherlands, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, United Arab Emirates, The Bahamas, and the United States. The tour will kick off 2022 in Dubai with two events offering $30K in prize money plus hospitality.
The tour continues to deliver value to aspiring pro players in the 200-2,000 PTT ranking range by providing a way to boost their earnings and offer matches to improve their game. Many PTT players have also competed at the Grand Slam level, including breakout star Jenson Brooksby, teenagers Katie Volynets and Ben Shelton, six-time PTT champion Li Tu, Victoria Duval, Marc Polmans, and Hanna Chang.
“Tennis is my job,” PTT champion Mexican professional Marcela Zacarias said. “I do care about (WTA) points, but I also want to win money. I want to invest in my career, but I don’t want to lose money going to ITFs. This year it’s been really important to play on the UTR PTT.” Zacarias, who has a UTR Rating of 11.44 and is ranked #353, has won nine titles earning more than $34,000 in prize money.
####
About UTR Pro Tennis Tour (PTT)
The UTR Pro Tennis Tour officially began on January 1, 2021, with a three-year commitment of over $20M to support tennis globally with prize money, venue support, technology, logistics, and competitive play opportunities. Universal Tennis is the owner and organizing body of the UTR Pro Tennis Tour (PTT), with responsibility for its Rules and Regulations, Code of Conduct, Tournament Format and related streaming and commercial rights. The UTR Pro Tennis Tour was started to create a development tour. With fewer events and substantially reduced prize money, aspiring professional players were increasingly struggling in the pursuit of their dreams. Working with host venues and national Federations, Universal Tennis provides additive and complementary opportunities to help emerging players and the broader tennis community.
About Universal Tennis
The mission of Universal Tennis is to connect and grow the sport with innovative events and a global digital marketplace centered around level-based play. The Universal Tennis Engagement Platform is anchored by the UTR Rating, the world’s most accurate singles and doubles tennis rating system. Universal Tennis provides the tools and solutions to make the UTR Rating relevant and valuable to players, coaches, and organizers in their local tennis communities. Universal Tennis is creating opportunities and pathways for players from all over the world, in all stages of life, to find better matches and unlock a more fun and flexible tennis experience. Go to UniversalTennis.com to sign up, activate your player profile and join the global tennis community. Watch our video and connect on social @UniversalTennis to learn more.
Media Contacts Universal Tennis:
Ben Makarenko: bmakarenko@universaltennis.com
Nina Pantic: npantic@universaltennis.com