Larry Ellison, the co-founder, executive chairman and chief technology officer of software giant Oracle, has been named “Person of the Year” for 2018 by Tennis Industry magazine in the publication’s January 2019 issue. Ellison led off the magazine’s 18th annual “Champions of Tennis Awards,” which honors people, businesses and organizations dedicated to improving the sport and business of tennis.

 Three finalists have been chosen to present at the fourth Tennis Industry Innovation Challenge, which will be held on Thursday, Jan. 24, during the Racquet & Paddle Sports Conference in Orlando, Fla. AccuTennis, PlayTennisConnect and SPARC–Virtual Tennis will present five-minute pitches about their new product or service to a panel of judges—and in front of an audience of tennis and racquet sports industry leaders—in a “Shark Tank”-like competition to determine a winner.

A consortium led by China's Anta Sports made an offer to acquire Finland's Amer Sports in a deal that values the company at 4.6 billion euros (US$5.23 billion), the Chinese firm said on Friday. According to Reurters, the consortium, which includes Chinese tech giant Tencent Holdings Ltd , has offered 40 euros per share in cash for the maker of Wilson tennis racquets and branded outdoor gear.

The sixth annual Tennis Owners & Managers (TOM) Conference will take place Jan. 23-25 at the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) in Orlando, Fla. The expanded event includes an added focus on facilities, innovation and technology and is part of the inaugural Racquet & Paddle Sports Conference (RAPS).

For the Show Preview area at the inaugural Racquet & Paddle Sports Conference in Orlando’s Orange County Convention Center, two temporary courts are planned on which attendees will be able to play various court sports and try out new equipment. The conference will be Jan. 23-25.

January’s Racquet & Paddle Sports Conference (RPSC) in Orlando will include an Innovation & Technology Demo Day and Welcome Party at the USTA National Campus. The conference will open on Wednesday morning, Jan. 23, at the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC), but in the afternoon, the action moves to the state-of-the-art USTA National Campus in Lake Nona.

Do you have a new, innovative sports product or service? Enter it into the fourth Tennis Industry Innovation Challenge, which showcases new products and services designed to grow the sport and business of tennis and racquet sports with players, consumers and fans.

The inaugural Racquet & Paddle Sports Conference (RPSC) Jan. 23-25 in Orlando, Fla., will break new ground in this industry in a number of ways.

The ATP and Tennis Australia today officially unveiled the ATP Cup - a new team competition to kickstart the men’s tennis season from 2020. The tournament, which was announced during the Nitto ATP Finals in London, will be played across three Australian cities over ten days in the lead up to the Australian Open and will feature teams from 24 countries.

Professional Tennis Registry (PTR) will host its premier coach education event - the PTR International Tennis Symposium - February 12-15, on Hilton Head Island, S.C.