The deadline is Nov. 30 to apply for the fourth Tennis Industry Innovation Challenge,” which will showcase some of the most brilliant new and innovative sports products and services designed to grow the sport and business of tennis and racquet sports with players, consumers and fans.

A recent article by Erica Pearson in the Star Tribune newspaper in Minneapolis shows how local tennis players are using tennis to stay fit and healthy, and to build their social network—all against the backdrop of an international study that found that playing tennis may well create the biggest gain in life expectancy compared to other sports.

Tennis Media Management, a digital marketing agency focused on the tennis industry, has joined the Tennis Industry Association (TIA) as a new Supporting Partner.

A high-powered panel of judges will consider the entries in the fourth “Tennis Industry Innovation Challenge,” which promises to showcase some of the most brilliant new and innovative sports products and services designed to grow the sport and business of tennis and racquet sports with players, consumers and fans. Presented by the Tennis Industry Association (TIA), this unique competition will take place on Jan. 24, 2019, during the inaugural Racquet & Paddle Sports Conference (racquetpaddlesportsshow.com).

The TIA is pleased to welcome new and renewing TIA members at various partner levels and access to research, member benefits and services. For more on TIA membership levels, visit TennisIndustry.org/membership, and for more on joining the Cardio Tennis Instructors Network (CTIN), which includes a TIA Industry Partner benefits, please visit CardioTennis.com.

Tennis Channel and the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) have reached a five-year agreement that will make the network the U.S. television and digital media home of the WTA, beginning in January 2019. Running from the first week of January through late October's annual tour championships, the partnership includes Premier and International tournaments as well as the WTA Finals - representing more than 2,000 matches each season.

Larry Ellison, the executive chairman and chief technology officer of Oracle, has become an investor and partner with Universal Tennis.

Over the three weeks of the 2018 US Open, including Fan Week and the two weeks of the Main Draw, more than 800,000 people were on the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. 

PTR CEO Dan Santorum received the National Public Parks Tennis Association (NPPTA) Jean and Hollis Smith Lifetime Achievement Award, which was presented in New York in September. The annual award recognizes an individual who has been an outstanding advocate, and who has promoted the NPPTA across the country.

The 2018 USA Pickleball National Championships—expected to draw approximately 2,500 players of all ages and skill levels—will be held at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden Nov. 3-11, in partnership with sports and entertainment management company Desert Champions and the U.S.A. Pickleball Association (USAPA). Lifestyle brand Margaritaville is the title sponsor of the USAPA sanctioned event.