New York, NY (August 22, 2012) - New York area tennis fans are in for another great night of tennis  with some of the world’s top players scheduled to appear for the sixth annual BNP Paribas Showdown at Madison Square Garden on Monday, March 4, 2013.   World No. 1, Victoria Azarenka, the reigning Australian Open champion and Olympic Bronze Medalist, will get the night started against Wimbledon champion and Olympic Gold medalist, Serena Williams. Following the women will be Argentine Davis Cup star, 2009 US Open champion and Olympic Bronze Medalist, Juan Martin del Potro stepping onto The Garden court against one of the game’s all-time greats, former World No. 1 and eleven time Grand Slam champion, Rafael Nadal.  

Reduced budgets, smaller, overworked staff and shortened hours of operation press Parks & Recreation Departments into exploring various methods to make ends meet. When it comes to tennis, though, developing relationships with local Community Tennis Associations can help a rec department save money, increase programming, fill their tennis courts, and open the doors for grants and scholarships.

The Tennis Industry Association continues to work closely with manufacturers, in conjunction with the USTA, to create a National Youth Tennis Retail Promotion, which helps educate both consumers and retailers in all channels on age-appropriate youth tennis equipment that consumers should be purchasing for their young players.

Earlier this year, the TIA released updates of two key reports – “State of the Tennis Industry 2012” and an updated “TIA Strategic Overview” – that look at trends and research in the industry and identify and describe the TIA’s four top-level strategies for industry growth.

The TIA has been very active in its efforts to promote tennis retail and help tennis shops bring in more business. Among the initiatives is coordinating a National Youth Tennis Retail Promotion in conjunction with the USTA and manufacturers, and retailers to help educate the marketplace on the new age-appropriate equipment standards for tennis.

CareersInTennis.com, a free service for job-seekers and employers and the industry’s largest tennis-only employment resource, continues to grow in both numbers of job openings listed and registered job-seekers. The website, managed by the Tennis Industry Association, is now on Twitter and Facebook with links to the latest job postings as well as to helpful resume and career tips.

Tennis coaching legend Nick Bollettieri will be inducted into the Tennis Industry Hall of Fame on Aug. 24 at the Grand Hyatt New York. Bollettieri, one of the world’s most famous coaches, will be honored for his significant impact on tennis.

As the world’s best players gather in New York for the US Open, so too are industry leaders gathering for a series of meeting and events involving all areas of the sport with discussions focused on future growth for the tennis industry. Among some of the key meetings scheduled are the TIA Tennis Forum at the Tennis Show, TIA Board Meeting, along with separate dedicated meetings for TIA manufacturers and others to focus on youth tennis developments and updates with the USTA and the ITF.

Playtennis.com, which relaunched to consumers last month, is helping all types of players—whether current, new to the game, or returning to tennis—find everything they need to know about playing the “sport for a lifetime.” PlayTennis.com was developed through a cooperative industry effort and conveys a simple, unified message to get more people out on the courts more frequently.

On August 24, the tennis industry is set to gather for a one-day celebration of the sport at The Tennis Show 2012 in New York City's Grand Hyatt hotel. Nearly 40 tennis industry organizations, manufacturers, and businesses will be on hand to display their latest products and services in the exhibitor area, and they’ve donated more than $20,000 worth of prizes to be given away to those in attendance.