The Sanex WTA Tour announced today that it has selected Saddlebrook Resort in Wesley Chapel, Florida (Pasco County) as the site of its new corporate headquarters. The Tour currently has two offices in North America — Stamford, Connecticut and St. Petersburg, Florida — which will both relocate to the new facility in 2002.
The selection followed agreement among the Tour, Saddlebrook and Pasco County upon the provisions of a long-term arrangement. Specifics of the agreement were not disclosed pending the drafting of a definitive contract.
‘We are delighted to locate our corporate headquarters at Saddlebrook Resort,’ said Bart McGuire, CEO, Sanex WTA Tour. ‘Saddlebrook is one of the world’s leading tennis training facilities, an outstanding venue for corporate meetings and entertainment, and the home to many of our top players.
‘We received a number of very strong proposals, but Saddlebrook offered a particularly well-rounded package that will bring significant benefits to the Tour and its staff. Consolidating our North American offices at Saddlebrook will benefit all of our constituencies, and will enable us to conduct business in a better-managed, more productive and more cost-effective manner.’
The search for a new location was conducted over a five-month period by Tour COO Josh Ripple and McGuire. The search generated a number of offers designed to provide the Sanex WTA Tour with corporate meeting and entertainment facilities, proximity to many of the top players, substantial financial benefits, access to a major international airport, location in a growing metropolitan market, and an enhanced quality of life for the Tour’s employees. The search was focused primarily upon the southeastern portion of the United States.
‘This is a very important development for the Tampa Bay area and especially Pasco County – the new home of the Sanex WTA Tour,’ said Saddlebrook Resort owner Tom Dempsey. ‘The arrival of the Sanex WTA Tour will enhance Saddlebrook’s presence in the tennis world. Many Tour players, tournament directors, corporate sponsors and tennis executives will now travel to the Tour’s new Corporate Headquarters for business meetings, seminars and training.
‘Several of the Tour’s top players already reside and train at Saddlebrook; most notably World #1 Martina Hingis, World #4 Jennifer Capriati, Elena Dementieva, Jelena Dokic and Ai Sugiyama, World #1 in women’s doubles.
‘This is also a major boost for the proposed Pasco National Tennis Center,’ added Dempsey. ‘I feel that the support we received from Pasco County was an important factor in the relocation decision,’ added Dempsey.
The Saddlebrook Resort is a 480-acre, four-star resort located 12 miles north of the city of Tampa. It features 45 tennis courts including all four Grand Slam surfaces; a world-class fitness center and spa; two Arnold Palmer-designed golf courses; the Harry Hopman Tennis Academy and the Arnold Palmer Golf Academy; 800 deluxe guest rooms and suites; and four distinctively different restaurants. It is home to a number of the Tour’s top-ranked players and rising stars. Many other Tour players use Saddlebrook as a training facility.
‘Saddlebrook is a great resort with great facilities,’ said World #4 Jennifer Capriati. ‘The partnership between the Sanex WTA Tour and Saddlebrook will be a win-win situation and an exciting addition to Pasco County.’
The Sanex WTA Tour is the world’s premier professional sport for women. This year, more than 1,000 players representing 76 nations are competing for over $50 million in prize money at the Tour’s 64 events in 33 countries. The season concludes with the Sanex Championships at the Olympiahalle in Munich, Germany during the week of October 30-November 4, 2001.
Sanex WTA Tour events are viewed on television across the globe, reaching hundreds of millions of households, and are immensely popular in person, attracting more than four million spectators in 2000.
For further information, please contact:
WTA Media Office
Telephone: 1-203-978-1740
www.sanexwta.com