WTA to Launch New Grass Court Event in Mallorca

The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Board of Directors has approved a new grass court International event in Mallorca, Spain starting in 2016.

The 32-player main draw International event will be staged by e|motionmanagement GmbH at a multi-purpose-built facility, sports complex in Mallorca, Spain. In 2016, Mallorca will join Birmingham in the second week of the three-week swing, resulting in five WTA grass court events in the lead-up to The Championships, Wimbledon.  An experienced sports and events promoter in Germany, e|motion currently manages the ATP 250 event in Stuttgart, including when the event becomes a grass court tournament in Stuttgart beginning in 2015.

The sports complex in Mallorca will feature five permanent natural grass courts and world class facilities, including a retail development and a tennis academy. The construction and maintenance of the grass courts will be done in collaboration with The All England Lawn Tennis Club, which has been a prime supporter in the project.

Beginning in 2015, the international professional tennis calendar will provide for a three-week grass court swing between the second Grand Slam event of the year, played on red clay at Roland Garros in Paris and The Championships, staged on the lawns of the All England Club in southwest London. The three weeks of grass-court events will be composed of two International level events in the first week in Nottingham, England and in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands, which moves earlier from its traditional timing. The Aegon Classic in Birmingham follows in the second week, with the Aegon International at Eastbourne Premier event in the third week, before the attention of the tennis world settles on Wimbledon.

Stacey Allaster, WTA Chairman & CEO said: “With the grass court season set to expand next year, it was important for the WTA to provide players and fans alike with a fresh opportunity to experience the expanded grass court tennis season. Thanks to the cooperation of The All England Lawn Tennis Club, the WTA Board of Directors and e|motion management, the event in Mallorca will strengthen the grass court season leading up to Wimbledon.”

Edwin Weindorfer,  CEO and Founder of e|motion management said:  “We are very excited about the great opportunity to join the WTA with a new tournament in Mallorca, Spain. Besides thanking the WTA and their board for their trust and committment to provide us with the licence and sanction of this new event, we wanted  to further thank The All England Lawn Tennis Club for their ongoing support and vision for another grasscourt tournament in continental Europe.”