2009-03-18: Top-class tennis comes to Soweto in April
Johannesburg will, next month, host a new event on the international tennis calendar. The Soweto Open will be held at the Arthur Ashe tennis complex in Jabavu from 13 April to 3 May.
Making the announcement, Clr Amos Masondo, the Executive Mayor of Johannesburg, said the event will help to promote the city as a cultural and sporting destination of choice and support the development of tennis.
The men's tournament will be held from 13 to 19 April and the women's tournament from 27 April to 3 May. In both competitions there will be 32 professional players from across the world. The tournament will also receive global television coverage reaching an estimated audience of 20 million.
The City has been awarded the rights to host the tournament by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and also has the support of the South African Tennis Association.
Mayor Masondo said Johannesburg takes pride in hosting a sporting event of this magnitude. "This is an investment that will provide a platform for us to introduce the youth to tennis as a sporting code."
It is also the first tournament of its kind to be hosted in a historically disadvantaged community. It will promote Soweto as a place not only where people come from but as a geographic location of interest, Mayor Masondo said.
The visiting tennis professionals will also conduct coaching clinics targeting 140 children across the city. This will be an opportunity to identify and nurture talent and introduce young players to the world of professional tennis.
Johannesburg has become an important venue for international sporting competitions. In recent years it has successfully hosted the Rugby World Cup, the Cricket World Cup, the All-Africa Games, world and continental competitions in a number of sporting codes and, earlier this year, the A1 Grand Prix. The Joburg Open is a fixture as the first event on the annual European golfing tour.
In three month's time Johannesburg will be a major host of the Confederations Cup and a year later the first ball of the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup will be kicked at the new, revamped, Soccer City.
Ends
Issued on behalf of the Executive Mayor Cllr Amos Masondo
