Net Assets, operators of the Nuveen Men's Senior Tennis
Tour, has formed an alliance with IMG and the ATP Tour for a
unified worldwide circuit. This represents, for the first time,
a coordinated presentation of senior tennis worldwide. The tour
will consist of the Nuveen Tour in North America, the ATP Senior
Tour of Champions in Europe and the Champions Tour on other
continents. It will be sanctioned by the ATP Tour and consist of
22 events, with a points system leading to the season-ending
Nuveen Masters in Naples, FL in March. The tour will be operated
outside of Europe by Net Assets, which was founded by RHB Chair
Ray Benton and Jimmy Connors. IMG and the ATP Tour will organize
European events. Connors: "Combining all our resources is the
best way to make this circuit the strong international attraction
its deserves to be." Benton called it the "logical extension of
our building process of the past three years" (ATP Tour). In
announcing the venture, ATP Tour CEO Mark Miles said "in many
markets, senior tennis can surpass the popularity of senior
golf," but that "certainly, in some markets, that will be a
challenge." Benton said the format would remain players 35- and-
over, with draws consisting of eight, 12 or 16 players. Marquee
players will play between 10-15 of the 22 events (THE DAILY). In
DC, Josh Young: "With the tour going global, senior tennis is
poised to become as important and interesting as its golf
counterpart" (WASHINGTON TIMES, 10/15).
