By Sally Milano, USTA.com
Some of the top tennis players in the world are going back to school.
This summer, American players will have the chance to compete at two ITF Pro Circuit Futures tournaments on the campuses of two U.S. colleges – the University of Virginia and Wake Forest University.
Each school will host a $15,000 ITF Circuit tournament in June, with Wake Forest's event taking place June 1-7 at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex in Winston-Salem, N.C., and Virginia's tournament being held June 8-14 at the Sheridan Snyder Tennis Center in Charlottesville, Va.
The tournaments, which will create more opportunities for professional match experience on American college campuses, are being privately funded and will not be a part of the USTA Pro Circuit. As the national governing body for tennis in the U.S., the USTA applied for and secured their official tournament sanction from the International Tennis Federation.
“Having opportunities to play professionally, at all levels, is important to tennis in the United States,” said USTA Player Development General Manager Patrick McEnroe. “It’s exciting that Virginia and Wake Forest are taking the initiative to stage and host these events, and we certainly hope American players take advantage of these opportunities.”