Atlanta Tennis Championships Selects United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta as Official Charity of 2011 and 2012 Events united way and atlanta tennis championships join forces in unique partnership to benefit both organizations atlanta, May 31

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Atlanta Tennis Championships Selects United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta as Official Charity of 2011 and 2012 Events

UNITED WAY AND ATLANTA TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS JOIN FORCES IN UNIQUE PARTNERSHIP TO BENEFIT BOTH ORGANIZATIONS

ATLANTA, May 31, 2011 – The Atlanta Tennis Championships, the ATP World Tour event that will open the Olympus US Open Series, announced today that United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta is the official primary charity for the 2011 and 2012 Atlanta Tennis Championships. The two-year partnership goal is to create additional opportunities for fundraising, awareness and community engagement for both the United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta and the Atlanta Tennis Championships. The 2011 Atlanta Tennis Championships will be played at the Racquet Club of the South in Norcross, Ga., July 18-24.

The Atlanta Tennis Championships also announced a “Summer of Love” promotion. Whenever a player wins a love set (a score of 6-0), the ATC will make a $500 donation to the United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta. In addition, the two organizations are working together to sell corporate partnerships to the Atlanta Tennis Championships with a committed portion of partnership fees going to the United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta.

For more than a century, United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta has continued to mobilize people in our community to help tackle the issues that are too big for anyone to solve alone. What makes United Way unique is how it helps our community work together to make lasting impact on tough community problems that take all of us to solve. United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta invests in the areas of education, income, health and ending chronic homelessness. To find or give help, dial 2-1-1 or visit us online at unitedwayatlanta.org.

The Atlanta Tennis Championships, an ATP World Tour event, will be played at the Racquet Club of the South, in Norcross, Ga., from July 18-24. American and World top 20 player Mardy Fish won the inaugural tournament in 2010, defeating the likes of fellow Americans Andy Roddick and John Isner en route to the title. More than 41,000 spectators attended the event that offered $600,000 in prize money. For more information about the Atlanta Tennis Championships and tickets, call 866-840-8822, e-mail tickets@atlantatennischampionships.com or visit www.atlantatennischampionships.com.

The Olympus US Open Series has established itself as a true regular season of hard court tennis, linking 10 summer tournaments to the US Open. Fans follow the action throughout the summer through national television coverage, culminating each week with back-to-back men’s and women’s finals on Sunday afternoon. Players battle for $40 million, including a chance for bonus prize money at the US Open. In 2008, Olympus became the first title sponsor of the Series. The Olympus US Open Series is also supported by sponsors American Express and Evian. Andy Murray won the 2010 Olympus US Open Series men’s title and Caroline Wozniacki won the women’s title. In 2007, Roger Federer collected the biggest paycheck in tennis history – $2.4 million – for winning the US Open and the Olympus US Open Series. In 2005, Kim Clijsters also captured both the US Open and the Series, winning $2.2 million – the largest purse in women’s sports history – and again equaled that amount in 2010, winning the US Open and finishing the Olympus US Open Series in second place. Visit www.usopenseries.com.

The ATP is the governing body of the men's professional tennis circuits - the ATP World Tour, the ATP Challenger Tour and the ATP Champions Tour. With 62 tournaments in 32 countries, the ATP World Tour showcases the finest male athletes competing in the world’s most exciting venues. From Australia to Europe and the Americas to Asia, the stars of the ATP World Tour battle for prestigious titles and South African Airways 2011 ATP Rankings points at Grand Slams (non ATP events), ATP World Tour Masters 1000, ATP World Tour 500 and ATP World Tour 250 events. At the end of the season only the world’s top 8 ranked men’s singles players and top 8 doubles teams, based on their performance throughout the year, will qualify to compete for the last title of the season at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. Held at The O2 in London, the event will officially crown the 2011 ATP World Tour No.1 in singles and doubles. For more information, please visit www.ATPWorldTour.com.

The USTA is divided into 17 sections, of which USTA Southern is the largest. The 187,000+ USTA members living in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee make up USTA Southern, and account for approximately 25 percent of the total USTA membership. The section owns and operates the Atlanta Tennis Championships, an ATP World Tour 250 tournament. A professional staff housed in Norcross, Ga., carries out USTA Southern’s daily operations, but policy is formed and much of the organization’s work is executed via a board and committee structure of over 200 volunteers. For more information about the types of programs and services offered by USTA Southern, visit www.southerntennis.com.