Comes to New Haven to Lead Pilot Pen Tennis Free Lesson For 300 New Haven Third – Fifth Graders
American ATP World Tour professional Taylor Dent has been granted a wildcard for Pilot Pen Tennis presented by Schick, an Olympus US Open Series event on the ATP and Sony Ericsson WTA Tour to be held August 21-29, 2009 at the Connecticut Tennis Center at Yale, it was announced today by Anne Worcester, tournament director.
Dent, who will be making his first appearance at the Pilot Pen this summer, joins fellow American and back-to-back Pilot Pen finalist Mardy Fish and World No. 17 Tommy Robredo as players already committed to the tournament. He came to New Haven today to lead the seventh annual Pilot Pen Tennis Free Lesson, in which, he, USTA New England and local teaching pros offered approximately 300 third – fifth grade New Haven elementary school students an introduction to the game of tennis through a new format of play, QuickStart Tennis. The program appropriately scales down all aspects of regulation tennis—including equipment, balls, court dimensions, and scoring—so that the game becomes specifically tailored to their age and size.
A key part of the strategy is that at the end of the clinic, all participants were encouraged to sign up for affordable tennis lessons offered this summer – and year-round – by the New Haven Parks & Rec.
“We are delighted to add Taylor to the Pilot Pen field, and thankful that he could take time out of his busy schedule to lead the Pilot Pen Tennis Free Lesson for New Haven school kids,” said Worcester. “His comeback story and ability to prevail through tough times is a great message for the kids here today. This is just another one of the ways that the Pilot Pen uses the excitement of professional tennis to inspire kids to play tennis at the community level.”
The Southern California native was once a rising star on the global circuit who had won four tournaments and reached a career-high ranking of No. 21 in the world, but by 2006 his worsening back injuries forced him to have surgery. The surgery left him in a body cast, on his back, for 23 hours a day, for eight months. When that surgery was unsuccessful, and a second surgery loomed to simply offer him the opportunity for a pain free life, playing tennis again seemed unlikely. However, after a successful spinal fusion surgery, Dent’s doctors were optimistic that he may be able to slowly return to the court. Dent embarked on his comeback in the summer of 2008 at the USTA Challenger event in Carson, California. He lost in the first round, but for the first time in years he was pain-free. His comeback has continued to gather steam and just over a month ago he reached the fourth round of the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, falling to former World No. 1 and 13-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer.
Previous pros leading the Pilot Pen Tennis Free Lesson include 6’ 9” American John Isner, Connecticut native Thomas Blake, US Davis Cup coach Patrick McEnroe, former US Olympic coach and current Fed Cup coach Zina Garrison and Sony Ericsson WTA Tour professionals Mashona Washington and Alexandra Stevenson.
“We love partnering with Pilot Pen Tennis to help organize this unique community event,” said Jeff Waters, USTA New England Executive Director. “The Pilot Pen Tennis Free Lesson is a great example of how professional tennis can connect with grassroots tennis to provide people with greater access to and more opportunities to get involved in the game.”
For more information about the Pilot Pen Tennis Free Lesson, the tournament, tickets or how to become a volunteer, please call the Pilot Pen Tennis Box Office, 888/99-PILOT, 203/776-7331, or log on to www.pilotpentennis.com.
About Pilot Pen Tennis presented by Schick
Pilot Pen Tennis presented by Schick, an Olympus US Open Series event on the ATP World Tour and Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, will be held August 21-29, 2009 at the Connecticut Tennis Center at Yale and feature a number of international tennis stars. The 2008 Pilot Pen, whose champions are Caroline Wozniacki and Marin Cilic, drew more than 81,000 spectators and was televised nationally for 16 hours on ESPN2 and CBS Sports. An economic impact study conducted in 2008 showed that the event generated an estimated total gross economic impact on the New Haven regional economy of more than $26 million.
About the Olympus US Open Series
The Olympus US Open Series brings together the 10 summer tournaments in North America, three television networks, tennis’ sanctioning bodies and top corporate sponsors during the summer tennis season. In 2008 the Series continued its enhancements to the sport, including more national TV hours, live back-to-back Finals every weekend, bonus prize money at the US Open, and a significant national marketing campaign.
About USTA New England
USTA New England, one of 17 regional sections across the country that comprise the United States Tennis Association (USTA), is a not-for-profit organization committed to promoting and developing the growth of tennis and increasing participation in the sport in New England by offering quality recreational and competitive programs for people of all ages and abilities. Founded in 1927 as the New England Lawn Tennis Association, USTA New England boasts nearly 31,000 individual members, 650 organizational members, 500 volunteers, and a professional staff of 20. For more information, log on to www.ustanewengland.com.
