WTA Malaysia Tennis Classic 2010

The country is set to host another exciting affair - the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Malaysia Tennis Classic 2010 come Feb 22 - 28, 2010.

Lawn Tennis Association of Malaysia (LTAM) president Datuk Abdul Razak Latiff said it was an honor for LTAM to host the biggest women's sporting event in the country and the fixed income received in the form of Saction Fees will enable the national body to organise more ITF senior and junior tournaments.

"This in turn, we hope, translates into various forms of benefits for Malaysia, as well as creates a revenue stream for other industries directly or indirectly involved in the tournaments," Abdul Razak said in his speech during the launch at Bukit Kiara earlier today.

The women's tennis program that is being developed will aim to:

• provide grassroots elements to encourage children to take up healthy activities via sport which in turn also broadens the talent pool in women's tennis.
• assisting current players to become more competitive
• provide direct opportunities for Malaysian players to compete in the pinnacle of women's tennis - the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour.

The 4 components of the development program consists of

1. the 'Road to the Malaysian Tennis Classic', whereby there will be a national qualifying tournament for ONE Malaysian player to gain direct entry to the Main Draw of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Event and the opportunity to play at a world class tournament in front of the home crowd.
2. Player Support Program - 2 promising juniors will be identified by LTAM and be sent to a series of regional junior tennis tournaments in order to gain additional valuable international experience.
3. Player Training Program - tennis clinics with foreign coaches to assist in the training to improve their game and he development of the local players, plus assist identifying our stars of the future.
4. A Grassroots Program - a detailed youth development program during the Event to give young players an insider's look at a world class WTA Tour event, coaching, and inspire them to reach the highest level of this sport.

LTAM also expressed its thanks to Sports Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek, the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, Bukit Kiara Equestrian & Country Club and Carbon Media Management Sdn Bhd for securing the international event for Malaysia.