Professional Tennis is Back in Winnipeg

This August, Winnipeg will host its first professional men’s tennis tournament since the 1999 Pan Am Games. The International Tennis Federation (ITF) Pro Circuit will be making a stop in the Manitoba capital for the Manshield Tennis Futures tournament. The inaugural event, which offers a $15,000 USD purse along with valuable ATP tour points, is attracting players from around the world.

Tournament director, George Kylar, says “a key component to the tournament is the opportunity for aspiring local players to obtain valuable ATP points” as the tournament will also stage a pre-qualifying event which will allow a few Manitobans to compete in the main draw.

The professional men’s tour has three levels: the top level, more commonly known as the ATP Tour where the likes of Federer, Djokovic and Nadal play. Below that is the Challenger circuit where it is common for players ranked 75 - 150 on the ATP tour to participate. The entry level for professional tennis is the Futures Circuit. This is where practically each player in the World top 100 started their careers.

Many events have been scheduled during this tournament including a Pro-Am event, a kids’ day and a few celebrity matches. “We’re providing a unique event and an opportunity to experience world class tennis in our great city” say tournament chairman, Mark Arndt who adds “there have been exciting developments in Winnipeg recently. Hopefully bringing in an event with such international flavour will add to the vibe”.

Admission is free throughout the 8 day event which runs August 19th – 26th at Sargent Park Tennis Garden.

Check out the tournament website for updates: www.manshieldtennis.com and follow the tournament on Facebook and Twitter. If you’d like more information contact tournament director, George Kylar at gktennis1@hotmail.com or tournament chairman, Mark Arndt at mark@outfitters.ca.