 Photographer: Frank Coppi
Date: 24 Jun 2008 |  Photographer: None / Not Applicable
Date: 24 Jun 2008 |  Photographer: None / Not Applicable
Date: 24 Jun 2008 |  Photographer: None / Not Applicable
Date: 24 Jun 2008 |  Photographer: None / Not Applicable
Date: 19 Mar 2008 |  Photographer: None / Not Applicable
Date: 02 May 2007 |
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| 24 Jun 2008 - Nottingham, Great Britain | |
| Nottingham to host 2009 Invacare World Team Cup |
Nottingham will host the Invacare World Team Cup for the third time in 2009, giving Great Britain the distinction of becoming the first nation outside of the United States to host the International Tennis Federation’s flagship annual wheelchair tennis team event on three occasions.
The official announcement was made on Friday, 20 June at a press conference held during Slazenger Open at the City of Nottingham Tennis Centre, the venue where more than 200 players from in excess of 30 nations will play for national pride from Monday, 27 July – Sunday, 2 August 2009 as one of the world’s premier disability sport team events celebrates its 25th Anniversary. The City of Nottingham Tennis Centre also hosted the event in 1994 and 1997.
Friday’s announcement brought together representatives from title sponsor Invacare, the International Tennis Federation, Nottingham City Council, the UK Sport Lottery funded World Class Events Programme and The Tennis Foundation, Britain’s foremost tennis charity, which is now looking to attract a major sponsor to help support its organisation of the 2009 Invacare World Team Cup.
Also present at Friday’s launch was a blend of the youth and experience that has helped Great Britain become one of the leading nations in the Invacare World Team Cup over more than 20 years. Leicestershire’s former British Men’s No 1 Jayant Mistry retired from top level international competition and representation last year, having played for Great Britain in a record-breaking 20 Invacare World Team Cups, including both previous events in Nottingham.
Meanwhile, Nottinghamshire’s 19-year-old Men’s No 1 David Phillipson and 2007 National champion Gordon Reid, aged 16, from Scotland, represent the present and future of the sport and the two young players took part in an exhibition following the press conference to show the crowds and gathered media and event partners the kind of skills that have seen them rise to prominence at such an early age. During the exhibition Croatian Davis Cup player and Slazenger Open semi-finalist Marin Cilic joined Phillipson and Reid for photos to help get the build-up to the 2009 Invacare World Team Cup off to a high profile start.
Also featuring in photos throughout the day and one of the centre pieces to the launch was the Invacare World Team Cup Men’s World Group 2 trophy. Phillipson and Reid were members of a four-man Great Britain team that won World Group 2 at the 2008 Invacare World Team Cup in Cremona, Italy.
Franz Krammer, Managing Director of Invacare Europe said: “Invacare Europe is extremely proud to be a team member of this major growing wheelchair tennis event. The Invacare World Team Cup is moving to a higher level! There is no doubt that the City of Nottingham Tennis Centre is an experienced partner and is the ideal choice. So, see you next year to watch top level tennis."
Phillipson said: “To win World Group 2 in Italy and earn promotion back to World Group 1 so convincingly a really great feeling. It was really important for us to earn the promotion and it’s very exciting to now be in a position to compete against the world’s top nations in front of our home crowd next year. As Nottingham is my home city it’s especially exciting, I can’t wait.”
Mistry, who has played for Great Britain in seven semi-finals in the Men’s event at the Invacare World Team Cup, most recently in Poland in 2003, said: “It is going to be a great occasion for the players and the spectators. The atmosphere of a World Team Cup is unique. I will always remember playing in front of the Nottingham crowd in 1997 and they really helped lift me. I was set and a break down in Britain’s quarter-final against Sweden and with the help of the home support I came back to win in three sets and we went on to the semi-finals.”
Great Britain Davis Cup player Jamie Murray, who has also given his support to the event, said: “I would like to congratulate Great Britain’s men on their World Group 2 success in Italy. I know how special it is to play for your country in front of your home crowd and it's great that our wheelchair players will get to do that in Nottingham in 2009. I’ll be following their progress with interest over the next 12 months and beyond.”
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