INDIAN WELLS, Calif.,
March 14, 2017 /PRNewswire/
-- Oracle Corp. today announced the creation of the Oracle US
Tennis Awards, player grants that are to be awarded annually at the
BNP Paribas Open to assist young American players as they
transition from college into the professional ranks.
The two $100,000 grants are to be
awarded each year at the BNP Paribas Open to a male and female
professional who have demonstrated exemplary sportsmanship and an
aptitude for success on the pro tour. They must have played
collegiate tennis prior to turning professional.
"Making the transition from college to the professional ranks is
a real challenge,'' said Oracle CEO Mark
Hurd. "We hope these awards will provide young players with
support to develop their games and improve their mental and
physical fitness. Our goal is to grow the program and we invite
input and support from other companies who are committed to U.S.
athletics.''
The awards will be administered by the Intercollegiate Tennis
Association, the governing body of college tennis.
"The ITA is proud of our partnership with Oracle," said ITA CEO
Timothy Russell. "Together we are
growing the brand of college tennis and enhancing student-athlete
experiences, and in doing so helping to return the leaders of
tomorrow in America and around the world."
Recipients will be selected by the newly created Oracle US
Tennis Awards Advisory Council, a six-member body that includes
individuals committed to the growth and improvement of American
tennis. The inaugural members of the Advisory Council are:
Chris Evert: Former singles world No. 1; current
ESPN tennis commentator; co-founder of Evert Tennis
Academy.
Ilana Kloss: Former
singles world No. 19; commissioner of Mylan World Team Tennis.
Peggy Michel: three-time
grand slam doubles champion; played college tennis at Arizona State; current Assistant Tournament
Director & Vice President of Sales at the BNP Paribas Open.
Dr. Timothy Russell: CEO ITA; college educator for
three decades.
Martin Blackman: General
Manager, USTA Player Development; played college tennis at
Stanford.
Todd Martin:
former singles world #4; CEO International Tennis Hall of
Fame and Tournament Director, Dell Technologies Hall of Fame Open;
played college tennis at Northwestern University.
"The transition into professional tennis is a great challenge
that I experienced myself. The grants will be a great help to these
young athletes,'' said Todd Martin.
"It's great to see a company like Oracle step up to support
American tennis.''
Added Chris Evert: "The people at
Oracle understand that becoming a top player requires a strong
support system. We are confident that these awards will help some
young players through those daunting early years on the tour.''
About Oracle
Oracle offers a comprehensive and fully
integrated stack of cloud applications and platform services. For
more information about Oracle (NYSE:ORCL),
visit www.oracle.com.
About The ITA
The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) is committed to
serving college tennis and returning the leaders of tomorrow. As
the governing body of college tennis, the ITA oversees men's and
women's varsity tennis at NCAA Divisions I, II and III, NAIA and
Junior/Community College divisions. The ITA administers a
comprehensive awards and rankings program for men's and women's
varsity players, coaches and teams in all divisions, providing
recognition for their accomplishments on and off the court. For
more information on the ITA, visit the ITA website
at www.itatennis.com, like the ITA on Facebook or
follow @ITA_Tennis on Twitter and Instagram.
Trademarks
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of Oracle and/or its affiliates
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SOURCE Oracle