WTA Tour Professional Tennis Tournaments
WTA Tour stands for Women's Tennis Association.Association for professionals tennis tournaments was formed in 1973 and is the main organizer of women's tournaments which takes place under asociation banner.
WTA Tour is the version for women players tournament organized like the federation of professional players ATP - Association of Tennis Professionals. Professionals tennis tournaments is sponsored by Sony Ericsson which is why they are held under the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour logo.
Federation of Women's professionals tennis tournaments has its origins in Texas, United States, with the launch of the first event on September 23 1970.Headquarters is the U.S. office established in Florida and for Europe and Asia headquarters are located in Londra and Beijing.
Take place before the establishment of WTA Tour in the United States was an tour sponsored by a cigarette manufacturing company famous "Virginia Slims" that was born after a group of nine led by player Billie Jean King have signed a contract for a million dollars with Gladys Heldman representative of "World Tennis" magazine. The other eight players who chose to compete in professionals tennis tournaments were Rosemary Casals, Nancy Richey, Kerry Melville Reid, Peaches Bartkowicz, Kristy Pigeon, Judy Tegart Dalton, Valerie Ziegenfuss and Julie Heldman.
Gladys Heldman and a team that was part of Joe Cullman and her partner have helped organize the first professionals tournaments circuit for womens players. Philip Morris, Virginia Slims a product of the company, secured financing and competition on September 23, 1970 was part of the inaugural tournament "Virginia Slims of Houston" giving way following professionals tournaments for womens.
Gladys Heldman and a team that was also part her partner Joe Cullman have helped organize the first of professionals tennis tournaments circuit feminine,Philip Morris, a product of the company Virginia Slims , financing competition on September 23, 1970 when was the inaugural tournament "Virginia Slims of Houston" giving way following professionals tournaments for womens.
The circuit was composed of 19 WTA Tour professionals tennis tournaments all located in United States of America only one taking place in Puerto Rico.All tournaments have an total prize value of $ 309,100.
During the first two years of pioneering on professionals tournaments, both female and male, transitions of many players from regular tournaments who were mixed to the professionals tournaments have increasing investment in professionals tournaments. International Lawn Tennis Federation (ILTF) began to drop gradually the tournaments that we hold.
A special importance in organizing women's professionals tennis tournaments WTA Tour was an 1973 meeting held a week before Wimbledon tournament Championship.Meeting was held at Gloucester Hotel in London and after talking it have decided the unification of all tournaments and players in a single competition.
Two years later, in 1975, WTA Tour has a Financial capital increase by signing an agreement with CBS for television rights to release first TV broadcast of the women's professionals tennis tournaments in the history of professional women's association. In 1976 Colgate sponsors tournaments from April until November.Virginia Slims sponsorship is interrupted in 1979 when association recorded a new sponsorship agreement with Avon for the winter ,company offering the largest prizes for a single tennis tournament, the prize fund was 100,000 for "Avon Championships". "Colgate" tournaments has replaced the "Toyota"tournaments in 1981 the two series of tournaments being unified in 1983 when Virginia Slims returned as the sponsor main WTA tournaments each tournament organized by the WTA start beeing organized under the name "Virginia Slims Championships World Series".
WTA Tour professionals tennis tournaments continues expansions year by year continuously increasing number of professionals players and the prizes offered .In 1980 over 250 professional players playing in the competition consisting of 47 tournaments and a total amount Awards of $ 7,200,000.
The first player in history to record WTA Tour wins is Martina Navratilova with total awards value of over three million dollars over one year.In 2003 Kim Clijsters wins first place on prizes with total amount of $ 4,000,000 during a single year
In 2006 WTA Tour brings the cash prizes to the competition at equal size with ATP men's professional association, Venus Williams playing for prizes equal to men's professionals tennis tournaments at Wimbledon and the French Open.This two professionals tournaments offered equal prize for men also for women, this fact giving possibility to Justin Henin, winner of the French Open in 2007, to win an amount of $ 5,000,000 throughout the current year, becoming the first player to win such big money prizes in a single year of competition, a record surpassed by Serena Williams in 2009 with a total of over $ 6,500,000.
WTA Tour Professionals Tennis Tournaments
- Grand Slam
- Year-ending championships (Sony Ericsson Championships)
- Premier Tournaments
- International tournaments
Mandatory Premier Tournaments are mixed tournaments attended by professional players and the prize is 4.5 million dollars.There is four mandatory tournaments organized in: Indian Wells, Key Biscayne, Madrid and Beijing.
Premier Five tournaments have prizes worth $ 2,000,000 and performed at: Dubai, Rome, Cincinnati, Toronto / Montreal, and Tokyo.
Premier tournaments are ten and have prizes between $ 600,000 and one million dollars.
International tournaments are 31, have prizes of $ 220,000 per tournament except year-end "Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions" in Bali, which havea prize fund of 600,000 dollars.In 2010 Caroline Wozniacki was elected to the board of players in November.