2011 Family Circle Cup: Introduction to the WTA Premier Event
The 2011 Family Circle Cup will be held from April 4 to April 10 this year, with some of the top ranked players in the world taking part in the Women’s Tennis Association [WTA] Premier tournament. The event is played on clay courts outdoors, and features
a total amount of $721,000 as prize money. The tournament director is Bob Moran. This year, the reigning champion is Australian tennis player Samantha Stosur, who battled through the 2010 competition to win the tournament.
The Family Circle Cup is one of the longest-running events on the WTA Tour, and has been held regularly since 1973. It has changed venues several times, and was first played at the Sea Pines Plantation on Hilton Head Island in 1973, although it was also
held on Amelia Island in Florida in 1975 and 1976. The tournament moved to Charleston, South Carolina nine years ago in 2001. The Family Circle Cup was formerly classified as a Tier I event, although it is now a Premier tournament.
This tournament is renowned to be one of the most historically rich, entertaining events on the WTA Tour. This year, it features players such as World Number 1 Caroline Wozniacki along with former top players Maria Sharapova and Jelena Jankovic. Previous
champions at the WTA Tour Premier Event include Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert, Gabriela Sabatini, Steffi Graf, Martina Hingis, Justine Henin and both Williams sisters.
The Family Circle Cup is especially significant for women’s tennis because it was one of the pioneers of equality in the sport. In its first edition in 1973, the tournament was the first one to offer a total of $100,000 in American dollars as prize money.
The first champion of the title was Rosie Casals, and she was awarded a cheque for $30,000 after winning the tournament. This was the largest cash prize given to a female tennis player in 1973. In addition to this, the tournament was also the first one to
be shown on network television, making it the forum of several milestones. Billie Jean King reminisced about the event at large, commenting, “we weren’t worried about rankings or Grand Slams back then, we were trying to grow a tour.” This kind of attitude
reminds one of the Original Nine Dollars, and their efforts for women’s tennis back in the day.
Another extraordinary feature of the Family Circle Cup is the fact that it has been backed up by the same sponsor for the entire duration of the tournament, since it was first held in 1973. Therefore, it enjoys its place as the longest running single-title
sponsor tournament on the WTA. Moreover, the standard of this tournament sets the bar high for other WTA events.
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