Aces Draft Philippoussis, Davenport & Kournikova
February 15, 2011 - World TeamTennis (WTT)
St. Louis Aces News Release
Australian Davis Cup winner and former World No. 8 Mark Philippoussis will play for the St. Louis Aces this July during the 2011 World TeamTennis season. He will join teammates Anna Kournikova and 2010 WTT Female MVP Lindsay Davenport on the Aces ¬â¢ lineup. Davenport, a former No. 1 and Olympic Gold winner will play an undetermined number of matches. Kournikova returns for her 4th consecutive year with the Aces to play one home match at Dwight Davis Tennis Center.
Philippoussis will play two additional matches on the road for the Aces in Kansas City and Boston. Kournikova will also play road matches in Washington D.C., New York City and Boston.
"We ¬â¢re in it to win it this year," said St. Louis Aces owner Dan Apted. "Mark has had great success on the Champions Series this past year and we think he ¬â¢ll dominate in the World TeamTennis format with his big serve and strong ground strokes."
This is Philippoussis ¬â¢ first season to play World TeamTennis though he played in the WTT annual charity event Smash Hits in December. "I ¬â¢m really looking forward to playing World TeamTennis. I like the fast-paced format and that it is very competitive. I ¬â¢ve heard how involved the fans get in St. Louis and I ¬â¢m excited to be a part of that atmosphere," said Philippoussis.
St. Louis Aces coach Rich Leach will captain his Men ¬â¢s 45 & over team at the Dubler Cup when he represents the United States at the 31st ITF Seniors World Team Championships later this month. The event is the senior tennis equivalent of the Davis Cup and Fed Cup, with the top American tennis players representing their countries in men ¬â¢s and women ¬â¢s age groups from 35 to 55-plus. This year ¬â¢s event will be held February 21-26, in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Dates for the Marquee Player appearances will be announced when the League schedule is released in March. Team lineups will be finalized at the WTT Roster Draft on March 15. Marquee players typically play a limited schedule while roster players play the full season. Additional marquee players could be added prior to the start of the season.
The 2011 regular season runs July 4-21, with the top two teams in both the Western and Eastern Conferences advancing to the WTT Conference Championships on July 22. The WTT Finals presented by GEICO will be on Sunday, July 24.
Check out all the WTT Pro League Marquee Player Draft Selections on wtt.com!
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