Tie Break Tens, Local Tennis Leagues and the LTA launch first joint tournament in North London at the Pavilion Sports & Café this September

LONDON, Thursday 12th September 2019, – Tie Break Tens (TB10), the fast-paced, short-form tennis format today announced the launch of a new partnership with tennis league concept, Local Tennis Leagues and the governing body of tennis, the LTA. The partnership will kick off on Sunday 29th September from 1-4pm with a doubles tournament taking place at the Pavilion Sports & Café in North London. The event will feature the full TB10 live experience including a live DJ plus food and drinks, presided over by an official LTA Referee and Umpires. Prizes will include the TB10 trophy, tennis rackets, signed TB10 memorabilia and merchandise. The tournament is open to men and women of all standards, aged 18 and over, via the Local Tennis Leagues website, www.localtennisleagues.com/TB10 Players do not need be a Local Tennis Leagues player to play but will be asked to register via their website with an entry fee of £10 per person. Launched as a tennis format in 2015, Tie Break Tens is a quick-fire version of tennis that anyone can play. Unlike conventional tennis matches, Tie Break Tens matches are comprised solely of tie breaks – no games, no sets, just exhilarating ten-point breakers in which every point counts allowing more court time for players and offering a fun way to get into the sport. Local Tennis Leagues launched in May 2005 with the aim of giving adult players the chance to compete in friendly matches on the UK’s park courts and public places to play.

Felicity Barnard, Tie Break 10s CEO said: “We are thrilled to launch our new partnership with Local Tennis Leagues, the Pavilion Sports & Café and the LTA which we believe will encourage more people to try competing in tennis through our fast-paced format. Our objective is to drive participation in tennis and we believe this new partnership will help deliver this. During the afternoon players will have the opportunity to not only play several games of TB10 but also to enjoy the full TB10 experience with live music and entertainment for all the family.” Nigel Billen, CEO of Local Tennis Leagues said: “Our players have an almost insatiable appetite to play friendly, competitive tennis, and this Tie Break Tens event is a perfect complement to their one- on-one league matches. It is a great opportunity for players to get together for a sociable afternoon of tennis and to try a format that has already won so many friends in the Pro circuit.” Keith Carder, LTA Head of Competition said: ““The LTA vision is to open tennis up by making it relevant, accessible, welcoming and enjoyable. This partnership between us, Tie Break Tens and Local Tennis Leagues is a fantastic example of what we are trying to do, by giving players the opportunity to compete at a community tennis site using a fun innovative format with live music.” - ENDS - For more information or to arrange attendance contact: Rachel Woodward

Marketing Director Tie Break Tens D: 0203 598 7389│ M: +44 7989 964972 E: [email protected] www.tiebreaktens.com

About Tie Break Tens:

Tie Break Tens launched in 2015 with the first tournament in the Royal Albert Hall, London featuring top players including , and . Since then we have taken the format to Madrid, Vienna, Melbourne, New York City and Indian Wells with a host of top players including , , Serena & , , and . This is high octane tennis which breaks the mould and challenges the perception of traditional tennis.

TB10 launched its grassroots strategy, TB10 Challenger & TB10 Play in 2018, with the aim of driving participation levels in tennis by encouraging people to get out there and play. For more information, please visit www.tiebreaktens.com

About LTA:

The LTA is the National Governing Body of tennis for Great Britain. We are here to govern and grow tennis, from grassroots participation through to the professional game. Our vision is “Tennis Opened Up” and we’re on a mission to grow tennis by making it relevant, accessible, welcoming and enjoyable. We work with schools, with volunteers, with coaches and with venues across the whole country. We also represent the interests of over 630,000 Members, men and women, girls and boys, playing on more than 23,000 courts. The LTA runs and supports a network of 11,500 approved tournaments for players of all ages, the four corner-stones of which are the premier grass-court events leading up to The Championships, Wimbledon: the Nature Valley Open (at Nottingham), the Nature Valley Classic (at Birmingham), the Fever-Tree Championships (at The Queen’s Club, London) and the Nature Valley International (at Eastbourne). For further information about the LTA and tennis in Britain, visit www.lta.org.uk or follow us on Twitter @the_LTA

About Local Tennis Leagues: Local Tennis Leagues Ltd was founded by and is run by Sally Kinnes and Nigel Billen. Both Nigel and Sally have a background in journalism and Nigel was editor of ACE Tennis Magazine for nearly five years. "The idea for a tennis league in a local park began as a way of improving our own game," says Sally. "We set up the first, fledgling league on Highbury Fields in May 2005 and since then, thousands of people have played in it. It was so successful, it led to others being set up all over the UK.” As of today, there are nearly 200 leagues nationwide and some 8000 players take part in a round of their local league at least once a year. The tennis league concept is approved by and affiliated to the LTA, the governing body of tennis in the UK. Local Tennis Leagues is registered as a Place to Play with the LTA and entered into a four-year partnership agreement with the LTA in 2015.