London, UK, 11th November 2008 — NEC Corporation is pleased to announce that the NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters, established by the International Tennis Federation, will take place from November 11th - 16th 2008, in Amsterdam’s Frans Otten Stadium. The tournament will see the most highly ranked world wheelchair singles players compete.
The tournament invites the players to compete in one of three groups, over a period of five days culminating in an award ceremony on November 16th. The three competition groups as advised by the ITF are; male, female and quad and the Federation invites entries based on player’s rankings just prior to the Masters. In its fifteenth year, the tournament was originally established in 1994 and has been sponsored by NEC since its inception.
The schedule for the tournament is as follows:
November 11: Draw ceremony (4.30pm)
November 12: Starting the qualification rounds (a player must face at least three entrants in the round robin format).
November 15: Semi Finals and NEC reception (8pm)
November 16: Finals and award ceremony
Tomihiko Azuma, Department Manager, CSR Promotion Unit at NEC Corporation said, “At NEC we strive to help advance societies across the world, toward deepened mutual understanding and the fulfilment of human potential. The skill and achievements of the players at the NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters are testament to human potential and we’re very proud to continue our support of this exciting sport and to enable an inspiring showcase for human potential and success.”
Mark Bullock, Wheelchair Tennis Manager, of the ITF said, “The NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters has become the most coveted trophy amongst the top wheelc
hair tennis players and the tour was initiated to honour those top players who have shown dedication and professionalism to the sport. At the same time it is an opportunity to show the general public that wheelchair tennis, played at its highest level, is not only challenging and dynamic, but also an exciting sport to watch.”
Wheelchair tennis follows the same rules as able-bodied tennis as endorsed by the ITF, with the only exception being that the wheelchair tennis player is allowed two bounces of the ball. To be eligible to compete, a player must have a medically diagnosed permanent mobility related physical disability which must result in a substantial loss of function in one or both lower extremities.
Wheelchair tennis is thought to have been born in California, USA, in 1977 and has since spread across the globe. In 1992, The ITF created a tour for players, the NEC Wheelchair Tennis Tour, and ran 21 tournaments in 13 countries. In 1994, the ITF launched the world championship, NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters as the most prestigious event on the NEC Wheelchair Tennis Tour. In all the NEC Wheelchair Tennis Tour included more than 130 tournaments in 35 countries this year.