The ATP circuit is highlighted by nine premier tournaments, collectively known as the ATP Masters Series, and the Tennis Masters Cup, the circuit finale co-owned by the ATP, International Tennis Federation (ITF) and Grand Slams that in 2006 will be played for the second consecutive year in Shanghai, China.
In 2006, 47 tournaments will be played outdoors - 24 events on clay, 18 on hard court, five on grass - while 17 tournaments will be played indoors.
Exactly half (32) of the tournaments – including five ATP Masters Series events – will be played in Europe. The first European event begins January 30 with the Internazionali di Lombardia and the final European event, the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris, concludes on November 5.
The calendar features the second edition of Pilot Pen Tennis in New Haven, the new $650,000, 48-draw men’s tournament to be played in Connecticut alongside the Tier II Sony Ericsson WTA Tour event in the week before the US Open.
The 2006 calendar also will feature the third year of the US Open Series, beginning with the RCA Championships in Indianapolis the week of July 17 and journeying to the Mercedes-Benz Cup in Los Angeles (July 24), the Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington (July 31), the Rogers Masters (Canada) in Toronto (August 7), the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters in Cincinnati (August 14) and Pilot Pen Tennis on the eve of the US Open.
Also on the calendar is the second edition of a new tournament in Ho Chi Minh City, the first ATP-level tournament ever held in Vietnam. In 2006, there will be six ATP tournaments in Asia, including the Tennis Masters Cup Shanghai.
The 2006 season begins on January 2 with three tournaments: the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha, the Chennai Open in India and the Next Generation Hardcourts in Adelaide.
It is expected that more than 330 players from 55 countries will participate in ATP tournaments next year.
For full details of the new calendar visit www.ATPtennis.com
