Future pros

Working in cooperation with every provincial tennis association in China and fueled by Mercedes-Benz corporate social responsibility (CSR) funding, Swing for the Stars program offers a progressive junior tennis education through three stages, local, national and international, for 11-12 year old boys and girls as well as male and female junior coaches.

At the local level, five cities, including Beijing, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Hohhot and Shanghai, have been selected with five to seven provinces assigned to each magnet city. A total of 50 junior players and 10 junior coaches at each location will be provided one week of expense-free, international tennis concepts and training in a course designed by former United States Tennis Association Junior Coach of the Year Jeff Bearup. High performance junior tennis manuals written by Bearup will also be distributed to all participants as well as all provincial tennis associations.

The brightest stars from the 250 junior players and 100 junior coaches participating in Swing for the Stars in China will be selected for an all-expenses-paid one-month, Mercedes-Benz Swing for the Stars International High Performance Tennis Camp at the United States Tennis Academy in Eugene, Oregon.

Through the Mercedes-Benz Swing for the Stars Junior Development Program, expectations are high that the China Tennis Association will be firmly positioned to continue to develop top-quality international tennis players for the China National Tennis Team and expand the participation and interest in tennis in China at the grass-roots level.

(China Daily 05/12/2008 page8)