Townsend & Martin Re-signed Ahead of Next Tuesday's World TeamTennis Player Draft.
PHILADELPHIA, March 8, 2018 (Newswire.com) - The Philadelphia Freedoms have announced that Philly fan favorites Taylor Townsend and Fabrice Martin will return to the Freedoms for the 2018 season of World TeamTennis presented by GEICO. AmerisourceBergen Corporation is the presenting sponsor of the Freedoms.
The Freedoms were able to re-sign Townsend and Martin before the upcoming WTT Draft (March 13) due to the league’s player protection rule. The team will finalize the remainder of their roster on Tuesday, March 13 when the 43rd edition of the WTT Draft takes place in Indian Wells, Calif. The 2018 WTT Draft will be live streamed at WTT.com beginning at 12 Noon Eastern Time.
Townsend's re-signing comes on the heels of her winning the WTA Indian Wells doubles title with Yanina Wickmayer this past weekend. This most recent title follows one of her most successful seasons on the pro-WTA Tour in 2017 when she captured three ITF singles titles along with an additional three ITF doubles titles. The 2018 WTT season will be the Chicago-born Townsend’s fourth with the Freedoms, and fifth overall with WTT.
"I’m excited to be back with the Freedoms this summer,” said Townsend. “I love playing for the Philadelphia fans and I can’t wait to get on the court with Fabrice again. Our focus will be on bringing the King Trophy home in 2018."
Currently the no. 4-ranked French doubles player, Martin enters his third season with the Freedoms after a very successful 2017 in which he reached four ATP doubles finals, winning the Doha title with Jeremy Chardy. He was also one of the most dominant doubles players in WTT, following up his 2016 Male Rookie of the Year campaign by being among the league leaders in men's doubles as well as mixed doubles, where he and Townsend were a winning tandem for the Freedoms.
"World TeamTennis is a great fit for my game," Martin said. "I take pride in performing my best for the Freedoms and I always enjoy the team experience. I hope that my third season is a charm and we can win the championship."
The Freedoms began to play in WTT’s inaugural 1974 season where they played their home matches at the legendary Spectrum in South Philadelphia, the former home of the Philadelphia Flyers and 76ers. The centerpiece of the team was current Freedoms owner (and Tennis Hall of Famer) Billie Jean King, who served as player-coach. She became the first woman to coach a professional sports team that included male players.
The 2018 WTT regular season is scheduled for Sunday, July 15 through Thursday, August 2, with the top two teams advancing to the WTT Finals on Sunday, August 5.
The full 2018 Philadelphia Freedoms season schedule will be released on March 13th. The Freedoms home slate of games will be played at Michael J. Hagan ‘85 Arena at Saint Joseph’s University for the second consecutive season. AmerisourceBergen Corporation is the presenting sponsor of the Freedoms. Additional sponsorship support is provided by Penn Medicine, Beneficial Bank, USTA Middle States, Doubletree Hotel Philadelphia-Valley Forge, ChatterBlast Media, Chaddsford Winery, 23K Studios, Joseph Anthony Retreat Spa & Salon, Sweet Street Desserts, PECO, Grimm & Grove Communications, Geico, Wilson and Deco Turf. Additional information about the Philadelphia Freedoms is available online at www.PhiladelphiaFreedoms.com.
About World TeamTennis:
World TeamTennis (WTT) showcases the best in professional tennis with the innovative team format co-founded by Billie Jean King in the 1970s. Recognized as the leader in professional team tennis competition, WTT features many of the world’s best players competing annually for the King Trophy, the league’s championship trophy named after King. In July 2015, WTT became the fifth major professional team sports league in the U.S. to reach the 40th season milestone. In 2017, team owners Mark Ein and Fred Luddy acquired majority ownership of the organization. The 43rd season of WTT presented by GEICO begins July 15 and concludes with the WTT Finals on August 5. For more information, visit www.WTT.com.
Media Contacts:
Jim DeLorenzo, Philadelphia Freedoms, (215) 266-5943, jim@jhdenterprises.com
Rosie Crews, World TeamTennis, (817) 684-0366, rcrews@wtt.com
Source: Philadelphia Freedoms
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