Atlantic Tire Championships is so much more than tennis, this premiere event is a celebration of community

CARY, NC (WTVD) -- When Cary Tennis Park welcomes top-notch competitors to the Atlantic Tire Championships September 9-15 there promises to be so much more than just tennis. From the on-set, tournament organizers have worked very hard to weave community events throughout the week in an effort to give back. "The tennis community is known for their generous and philanthropic spirit and we like to showcase that spirit at the Atlantic Tire Championships", says Ted Reese, Tournament Co-Director.

Tennis with the Pros, a mixed doubles event, is scheduled for Monday evening, September 9. Recreational players will play mixed doubles and receive on-court coaching by the ATP professionals that are competing in Atlantic Tire Championships. At the end of the evening, the mixed doubles pairs will play against the professionals and put their new-found knowledge to use.

Raleigh Tennis Association (RTA) will acknowledge their NJTL Contest winners on the court on the evening of Wednesday, September 11. NJTL, National Junior Tennis and Learning, is a network of tennis organizations that work to develop the character of young people through tennis and education. Contest winners received a prize from local vendors and had their essay submitted to the National essay contest for judging. Last year one of the RTA essay contest winners also won the National Essay contest.

On Thursday, September 12, Abilities Tennis Association of North Carolina (ATANC) will conduct a clinic and feature an exhibition match on stadium court. ATANC provides tennis programming for individuals with intellectual disabilities throughout the state. They recently won the USTA National Adaptive Tennis Community Service Award and were selected to do an on-court demonstration at the 2019 US Open.

The Western Wake Tennis Association Ladies Charity Classic benefitting Transitions LifeCare will be held on Friday, September 13th. This event includes a morning of tennis followed by a luncheon with raffles and a silent auction. Throughout the past four years, this event has raised over $200,000 for Transitions LifeCare.

Wheelchair Tennis is one of the fastest-growing wheelchair sports in the country and Cary Tennis Park recently reintroduced weekly clinics. The tournament will be hosting a clinic for wheelchair tennis players across the state on Saturday, September 14. Sport wheelchairs will be available for use. Prior to the clinic there will be a wheelchair exhibition on stadium court between the tournament's semifinal matches.

The tournament will also host two youth clinics (by invitation only) where local junior players will have an opportunity to ask the tournament players about life on tour and advice on how to play professionally. The question and answer session will be followed by clinics where the junior players will receive tips from the pros.

The Atlantic Tire Championships is a United States Tennis Association (USTA) Pro Circuit event and will feature top men's tennis professionals, many straight from the courts of the US Open. This is the fifth year for the tournament in Cary and organizers are excited to continue the tradition of bringing competitive tennis to the region.

The field for this $50,000 event will feature 48 singles players and 16 doubles teams. Players ranked as high as number 50 in the world typically compete in these Challenger level events. Tickets are on sale now through Etix.com and are $10 and up. Tickets can be purchased online at the tournament website www.atlantictirechampionships.com, at the Cary Tennis Park, or by calling Etix (800) 514-3849. Etix hours: Monday-Friday/ 9 a.m.- 8 p.m. EST. Saturday/10 a.m. - 8 p.m. EST & Sunday/noon - 8 p.m. EST. For more information log on to www.atlantictirechampionships.com.

ABOUT THE USTA PRO CIRCUIT

With more than 100 tournaments throughout the country and prize money ranging from $15,000 to upwards of $160,000, the USTA Pro Circuit is the largest developmental tennis circuit in the world and the pathway to the US Open and tour-level competition for aspiring tennis players. Now in its 40th year, the USTA Pro Circuit has been a launching pad for many of today's top pros, including Andy Murray, Maria Sharapova, John Isner, Sloane Stephens, Kei Nishikori, Victoria Azarenka, Caroline Wozniacki, and Garbine Muguruza. Follow the USTA Pro Circuit at #USTAProCircuit on social media and at www.procircuit.usta.com.