News
MINNEAPOLIS, Feb. 15, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Life Time Tennis and Academia Sánchez Casal (ASC), led by world renowned coach and former No. 1 doubles player Emilio Sánchez Vicario, have announced an innovative partnership at Life Time Peachtree Corners outside of Atlanta, Ga. to give junior tennis players additional long-term development opportunities.
Building on the strength of Life Time's comprehensive, national junior tennis programs, Sánchez and his ASC coaches will introduce a transition program and provide college coach connections for Life Time Tennis juniors aspiring to play collegiate tennis and even compete in the professional ranks.
Both Life Time and Academia Sánchez-Casal have developed numerous tennis players of all levels and are well-known for their unique training systems established by its coaches. ASC has developed several elite players, including Svetlana Kuznetsova, Andy Murray, Grigor Dimitrov and Daniela Hantuchova, among others. ASC, based in Naples, Fla., also has international hubs in China and Barcelona.
"One of the largest drop-offs in tennis participation is from high school to college, and a big reason is that American juniors are not aware of the smorgasbord of opportunities to play at the collegiate level," Life Time National Tennis Director, Ajay Pant, says. "Life Time's partnership with Emilio and ASC will transform opportunities for tennis players at every level, giving them ample opportunities to transition into playing competitively at the collegiate level or professionally."
ASC Founder and Chief Executive Officer Emilio Sánchez adds, "There is rich talent in the Atlanta area and many players are capable of reaching the collegiate performance level. I know that, in tandem with the Life Time Tennis team, our experience in nurturing players to achieve their dreams will be well utilized in this great tennis community."
The ASC at Life Time Peachtree Corners outside of Atlanta will have a Grand Opening on March 8 from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., also featuring a world class doubles exhibition. There will also be a complimentary junior clinic on March 9 from 9 a.m. to noon. The ASC-Life Time Tennis Academy will start training junior players on April 15, 2019. Life Time Peachtree Corners, located at 6350 Courtside Drive NW, has more than 25 tennis courts and a half-dozen tennis professionals in its ranks.
Life Time, the premier healthy lifestyle brand, owns and operates more than 320 tennis courts and has 300-plus professional instructors nationwide, making it one of the largest tennis operators in the nation. Life Time has grown to have more than 3,500 junior tennis players in its programming and will continue growing its youth player count through this alliance. For more information on Life Time Tennis programming visit www.lifetime.life/tennis.
About Life Time® – Healthy Way of Life
Life Time champions a healthy and happy life for its members across 142 destinations in 39 major markets in the U.S. and Canada. As the nation's premier healthy lifestyle brand, Life Time delivers an unmatched athletic resort experience and provides a comprehensive healthy living, healthy aging and healthy entertainment experience that goes well beyond fitness to encompass the entire spectrum of daily life for individuals, couples and families of all ages.
About Sánchez-Casal
Academia Sánchez-Casal (ASC) was created by Emilio Sánchez Vicario and Sergio Casal in 1998 with a clear mission: Creating opportunities in tennis, in education, and in life. For 20 years, ASC has been developing successful young people offering the best high performance tennis training combined with an excellent academic education in their own school, ES International School. ASC is well known for its unique training system, ASC 360 Tennis System®, established by coaches with worldwide reputation and for developing elite players such as Kuznetsova, Murray, Dimitrov, Hantuchova, Mónaco, among others. To show players the path to success in the professional world of tennis, ASC created the ASC Player Development and Competition Plan, summarized in the Sánchez-Casal Pyramid®. Academia Sánchez-Casal is present in 3 continents: Europe (Barcelona, Spain), Asia (Nanjing, China) and America (Naples, Florida, and now Atlanta, Georgia).
SOURCE Life Time