How To Tour The World's Top Tennis Tournaments With Grand Slam Tennis Tours

I’ve written a couple articles about turning the nearly year-long tennis season into an opportunity for globe-trotting. Why tennis? It’s personality-driven, or perhaps, more accurately personal aura-driven. It’s played often and encompasses a truly international playing field. Consider the countries of origin from the top ranks of the men’s tour from 2018: Serbia, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Japan, South Africa, Russia, and Argentina; or the women’s tour: Romania, Germany, Denmark, Ukraine, Japan, US, and Czech Republic. It’s also played in some of the world’s greatest cities, taking advantage of the favorable weather in many of these locations.

Grand Slam Tennis Tours, named for the four major tennis tournaments, which, when won collectively in a calendar year are known as a “grand slam,” offers a luxurious travel options that tennis fans cannot replicate individually. Each tournament has been in existence since at least 1905, and thus the term grand slam is an apt one, as it is the rarest individual sports achievement, accomplished only six times in singles play by men and women, or less often than horse racing’s triple crown or baseball’s perfect game or triple crown.

Significantly easier than independently planning your own trip, Grand Slam Tennis Tours (GSTT) takes care of the key, but necessary details: luxurious accommodations and great seats, but also offers a welcome dinner with tennis celebrities and a commemorative gift for every event. Customers can choose from at least a dozen events a year.

For the tennis world’s premier event, Wimbledon in London starts this week. For its guests, GSTT includes access to its hospitality house a short distance from the tournament grounds at the ivy-clad All England Club. They'll enjoy very British traditions of afternoon tea with strawberries and cream in the garden until centre court play closes by 11pm (yes, the local government has established a curfew). This year, GSTT collaborated with WhistlePig rye to mix up a Centre Court signature cocktail capturing the tourney experience, a combination including strawberries, mint, and lemon. Guests can enjoy the cocktail, as well as pours of WhistlePig’s Farmstock Rye Crop 002, 10-year, and 12-year bottles. 

The company’s roots date back to 1989, when Dave Kenny found Grand Slam Tennis Tours (GSTT).  Andrew Chmura, a former top-ranked junior player, created Topnotch Tennis Tours in 2001 in Stowe, Vermont.  Three years later, he acquired GSTT, including its name.  The combined company offers tennis fans a curated experience at the four majors in Melbourne, Paris, London, and New York – as well as several of the next most prestigious tournaments held in some of the world’s most appealing locations like Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo, Madrid, and Rome.

Depending upon the event, there are additional valuable perks such as guided city tours and daily transportation service. Offerings vary by tournament. For example, the Monte Carlo Masters includes a helicopter transfer from Nice airport to the city. For Indian Wells (BNP Paribas Open) -- morning tennis clinics.

Fans should consider planning their tours at least half a year in advance for overseas tournaments, and about three months earlier for those held in the US. Several of the events work well as group events, including at the company’s headquarters in Stowe, Vermont, home of the Stowe Mountain Lodge Classic. This year and the next couldn’t be a more pressing time to book travel – the men’s tour’s big three are all chasing history at well over 30 years of age, Serena is on the tail end of her quest for the all-time majors tally, and the new generation for both sides is waiting to receive or wrest the baton from this incredible foursome.

Source: Forbes.com

Powered by NewsAPI.org

Keywords:

Tennis • Grand Slam (tennis) • Tennis • Tennis • Tennis • Association of Tennis Professionals • Serbia • Spain • Switzerland • Germany • Japan • South Africa • Russia • Argentina • Women's Tennis Association • Romania • Germany • Denmark • Ukraine • Japan • Czech Republic • Grand Slam (tennis) • Tennis • Tennis • Calendar year • Grand Slam (tennis) • Tennis • Grand Slam (tennis) • Horse racing • Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States) • Baseball • Perfect game • Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing • Grand slam (baseball) • Tennis • Tennis • Tennis • The Championships, Wimbledon • London • All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club • Tea (meal) • Strawberries and Cream • Centre Court • Curfew • Groundhog • Rye • Centre Court • Cocktail • Strawberry • Mentha • Lemon • Cocktail • Groundhog • Rye • Crop • Root • Grand Slam (tennis) • Tennis • Tennis • Stowe, Vermont • Tennis • Melbourne • Paris • London • New York City • Indian Wells Masters • Miami • Monte Carlo • Madrid • Rome • Monte-Carlo Masters • Helicopter • Nice Côte d'Azur Airport • Indian Wells Masters • Indian Wells Masters • Tennis • Stowe, Vermont • Major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada •