Players Get Second Chance at Antwerp’s Diamond Tennis Racquet

The Proximus Diamond Games officially said farewell to the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour on Sunday, but the famed diamond tennis racquet will still be a highly coveted prize.

Beginning in 2009, Belgium will play host to an exclusive exhibition tournament, with the jeweled racquet being offered as the prize.

Amelie Mauresmo was the only player to win the Proximus Diamond Games three times in five years during the event’s seven-year stint in Antwerp. The tournament’s final champion was appropriately hometown favorite, world No. 1 Justine Henin.

“The trophy is beautiful here too,” Henin said after winning her second title of 2008. “Amelie has it at home because she won here three times and I think we all want to win it too! Unfortunately, since this is the last year of the tournament, I don’t think I’ll ever win it. But this was an amazing experience and I’ll never forget it, and I’ll keep fighting in the next few years to try and put Antwerp back on the calendar.”

Henin will have another opportunity to win the racquet because the tournament will be back next season, although unofficially as an invitation event.

Part of this was due to the Tour’s new Roadmap plans, which would have limited Antwerp to a weaker draw.

“Within the regulations of the WTA’s way of rescheduling things, one could only guarantee us one or two top 10 players and the Belgian audience is used to getting more than that”, said the organizing director, Bob Verbeeck, quoted on the tournament’s website.

“The financial consequences of becoming an absolutely major tournament in the new calendar would simply be impossible for the Belgian market.”

Final plans for the event have yet to be announced, but Verbeeck hopes to host a field of twelve to sixteen players, all winners of tournaments in 2008.

“Every title holder of official 2008 WTA tournaments will be shortlisted for invitation,” added Verbeeck. “From that list we will select 12 to 16 players and organize a tournament of about four days.”

After Amelie Mauresmo took home the magnificent prize in 2007, the tournament had another racquet crafted. The latest model is made of 2008 diamonds and has an estimated value of 1.5 million euros.

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