The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour and Dubai Duty Free announced on Monday the release of the second annual Zagat® Best of The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour 2009 Guide, the crème de la crème handbook for shopping and dining in 24 of the Tour’s top tournament cities.
The Guide not only features Zagat’s gold standard reviews, but favorite places for dining and shopping, selected by the world’s savviest travelers – the Tour’s top players – as they span the globe competing at the most prestigious tennis events in the world’s most exquisite cities.
The Best of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour 2009 Zagat Guide is full of player recommendations and spans from five-star restaurants in world capitals to distinguished boutique shops in such Tour destinations as New Haven, CT and Charleston, SC.
Serbia’s Ana Ivanovic, the 2008 French Open Champion, declares Nobu as her favorite restaurant on the planet, while World’s No. 1 Jelena Jankovic raves about Cipriani’s pasta dishes.
Since the Sony Ericsson’s WTA Tour players come from every corner of the earth, their recommendations on shopping come in big and small packages, from Russia’s Olympic Gold medalist Elena Dementieva’s favorite department store giant in Moscow (GUM) to Australia’s Rennae Stubbs’ favorite boutique shopping streets in Sydney (Paddington).
“Dubai Duty Free is very much focused on shopping and the whole travel experience, and we are very pleased to be able to offer fans of women’s tennis this unique guide,” said Colm McLoughlin, Managing Director of Dubai Duty Free, in the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour’s announcement.
“One of the hallmarks of our partnership with the Tour has been continuously seeking to innovate for fans and players, and we believe that this guide is another step in that direction.”
“Dubai Duty Free is a great partner of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour and has been a longstanding and loyal supporter of women’s professional tennis,” said Larry Scott, CEO of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour.
“Dubai is one of the world’s great destinations, and by partnering with Zagat and Dubai Duty Free to create the Zagat Best of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour 2009 Guide, we are able to offer tennis fans both the gold-standard recommendations for shopping and dining in the world’s most distinguished cities and give our players a unique opportunity to share favorite spots in their hometowns and exciting tournament locations.”
The 2009 guide covers the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Premier event cities, spanning from Beijing to Miami, along with Grand Slam cities of London, New York, Paris and Melbourne, and numerous other destinations featured on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour calendar.
New additions to this year’s guide include Bali, Cincinnati, Madrid and Toronto, as well as an updated section on the best of Dubai, home to one of the most popular tournaments among players and fans – the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships.
