WTA to fill extra slot in grass court calendar with Nottingham event in 2015

Women's tennis will be boosted by a new grasscourt tournament in 2015 as part of the Wimbledon build-up while Asia's footprint will continue to grow, the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) said Thursday, according to reports.

According to Sport24, with a longer grasscourt season already agreed, allowing players a week more to adapt after the lengthy claycourt swing, the WTA has slotted in a new tournament in Nottingham, central England.

In 2014, there will be 54 WTA Premier and International events and six 125K Series events, with the geographic spread to include 23 in Europe, Middle East and Africa, 17 in Asia-Pacific, and 14 in the Americas, the report said.

One of the big events already scheduled in Asia will see Singapore hosting the prestigious year-end WTA Championships for a record five years between 2014-2018, the report added.

The WTA said they would stage a record six WTA Premier and International tournaments in China, Taiwan and Hong Kong and four WTA 125K Series events in Asia.

A new Premier event in Wuhan, the home of the 2011 Roland Garros Champion Li Na, will make its debut in addition to two inaugural International tournaments in Hong Kong and Tianjin, the report further said.

Next year, the WTA will also host two events in Brazil for the first time, the Rio Open joining Florianopolis, the report mentioned.