AITA signs MOU with French Open organisers

New Delhi, March 31: French Tennis Federation (FFT), the organiser of the Grand Slam tourment French Open and All India Tennis Association (AITA) on Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding to intensify the development process of tennis and boost junior talent in the country.

The signing took place in the presence of François Richier, ambassador of France to India, during the opening ceremony of 'Rendez-Vous à Roland-Garros', a junior tourment which offers a wildcard for the 2015 French Open Junior Tourment in Paris.

Speaking on the event, FFT vice president Jean Pierre Dartevelle said: “When FFT decided to launch intertiol activities, India was turally on top of our priorities -- your country has so many fans of sports in general and tennis in particular! It is clear that India has a development potential that we will not find somewhere else on the planet.”

'Rendez-Vous à Roland-Garros' will be held from April 1 to 4 at the Delhi Gymkha Club. It will see the top 16 male and female under-18 Indian players face off in a single-elimition tourment. Matches will be played in the best of three tie-break sets.

This event, which will take place for the first time in India, is part of an intertiol tourment in which young players from Chi, Brazil and India will compete to get the precious wildcards.

Shanghai, Chi had hosted the 'Rendez-Vous à Roland-Garros' tourment in March and São Paulo will follow in April for the Brazil section.

Each winner of the first tiol stages of competition will earn a ticket to Paris to compete against the other tiol champions on May 24th. IANS