DUBAI // The opulent new venue for the Dubai World Championship, the richest event on the golfing calendar, is also hoping to corner the market as a tennis centre. Leisurecorp, who will host the US$10million (Dh36.7m) golf showpiece on the Greg Norman-designed Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates in November next year, have signed up Norman's new wife Chris Evert as the figurehead for their new academy. It is adjacent to the Water Course - one of four new championship courses at Jumeirah - and will provide all four surfaces used for the major tournaments on the world tennis tours.
Players who regularly visit the UAE - Roger Federer has a residence in Dubai - will be able to prepare for the grand slams with a choice of Wimbledon-like grass, the red clay of Roland Garros or the various hard courts used for the Australian and US Opens. Alan Rogers, the chief executive of Leisurecorp, said the academy would be based on the academy his company have built on one of their other complexes, Pearl Valley Estates in South Africa, which is also in the name of Evert, the former women's world No 1 player.
"It is tremendous that we have both parts of the new Norman-Evert partnership on our books, both in Dubai and at Pearl Valley," said Rogers. Rogers added: "She has been involved in all of the planning stages and it promises to be an amazing addition to what we are seeking to provide on our estates." wjohnson@thenational.ae
