Citi Open 2015 – Benefiting Washington Tennis & Education Foundation

Citi is proud to be the title sponsor of The Citi Open Tournament, which brings a week-full of world-class tennis and renowned athletes to Washington, D.C. each year. This year, the tournament, which ran from August 2 - August 10 had the strongest field in 47 years and hosted tennis stars Andy Murray, Kei Nishikori, John Isner and Sloane Stephens.

The Citi Open is unique because the tournament's owner and beneficiary is a nonprofit community organization -- the Washington Tennis & Education Foundation (WTEF). The WTEF serves at risk kids in Washington, D.C. by providing after school academic tutoring and tennis lessons and a safe environment to learn critical life skills. As a proud partner, Citi strives to support the efforts of the WTEF and this year we increased our support of WTEF through programs that raised awareness of the organization and honored the students and members of the organization.

This year, we introduced "Speed Serve" that engaged both players and fans on-site during the Citi Open in support of the WTEF. Each time a player on a court or a fan in our Citi Booth served over a designated speed, Citi made a monetary donation to the WTEF to support essential year-round academic and athletic programs. Fans lined up at the Booth and players served up speed balls and we proudly donated $50,000 to the WTEF at the end of the tournament.

Citi also hosted "Citi Kids", an educational and motivational program which provided the opportunity for the WTEF kids to meet pro-tennis players to learn about their career successes and challenges, as well as talk about important life lessons such as financial responsibility. The program featured American tennis stars Sloane Stephens-- who won the Women's tournament, Steve Johnson who played John Isner in the semi-finals, as well as former pro Justin Gimelstob who is now with the Tennis Channel.

To conclude the week, I and Eleni Rossides, President of the WTEF, were honored to announce the induction of three individuals into the "WTEF Hall of Fame, Presented by Citi during a special on-court ceremony. Citi created the award in 2012 to recognize individuals who have served and helped grow the WTEF throughout its 60-year history. This year we recognized former Congressman Norm Dicks (D, WA), Tennis Legend Zina Garrison and posthumously, Hon. William H.G. Fitzgerald for their contributions to the organization.

The tournament was a great success this year, as well as lots of fun, and we look forward to continuing our partnership with the Washington Tennis & Education Foundation throughout the year.