34 interesting Family Circle Cup facts
1. 4 miles of phone & Internet wiring is used to operate the tournament. 2. 7 tractor trailers of food & ice are used throughout the week-long event 3. 9 miles of ticket stock is required to print all of the tickets. 4. 150+ members of the media from across America and around the world attend and cover the Family Circle Cup in person. 5. 200 Food and Beverage / Retail employees are hired to work the event. 6. 300 racquets will be strung / restrung for players. 7. 500 volunteers assist in the operation of this huge annual event – many are returning alumni who have been volunteering since the early days when the event was held in Hilton Head. 8. 1,500 hats will be bought as souvenirs. 9. 2,000 T-shirts will be sold to fans. 10. 3,000 bags of potato chips will be consumed during the Cup. 11. 5,000 gallons of water will be consumed during the event. 12. 7,000 hot dogs will be sold (800 lbs.) during the tournament. 13. 7,200 tennis balls are used for match play. 14. 12,000 feet of string will be used on player rackets (2 1/4 mile of string). 15. 35,000 sq. ft of tented area is constructed on-site for the event. 16. Initially signing on to sponsor the event in 1973, Family Circle Magazine holds the record in women’s professional tennis as the longest running event sponsored by the same company. 17. In 1973, it was the first women’s tennis event to offer a $100,000 dollars in prize money. 18. As the first Family Circle Cup champion, Rosie Casals received a check for $30,000, which was the largest prize money payout awarded to a woman that year. 19. The 1973 Family Circle Cup was the first women’s event to be broadcast on network television (NBC). 20. Tracy Austin became the youngest champion of the Cup at 16 years, 4 months in 1979. 21. In 1990, Jennifer Capriati became the youngest player to compete in this prestigious event at 14 years, 3 days old. 22. At 33 years, 5 months old, Martina Navratilova became the Cup’s oldest champion on April 8, 1990. 23. The 32-acre Family Circle Tennis Center was built on Daniel Island for a total cost of $15 million dollars. 24. Family Circle magazine is the first title sponsor to partner with city and county municipalities to build a tennis facility of this stature. 25. The first Family Circle Cup match held in Charleston was played on April 14th, 2001. 26. The Family Circle Cup’s official mascot, a giant female tennis ball named "ACE", was born on January 23rd, 2003. 27. Althea Gibson Club Court, used as the second premier match court during the Cup, was dedicated on April 15, 2004 in honor of Silver, South Carolina-born Hall of Fame tennis player and African-American equality pioneer Althea Gibson, winner of 11 major titles including multiple Grand Slam championships. 28. Martina Navratilova became the tournament’s oldest participant on April 14th, 2005 at 48 years, 6 months old. 29. There have only been 18 individual champions in the 35-year history of the Family Circle Cup: Chris Evert (8), Steffi Graf (4), Martina Navratilova (4), Tracy Austin (2), Justine Henin (2), Martina Hingis (2), Conchita Martinez (2), Gabriela Sabatini (2), Jennifer Capriati, Rosie Casals, Amanda Coetzer, Iva Majoli, Nadia Petrova, Mary Pierce, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, Serena Williams and Venus Williams. 30. Despite an F0 tornado that hit Family Circle Magazine Stadium on qualifying Saturday, the record attendance was set with 92,375 fans in 2006. 31. Just as at other WTA Tour events, many lower ranked players stay with "host families" who provide lodging, meals, and transportation, as well as genuine southern hospitality for these up-and-comers. 32. The tournament currently receives four days of coverage on ESPN2, and is also broadcast on Eurosport to over 95 million homes in Europe. 33. After the 2008 Cup, $21,987,000 in prize money has been distributed to players competing in the Family Circle Cup. 34. The Family Circle Tennis Center is a public facility owned by the City of Charleston.