Beach Tennis Sand Series year kicks off on Reunion

On Reunion, 27 of the world's top 30 tennis players will compete and try to secure a medal in the first major tournament of the year. With new partnerships and returning favorites, there will be some exciting matches on the sands of Saint-Gilles-Les-Bains. Beach tennis is a fast-growing sport that is set to become the leading beach sport for professional and junior athletes worldwide. Since 2008, beach tennis has been part of the International Tennis Federation (ITF), helping to spread the sport further. The sport is a combination of tennis, beach volleyball and badminton. Beach tennis is a lively, exciting and fast sport. It is played with beach tennis rackets and a low compression "orange" level 2 tennis ball. The sand courts are 16 x 8 meters and the net is 1.7 meters high. The most common form of competition is doubles