Construction of National Training Center of Serbia to start in mid-2011 in New Belgrade

(Francesco Ricci Bitti, Snezana Samardzic Markovic, Dragan Djilas, Slobodan Zivojinovic)

- Construction of the National Training Center of Serbia in the location next to New Belgrade's Hala Sportova (Hall of Sports) will commence in mid-2011 - Belgrade Mayor Dragan Djilas, Minister of Youth and Sport Snezana Samardzic Markovic and President of the Tennis Association of Serbia Slobodan Zivojinovic announced on Saturday.

The tennis center will comprise ten courts (six clay courts and four hardcourts), as well as a hall with five indoor courts, and the value of the future complex is between 5 and 7 million euros. Construction of a hotel for our tennis players from outside Belgrade is also in the pipeline, as well as a congress hall for seminars.

Mayor Djilas pointed out that the construction of the Tennis Center would commence in mid-2011 and that the city would, within the next few months, adopt the regulation plans that should enable the construction of such facility.

– We have agreed to finance the construction together with the Ministry of Youth and Sport and then hand over the National Tennis Center to the Tennis Association of Serbia to run and use it. We have only one condition, and that is that this tennis center enables creation of new tennis stars like Novak Djokovic, Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic, Janko Tipsarevic, and others - said Djilas.

On that occasion, the Mayor emphasized that Serbia and Belgrade had already won a big victory in the Davis Cup finals.

– The whole atmosphere in the Belgrade Arena, the dignified behavior of our audience and the hospitality enjoyed by our guests from France represent our big victory – said Djilas.

Snezana Samardzic Markovic pointed out that the future tennis center would achieve all three goals specified in the National Sport Strategy: creation of a tennis infrastructure, development of talent in children, and creation of conditions for development of top sport.

– The results achieved by Serbian tennis players are not accidental. Instead, they are a consequence of the years-long work of the Tennis Association of Serbia - said the Minister of Youth and Sport and commended the cooperation of the Ministry of Youth and Sport with the city of Belgrade, the Tennis Association of Serbia, and the International Tennis Federation.

President of the World Tennis Federation Francesco Ricci Bitti said that he was "positively surprised" with the organization of the Davis Cup finals and commended the cooperation between the authorities and the Tennis Association of Serbia in the construction of the new National Training Center.