ITF

of Sandra Osborne QC, will be an effective and significant body in the development of our sport." Osborne, Howman and Naidoo also form the Election Panel. The Election Panel has responsibility for ensuring that the ITF Presidential and Board of Directors elections, which will take place at the ITF AGM in Lisbon on 24-27 September, will be conducted fairly and with integrity. Sandra Osborne QC said: "I am delighted to be working with a team with the skills, experience and diversity of my colleagues on the Ethics Commission. "Additionally, the oversight role in the election process of the Election Panel, a subset of the Commission, demonstrates the ITF's commitment to an important aspect of its governance." The ITF Ethics Commission was formed to uphold the ITF's commitment to the highest standards of integrity, governance and transparency. It will define, review and enforce the framework of ethical principles outlined in the ITF Code of Ethics. The chair and members of the Commission are appointed for a four- year term and may be re-appointed for a further term of four years. The ITF was deeply saddened to learn of the death of journalist Clive White in February. A former tennis correspondent for the Sunday Telegraph, White worked with the ITF as a freelance journalist and spent many years writing for the ITF's family of websites. As well as writing for Davis Cup and Fed Cup by BNP Paribas websites, he covered numerous competitions on the Juniors, Wheelchair, Seniors and Beach Tennis circuits. He also authored three editions of the Davis Cup Yearbook from 2010-2012 and was a regular contributor to this publication. White, who also worked at the Times and Independent during his career, made himself part of the travelling ITF family through his friendliness and enjoyment of whatever task was at hand. Not every ITF competition features a professional press facility but White always made it work with good humour and a genuine interest in the event itself and, more importantly, in the people he came into contact with. White's work as Olympic News Service Manager at Wimbledon in 2012 required him to build and manage a team of writers to cover the event and his journalistic experience and genuine enthusiasm allowed him to achieve this seemingly effortlessly. He also managed the Paralympic News Service later that year with an equally successful outcome. Always genial but with a wide range of knowledge both in and outside of tennis, Clive was a popular member of the ITF family and one who will be greatly missed. He loved and was very proud of his real family and they, as well as his many friends around the world, shared with us the sadness at his death. He was always so positive that it would be easy to overlook how hard he fought against the cancer that finally took his life. Clive is remembered as a good man, a good journalist and a good friend to the ITF. Paul Hutchins, Great Britain's longest-serving Davis Cup captain, sadly passed away in March at the age of 73. Hutchins, who had motor neurone disease, captained the British Davis Cup team from 1975 to 1987, leading them to the 1978 final where they lost to the United States. He dedicated over 50 years of his life to tennis as a player, coach, commentator, tournament director and administrator, and received an MBE in the New Year 2017 Honours list for services to tennis. As a player, he reached the third round at both the Australian and US Opens in 1968 as well as the doubles quarterfinals at Roland Garros with compatriot Gerald Battrick. He also represented Great Britain in Davis Cup from 1968 to 1969, posting a 1-2 win-loss record before his career was cut short by injury in 1970 at the age of 25. In 1975, aged just 29, Hutchins was appointed the Men's National Team Manager at the Lawn Tennis Association, taking charge of Great Britain's Davis Cup team among other duties. His 13-year spell in charge of the side saw the nation win 17 of their 31 ties. Hutchins was survived by his wife Shali and four children, Romy, Lauren, Blake and Ross, a former British Davis Cup player who is now the Chief Player Officer for the ATP. CLIVE WHITE PAUL HUTCHINS O B I T U A R Y ITFWorld // SPRING 2019 41 The ITF has announced a number of sponsorship deals ahead of the Davis Cup Madrid Finals in November. In February, the ITF and Kosmos Tennis confirmed that premium car brand Lexus is to be a sponsor and the official car of the Finals, which will take place in the Spanish capital on 18-24 November. This followed the renewed sponsorship deal with luxury Swiss watchmaker Rolex. The emblematic Rolex brand was visible throughout the Davis Cup Qualifiers, which were played in February, as it will at the Finals. In January, meanwhile, the ITF and Kosmos Tennis announced that Louis Vuitton had been commissioned to design the Trophy Travel Case to transport and present the prestigious Davis Cup trophy for the next four years. Lexus will be responsible for the official transportation of players and teams from the 18 competing nations. Over 500 people will be shuttled daily from Madrid city centre to the Finals venue, La Caja Magica. ITF President David Haggerty said: "The ITF is delighted to welcome Lexus as the official sponsor of the Davis Cup Finals and we look forward to working with them to further raise the international profile of this exciting new event." The long-standing association between Rolex and tennis dates back to 1978 when Rolex became the official timekeeper of the Wimbledon Championships. "Rolex plays a fundamental role in tennis, both as a sponsor and as official timekeeper, marking performance and progress from season to season across the sport and accompanying players in their pursuit of excellence," added Haggerty. The partnership with Louis Vuitton will further elevate the legend of the iconic Davis Cup trophy in the sporting world. Louis Vuitton's association with the prestigious event, which began in 1900, highlights its trust in the Davis Cup's new era. Also in March, the ITF and BNP Paribas announced the next phase of their long-standing association, which will focus on women's and junior tennis while ending the 'Davis Cup by BNP Paribas' title sponsorship. Commenting on the partnership with BNP Paribas, which began in 2001, Haggerty said: "BNP Paribas has made a vast contribution to the success of Davis Cup as title sponsor over the past 17 years. "We are proud of the great work we have achieved together for Davis Cup, and we look forward to continuing our relationship across a number of properties from the grassroots to the top of the game."

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