ITF

D E V E L O P M E N T ITFWorld // WINTER 2019/20 23 Mary Pierce was a keynote speaker at the ITF Worldwide Coaches Conference by BNP Paribas in October FROM THE BEST LEARNING ITFWorld uncovers some of the stories and coaching gems as a record number of nations attended the 21st ITF Worldwide Coaches Conference in Bangkok. By Suzi Petkovski BANGKOK'S BERKELEY HOTEL WAS THE SPECTACULAR SETTING FOR THE 21ST BIENNIAL ITF WORLDWIDE COACHES CONFERENCE BY BNP PARIBAS. OVER 600 coaches and development officers from a record 113 nations converged on the Thai capital, the biggest geographic spread in the conference's 37-year history. "This is one of my favourite couple of days," said ITF President David Haggerty after opening the event. "There's so much energy, so much knowledge and skill at this conference. It's exciting to be around all these knowledgeable people." Coaches are at the forefront of the ITF's mission to grow, develop and promote the game. "We have 87 million players around the world, with an ambition to grow to 120 million by 2030," added Haggerty. "The only way we're going to do that is with knowledgeable coaches who make that first experience for players a great one." The ITF's flagship coach-development gathering was back in Asia for the first time since 2001, when Bangkok also hosted. Since then, the Asian tennis boom has shifted the tennis axis, bringing trailblazing champions, first-time host cities and millions of new players into the game. As if to illustrate the point, Haggerty left after the first day of the conference to attend the ITF Junior Finals in Chengdu. The WTA Finals showpiece was also set to debut in its new home of Shenzhen, China. ➝

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