ITF

Colombia, and UAE join ITF Beach Tennis World Tour Two new nations have joined the ITF Beach Tennis World Tour, with Colombia and UAE hosting BT10 tournaments in the last month. Colombia and UAE became the latest nations to join the stable of countries staging tour events as Cali and Dubai played host to competitions. The addition of a first official beach tennis event represents a significant moment for the growth of the sport in Colombia, according to Cali tournament director Wilfer Solano Morcillo. "This is a reward for the developmental work of many beach tennis teams in the country," acknowledged Morcillo. "They have been wanting to promote this tennis discipline for more than three years. "This event has generated excitement in the beach sports community, including players in other beach sports, like volleyball. We're sure that the number of beach tennis lovers in Colombia will continue to grow thanks to the support of the ITF and the Colombian Tennis Federation and the first international event in this format in our country." While Colombia currently has just four players with an ITF ranking – men's players Andres Pava and Felipe Roman and female players Jimena Eraso and Johanna Otero – Morcillo believes that number is set to grow exponentially in the years ahead. "In five years, I see the participation of Colombian players in ITF regional and world events," Morcillo said. "This event is an excellent opportunity to attract the attention of promoters and players, to form a unique national circuit and create a national ranking." Naser Al Marzouqi, the General Secretary of Tennis Emirates, echoed such sentiments and has high hopes that the Dubai tournament will be the first major step in the development of Beach Tennis in UAE. "We would like to express our happiness in organising ITF Beach Tennis tournaments," said Al Marzouqi. "Tennis Emirates hopes that this will lead to the spread of the sport and encourage more players, as well as the organisation of more national and international tournaments. "We also hope to initiate the first beach tennis league between clubs and academies that have long been a part of Tennis Emirates. There's lots of potential, especially since the United Arab Emirates is filled with beautiful beaches that attract tourists from all around the world." 42 Winter 2020 ITF World The ITF has announced that the ITF Seniors (50-55-60) World Team & Individual Championships will be held in Umag, Croatia in June 2021. The ITF Seniors Committee approved the alternative venue to hold the 50-55-60 World Team Championships from 6-11 June and the 50-55-60 World Individual Championships from 12-19 June 2021. This follows the decision announced in October that the Championships would not be held as originally scheduled in Boca Raton & Palm Beach Gardens, USA due to the ongoing impact and uncertainty of the Covid-19 pandemic. 2021 Seniors World Championships to be held in Umag, Croatia NEWS R O U N D - U P W I N T E R 2 0 2 0

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