ITF

ITF World Spring 2021 03 IN THIS ISSUE EDITOR Ross McLean CONTRIBUTORS Tom Moran works within the ITF's communications department, producing content for all ITF platforms. Tom also leads the ITF's media information team at the Grand Slams, Davis Cup Finals and Billie Jean King Cup Finals. PHOTO CREDITS AELTC, Olga Almanzar, Ron Angle, Clive Brunskill, Siggi Bucher, Dimbar76, Corinne Dubreuil, Mathilde Dusol, Anibal Greco, Lu Guang, Tommy Hindley, Rien Hokken, ImagenShop, Carmen Lee, Sergio Llamera, Fred Mullane, Scott Powick, Tanveer Shahzad, Dave Shopland, Martin Sidorjak, Srdjan Stevanovic, The Photo Team, USTA, Arata Yamaoka, Franklin Zelaya, Paul Zimmer. Cover photo: Siggi Bucher DESIGN AND PRODUCTION Designed and produced by ingeniousdesign.co.uk ITFWorld is published by ITF Ltd, PO Box N-272, Nassau, Bahamas. All rights reserved throughout the world. No part of ITFWorld may be reproduced without the prior written permission of the publisher. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the publisher. The publishers accept no responsibility for return of manuscripts, photos or artwork. Whilst we make every effort to ensure that all editorial material is factually correct at the time of going to press, we cannot accept responsibility if any errors occur for the matters arising as a result. Views expressed by ITFWorld do not necessarily reflect official ITF policy. It should not be inferred that products advertised in this magazine are officially approved by the ITF. © 2021 ITF Ltd. Please address all correspondence regarding ITFWorld to Ross McLean, ITF Communications Department at ross.mclean@itftennis.com 30 26 24 20 CONTENTS 4 Back to the future As the fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic continues, ITF President David Haggerty uses his welcome address to preview a more positive outlook for the remainder of 2021 6 Na onal Treasure With the first ties since the competition's rebrand only days away, ITFWorld sits down with Canada's Leylah Annie Fernandez to discuss all things Billie Jean King Cup 10 'I always felt I could achieve big things' As she prepares for her homecoming and a competitive return to Argentina, Nadia Podoroska reflects on a whirlwind six months and how different her career outlook is now compared to a few years ago 14 Raising the standard Renata Zarazua has ambitions to put Mexican tennis on the map and discusses family mentors, her lofty aims for 2021 and the importance of studying psychology ahead of Billie Jean King Cup duty 18 In the spotlight As part of its ongoing Advantage All strategy, the ITF is hosting a global forum to advocate for greater gender equality 20 Unfinished business As he looks ahead to the rescheduled Paralympic Games, Japan's Shingo Kunieda considers success on home soil, exorcising the ghost of Rio and changing perceptions of disabled people 24 Get to know… In the feature's latest edition, ITFWorld learns more about two highly rated players. In a quick-fire question round, Lorenzo Musetti of Italy and Russia's Oksana Selekhmeteva are put under the spotlight 26 Keeping up with the Kordashians Sebastian Korda is the latest to join an exclusive group and follow his father into the top 100. He discusses the inevitable scrutiny of his name, the influence of his parents and a trip to see Andre and Steffi 30 Investing in talent Alexandra Eala of the Philippines is one of 15 players to receive an International Junior Player Grant from the ITF in 2021. ITFWorld chats with the highly rated teenager about her first professional title, striving for improvement and that Instagram post 33 100 not out With momentum continuing to build, ITF World Tennis Number brings up its century 34 Latin for beginners ITFWorld takes a trip around Central America and looks at development and participation across the region, reporting on activity in places such as Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Guatemala 40 'I beat Billie Jean King and bought a Fiat' It has been quite the journey for Marie Pinterova, who recently brought down the curtain on her competitive career after 62 years on court. ITFWorld sits down with Marie as she recalls some of the highlights 44 News Stories from around the ITF C O V E R S T O R Y

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