40 Spring 2022 ITF World
last month, while he also
triumphed in the singles there.
He is ranked No. 15 in singles
and No. 5 in doubles.
"The 30+ age category has made
a huge difference to me, and it is
great that is has been introduced,"
Salomon tells ITFWorld.
"Thanks to it, I came back to
compete which I hadn't been able
to do for so many years. In fact,
not since college. Just being able to
compete again is so much fun and I
now train with a purpose. More than
anything else though, it's fun. I feel
like a junior again."
Similar sentiments are expressed
by Hungary's Livia Ott who, like
Salomon, is ranked No. 1 in mixed
doubles. Her sole titles to date
came on home soil at the Hungarian
Championship Istvan Gulyas,
where she also won the singles.
"It is such a good opportunity to
play tennis internationally," Ott tells
ITFWorld. "The 30+ age category
and the discovery of the ITF Seniors
community has given me the chance
to feel the joy of competition again.
"I started playing tennis in my
younger years and soon after began
to attend tournaments. As it turned
out, I had passion, ability and
strength and did well as a junior.
"As a teenager, I had the chance to
be part of the national team and got
a scholarship in the United States,
but eventually I chose to learn
instead of starting a tennis career.
"However, I could not live without
sport. Through the 30+ age group,
I have found my love of tennis
again and now my biggest aim is
to attend the ITF Young Seniors
World Individual Championships."
Ott's ambition may well be realised
at the ITF Young Seniors World
Individual Championships in Lisbon,
Portugal from 6-13 August, where
30+ draws will again feature on the
playing roster, as they did in 2021.
Those in the 90+ age group,
meanwhile, will get another
chance to compete at an event
of this stature far sooner as the
ITF Super Seniors World Individual
Championships take place at Palm
Beach County, Florida from 30 April
to 7 May.
The rationale for the ITF creating a
90+ age category was simple: the
number of active players of that
age competing at ITF Seniors
events was growing substantially.
It was therefore viable to introduce
a new age category and encourage
people to play tournaments
who may otherwise have been
discouraged by going head-to-
head with considerably younger
opponents.
The significance of people in their
nineties playing tennis can perhaps
be dismissed at times. However, it
was demonstrated in the most stark
and powerful terms last month when
Leonid Stanislavskyi insisted the
thought of one day returning to
the court was a significant source
of comfort amid Russia's ongoing
invasion of Ukraine.
At the time, Stanislavskyi, who at the
age of 98 is the oldest recognised
competitive tennis player on the
planet, was sheltering in his Kharkiv
home as the Ukrainian second city
was pounded by Russian gunfire
and bombing.
There have been happier times of
course and during the 2021 ITF
Super Seniors World Championships
on the Spanish island of Mallorca,
Stanislavskyi was invited for a hit
with 21-time Gland Slam champion
Rafael Nadal at his Manacor
academy.
While not all members of the 90+
community are facing up to the
horrors of war or sharing a court with
Nadal, the sport they love continues
to prove a fulfilling pursuit and plays
a sizeable role in their lives.
There are currently 84 players, 73 men
and 11 women, aged 90 and above
with an ITF world ranking. Until
recently, the top-ranked woman in
the 90+ age category was France's
Yvette Laubus, who insists, "as long
as somebody above keeps me in good
form, I will play".
"
The 30+ age
category and
the discovery of
the ITF Seniors
community has
given me the
chance to feel
the joy of
competition again.
Livia O
F U RT H E R I N FO R M AT I O N
SENIORS
