Issue link: http://itf.uberflip.com/i/1477107
2021 ITF Annual Review 34 TOURS AND PLAYER PATHWAY Beach Tennis is a rapidly growing sport with a bold aim: to become the leading beach sport for professional and junior athletes worldwide. Vibrant, engaging and fast-paced, the sport is played using beach tennis paddles and a low-compression stage two orange tennis ball, on sand courts measuring 16 x 8 metres and with a net 1.7 metres high. In 2021, the ITF launched the Sand Series, four tournaments held in iconic beach tennis loca ons that form a new top er on the ITF Beach Tennis World Tour. The series offers more challenging professional beach tennis playing opportuni es with greater ranking points and prize money. Set against stunning backdrops, including Gran Canaria in Spain and Brasilia in Brazil, the events are expected to a ract a wider audience with this vibrant version of tennis. From 2022, we plan to expand the series to seven loca ons, with three new, yet to be announced, des na ons being added. We delivered a full schedule of major events in 2021, including the first ITF Beach Tennis World Cup in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. We worked with our member Na onal Associa ons to accelerate the recovery of the wider ITF Beach Tennis World Tour – in the fourth quarter of 2021 we were successful in returning to 88% of tournament numbers from the same period pre-pandemic. In 2022 and beyond, the ITF will con nue to work in partnership with Na onal Associa ons to increase investment in beach tennis and grow playing opportuni es by returning to a pre-pandemic calendar of around 300 tournaments, including the expansion of the elite Sand Series. We'll invest in the future of the sport by doubling the size of the Beach Tennis Junior Tour and explore the use of an ITF World Beach Tennis Number as an alterna ve to junior world rankings, which will enable a more consistent, sustainable, coherent pathway to the Beach Tennis World Tour. We'll increase par cipa on through our partnership with beach tennis brand Sandever, who will distribute 200 'superkits' of beach tennis equipment free to Na onal Associa ons as part of a revamped Beach Tennis Global Development Programme. The ITF will innovate to improve beach tennis by running trials focusing on the height of the net and ball visibility, as well as providing a ranking for the elite mixed doubles events that are currently run at major tournaments. We'll ensure ongoing integrity within the sport through the development of new, innova ve coaching and officia ng programmes. Beach Tennis The ITF Beach Tennis World Tour comprises over 300 tournaments in 37 countries, with the sport 's flagship competitions including the ITF Beach Tennis World Championships and the ITF Beach Tennis World Cup, as well as regional championships in Europe, Africa and the Americas. DID YOU KNOW?