Issue link: http://itf.uberflip.com/i/1491441
4 Winter 2022/23 ITF World PRESIDENT'S VIEW ITF President David Haggerty uses his welcome message to highlight initiatives which will bring important benefits to the growth of tennis in 2023. Welcome to the Winter 2022/23 edition of ITFWorld. The new year always brings a new start, but this is particularly true in the world of tennis. January ushers in the brilliant blue skies of Australia as the new season kicks into gear. Professional players start fresh after the December break, recreational players take to the court with new year's resolutions, and those of us involved in the governance of the game watch the annual calendar restart. I was in Poland recently to give some junior awards and see how the development work there has produced such great success – including two Top 10 players – in recent years. It's rewarding to see real change, and great to be back on the ground in the post-Covid era. I hope to do more of these trips in 2023, as do other members of the ITF Board. As we reflect on the Australian Open, we have also already seen some fantastic matches on the ITF World Tennis Tour, the ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors, the UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Tour and in Beach and Masters tennis. Business as usual for Davis Cup After the Australian Open we're looking forward to the Davis Cup by Rakuten Qualifiers and on that note I will write a few words. The ITF recently confirmed that our partnership for the event with Kosmos Tennis has ended. I would like to reiterate that financial contingencies are in place, and that the 2023 event will take place as scheduled, with the Final 8 being held in Malaga, Spain in November. In the five years of the partnership, we increased participation, prize money and interest in the largest annual international team competition in sport. For 2023, a record 155 nations have entered. We also produced funding to support the global development of tennis, which is at the core of the ITF's mission. For 2023 and beyond, we also have the very welcome news that the ITF and ATP have forged an unprecedented strategic alliance to support the Davis Cup. This enables strategic collaboration on the competition's governance and evolution, with the ATP granted two seats on the Davis Cup Event Committee. This year's Davis Cup Finals and Qualifier ties are an official part of the 2023 calendar. For the first time in history, the ITF and ATP are united in a combined effort to maximise the success of the Davis Cup. The new alliance further strengthens the importance of team competition and Davis Cup's unique role in elite men's tennis as part of the Olympic Qualification Pathway, and the sole men's team competition in the pro tennis calendar where teams are officially selected by their nation. I'm confident that we'll have another great edition of Davis Cup in 2023, and we remain focused on the future growth of the men's World Cup of Tennis, as we are for Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge, the women's World Cup of Tennis.