ITF

CONTENTS ITF World Winter 2022/23 3 in this issue EDITOR Joanne Burnham CONTRIBUTORS Ross McLean works within the ITF's Communications department as Project Lead, Digital Content. Matt Roberts is co-host of The Tennis Podcast and a freelance tennis writer covering the Grand Slams, Billie Jean King Cup and Davis Cup. Marshall Thomas is a freelance press and PR consultant specialising in disability tennis who has been writing about wheelchair tennis for 25 years. Photo credits: Akira Ando, Ron Angle, Robert Adzanic, Roman Benicky, Mathilde Dusol, FFT, Getty Images for LTA, Andrei Golovanov, Lu Guang, Theron Kirkman, Daniel Kopatsch, Kalle Kortelainen/ Unsplash, Kosmos Tennis, Sergio Llamera, Jaime Lopez/JAM Media, Luis Mejia, Frank Molter, Susan Mullane, Newspix 24, Danilo Pantalena/Unsplash, Mauricio Ramos, Jorge Reyes, Hwang Seo-Jin, Dave Shopland, Shutterstock, SMP Images, Srdjan Stevanovic, Takeo Tanuma, Tennis Australia, USTA, Vietnam Tennis Federation, Witters, Marcello Zambrana, Paul Zimmer Cover photo: Ando/Llamera 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. © 2023 ITF Ltd. Please address all correspondence regarding ITFWorld to Joanne Burnham, ITF Communications Department at joanne.burnham@itftennis.com 4 President's view A welcome from ITF President David Haggerty. 6 Anything is possible Canada's breakthrough triumph in Davis Cup should provide inspiration for the nations bidding to reach this year's Finals. Matt Roberts previews the Qualifier ties. 10 Star on the rise ITF Junior Girls World Champion Lucie Havlickova discusses her stellar 2022 with Ross McLean and reflects on starting out on the professional pathway. 13 Hitting the sweet spot Gilles Bailly, ITF Junior Boys World Champion, talks to Ross McLean about his formula for success and representing Belgium. 16 Back in the mix The Hopman Cup returns to the tennis calendar this July, with a new home in Nice. 18 Living the dream It's been a rapid rise for Niels Vink, the Dutch quad star who was crowned ITF World Champion for the first time in 2022. Marshall Thomas caught up with him. 22 A golden career ITFWorld presents a photographic tribute to Shingo Kunieda. 24 Sweet taste of success 2022 was a landmark year for Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge, says Joanne Burnham, and there's plenty more to come as the women's World Cup of Tennis celebrates its 60th birthday. 28 Levelling the pathway Joanne Burnham looks at the latest improvements to the ITF World Tennis Tour and the drive for gender equality on the international player pathway. 32 Eastern promise This issue's regional focus is South, Southeast and East Asia. ITF Development Officer Jonathan Stubbs gives us an on-the-ground report from 10 lesser-known tennis nations. 38 News round-up and 2023 ITF calendar 18 13 C O V E R S T O R Y 28 10

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