ITF

2022 ITF Annual Review 31 the ITF World Tennis Number (WTN) as a secondary measure of tournament acceptance. An ITF Junior ranking – and an ATP/WTA ranking where applicable – remains the primary method of acceptance to play a tournament, but where this is not available, a WTN can now be used as a global measure of playing standard. Junior educa on The ITF restarted player and support team educa on programmes in 2022, taking a one-sport approach in collabora on with the ATP, WTA, Grand Slam tournaments and the Interna onal Tennis Integrity Agency. In-person sessions were held at Wimbledon, the US Open and the ITF's junior team events. Players and their teams also have free access to a wealth of support resources online at the ITF Academy. Later in 2023, we will introduce mandatory educa on modules for all players compe ng in ITF junior events. These modules, available in mul ple languages, will cover an -doping, integrity, safeguarding, and tour rules and regula ons. Interna onal team events ITF junior team compe ons give young players invaluable experience to develop their game, and provide a path for the best to go on to compete as pros in Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge. The number of teams par cipa ng in 2022 recovered to pre-pandemic levels. The ITF World Junior Tennis Finals were held in Prostejov, with the Czech Tennis Associa on hos ng for the 23rd successive year. The Finals of this 14-and- under event brought together the top 16 boys and girls teams, drawn from regional qualifying events featuring 172 teams from 94 na ons. The winners were Czechia's girls and Switzerland's boys. The 16-and-under Davis Cup Juniors and Billie Jean King Cup Juniors Finals were held in Antalya, Turkey, also featuring the best 16 boys and girls teams. They advanced through regional qualifying in which 163 teams from 88 na ons took part. Brazil were first- me Davis Cup Juniors champions, while USA won Billie Jean King Cup Juniors. 2023 and beyond The ITF World Tennis Tour Junior Finals returns to the calendar in October 2023, and this pres gious best-of-the best tournament will once again be held in Chengdu, China. Our strategy for ITF Juniors will con nue to priori se the interna onal player pathway with a focus on providing a cohesive route for the younger under-10 to under-14 age groups, and the progression of high- performance players. We will deliver world-class tournament experiences on the tour and in our team compe ons. TOURS AND PLAYER PATHWAY ITF Junior team compe ons give young players invaluable experience to develop their game, and provide a path for the best to go on to compete in Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup.

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