ITF

4 Summer 2023 ITF World PRESIDENT'S VIEW In his welcome message, ITF President David Haggerty picks out some highlights from the year so far, both on and off court, and looks forward to the Finals of the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge. Welcome to the Summer issue of ITFWorld, which is the last edition of the magazine in this format. You'll find inside the front cover all the information you need to make sure you continue to receive all our news on a timely basis. What a rich tennis year 2023 is proving so far. I am writing this shortly before I travel to New York for the US Open, where a mouth-watering conclusion to the Grand Slam season awaits. At Wimbledon we watched Carlos Alcaraz triumph over Novak Djokovic in what is being seen as a changing of the guard in men's tennis, but 23-time Grand Slam winner Djokovic isn't done yet. Marketa Vondrousova stunned Ons Jabeur in an excellent women's final, accomplishing a life-affirming comeback from injury. While it was sad to witness Jabeur's distress at losing her third Grand Slam final, I feel sure her time will come. She has the whole of Tunisia, Africa and the Arab world behind her as she continues to take huge strides as a proud trailblazer. You can read in these pages a feature on the work being done to grow tennis in southern Africa, and it's clear that Jabeur is inspiring the whole continent. A key to the future Just as important for us at the ITF are the results in the junior and wheelchair events of the Grand Slams, and what they say about the future direction of our sport. The girls' final at Wimbledon this year featured two players who were part of winning teams at the Billie Jean King Cup Juniors in the past two years. Clervie Ngounoue, the champion, led USA to victory in our 16-and-under team event last year, while runner-up Nikola Bartunkova helped Czechia do the same in 2021. Undoubtedly the experience of having represented their countries at a young age has been invaluable to Ngounoue and Bartunkova as they reach new milestones in their young careers. Alina Korneeva, currently the junior world No. 1 after winning the Australian Open and Roland Garros girls' titles, made history on the ITF World Tennis Tour in July. Age 16 years and one month, the Russian won the W100 tournament in Figueira Da Foz, Portugal to become the youngest player ever to win a W100 title. Adding it to the W60 title she won in Pretoria in March, Korneeva is transitioning fast to the professional game, and it is great to see the ITF World Tennis Tour providing the opportunities for her to develop her game and rise up the rankings. Oda makes history As the newly-crowned Wimbledon men's wheelchair champion, 17-year-old Tokito Oda made headlines that extended across the tennis world as he became the youngest man ever to win a Wimbledon title in any discipline. Oda also won Roland Garros and the Japanese player's rapid rise to the top of the sport has created a great rivalry with Britain's Alfie Hewett. You can hear Hewett's thoughts on this rivalry, and much more, in our interview with the wheelchair world No. 2 in this magazine. Young star Niels Vink, 20, captured both the Roland Garros and Wimbledon wheelchair quad titles. On the women's side, the peerless Diede de Groot won her 11 successive Grand Slam singles crown at Wimbledon and extended her extraordinary winning streak to 111 matches. It has been so good to see the greater inclusion of wheelchair tennis at the major events over the last couple of years, with increased draw sizes and matches played on show courts. This recognition means more playing opportunities and greater earning potential for elite athletes, and greater visibility of the sport around the world, which supports the international development of the game. Wheelchair tennis is now being played in regions where it wasn't previously – it is always true that you have to see it to be it. Paris 2024 ahead Our Paralympic and Olympic athletes will be eyeing medals

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