Issue link: http://itf.uberflip.com/i/1524501
2023 ITF Annual Review 21 Nigeria's Oluwaseun Peter Ogunsakin, who trains in Sousse, reached the quarter- finals at a major Tennis Europe 14-and-under event in Germany. He also won the African Junior Championships for the same age group, defea ng fellow training centre resident Ahmed Darmoul of Tunisia. Sarra A g, also Tunisian and from the centre, was the third-placed girl at the same event. The ITF and the Oceania Tennis Federa on started a Pacific Oceania regional development programme in 2023, involving 11 na ons, 1,000 players and more than 50 coaches. It will be expanded in 2024 to include the pilo ng of a regional touring team programme. We invest in junior events around the world to ensure that compe ve opportuni es are offered as widely as possible and that talented players from all na ons are iden fied. In 2023, more than 50 tournaments were held across six regions. There were five 14-and-under regional championships funded by the Grand Slam tournaments. The ITF funded 19 regional team compe ons for 12-and- unders, along with an addi onal 26 regional events for players ranging from 13 to 18 years. This ensures that an interna onal player pathway exists in every geographical region, beginning with 12-and-under regional team compe on and extending to the 18-and-under ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors and beyond to the professional game. Regional 14-and-under championships featured a total of 292 players from 65 na ons. They were held in Brazil, Dominican Republic, Fiji, Togo and Cambodia, where the Asian Tennis Federa on hosted its first 14-and-under regional championships since the pandemic. The winners and finalists of these tournaments qualify to take part in the next step on the 14-and-under player pathway, compe ng in major interna onal events like the Orange Bowl in Florida, or the Australian Open Asia-Pacific Elite Trophy in Melbourne. In the 12-and-under junior team compe ons, a record 753 boys and girls took part – a 31% increase on 2019 (the most comparable year due to the pandemic and its a er- effects). Across the 19 events, 107 na ons were involved, a 9% upli . This growth reflects the popularity and importance of compe on at this age level. EVENTS OUR INVESTMENT ENSURES THAT AN INTERNATIONAL PLAYER PATHWAY EXISTS IN EVERY GEOGRAPHICAL REGION, BEGINNING WITH 12-AND-UNDER REGIONAL TEAM COMPETITION AND EXTENDING TO THE 18-AND- UNDER ITF WORLD TENNIS TOUR JUNIORS AND BEYOND TO THE PROFESSIONAL GAME.