ITF

32 Tours and Player Pathway The ITF's ambi on is to enhance lives through wheelchair tennis. We are growing the game at all levels and introducing it to more people in more countries around the world. We provide professional playing opportuni es in six tournament grades on the UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Tour, and stage the year-end NEC and UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Masters as well as the BNP Paribas World Team Cup. Prize money grows A record $5.7 million in prize money was available on the UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Tour in 2023, a 28% increase on 2022. This was coupled with a record number of tournaments – 168 were held, five more than the previous high of 163 staged in 2019. The prize money increase was fuelled by the four Grand Slam tournaments. The Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open con nued to expand their wheelchair tennis events in 2023 and raise its profile by scheduling marquee matches on show courts. There were increases in the men's and women's draw sizes at the Australian Open and Roland Garros, and in the quad draw at the US Open. This ensured there were 152 wheelchair tennis singles places available across the four major tournaments in 2023, a 27% increase on the 120 spots in 2022. Growing recogni on for wheelchair tennis means greater visibility of the sport around the world, which supports the development of the game at all levels. Our athlete classifica on programme ensures that wheelchair tennis compe on takes place with the highest standards of integrity, and we conducted 383 player evalua ons in 2023. We introduced quality assurance measures for the first me to ensure players who have already been classified remain eligible for compe on. Records set in World Team Cup A record 49 na ons took part in the 2023 BNP Paribas World Team Cup, the ITF's interna onal wheelchair team compe on which is the equivalent to Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup. There were a record 93 na onal teams involved across the men's, women's, quad and junior categories. A er qualifica on events in Africa, the Americas, Asia and Europe, 40 teams from 22 countries competed in the World Group in Vilamoura, Portugal, including Thailand's quad team, which advanced to the elite stage for the first me. Netherlands were women's and quad champions, and Great Britain won the men's and junior tles. Grassroots development The ITF spent $380,000 on wheelchair tennis development programmes in 2023, partly funded by a grant of $75,000 from the Johan Cruyff Founda on. WHEELCHAIR TENNIS THE GRAND SLAM TOURNAMENTS CONTINUED TO EXPAND THEIR WHEELCHAIR TENNIS EVENTS IN 2023 AND RAISE ITS PROFILE BY SCHEDULING MARQUEE MATCHES ON SHOW COURTS.

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