Issue link: http://itf.uberflip.com/i/315708
ITFWORLD SPRING 2014 3 www.itftennis.com Like Davis Cup by BNP Paribas, Fed Cup by BNP Paribas is also celebrating the extraordinary fans who follow their national teams. Germany's loyal supporters have been rewarded with their country's first appearance in a Fed Cup Final since 1992, where they will face Czech Republic, the seven-time champions. As in the first round, Andrea Petkovic and world No. 7 Angelique Kerber combined to win the first three singles rubbers of their semifinal away to Australia, defeating the hosts 3-1 in Brisbane. Czech Republic dominated defending champions Italy 4-0 in Ostrava with Petra Kvitova winning twice in front of an ecstatic home crowd. The Czechs will host the final in November and it looks set to be a great encounter between two very strong teams. In the Fed Cup World Group play-off ties, Poland and Canada gained promotion to the elite World Group for the first time. World No. 3 Agnieszka Radwanska won all three rubbers she played, including the decisive doubles, to defeat Spain 3-2 in Barcelona, while world No. 18 Eugenie Bouchard followed up Aleksandra Wozniak's defeat of the much higher- ranked Jana Cepelova by winning both of her singles to defeat Slovak Republic in Quebec City. Russia maintained its place in the World Group for 2015 after defeating Argentina 4-0 in Sochi, while France returned to the top level for the first time since 2011 thanks to a standout performance from Caroline Garcia, who won three live matches to help France defeat USA 3-2 in St. Louis. I was in Bucharest for the World Group II play-off tie between Romania and Serbia, and it was wonderful to see history being made as Romania's talented team featuring world No. 5 Simona Halep and Sorana Cirstea won promotion to World Group II for the first time. The hosts were in impressive form defeating an Ana Ivanovic-led Serbian team 4-1. Elsewhere, Netherlands defeated Japan 3-2 in Den Bosch to return to World Group II for the first time since 1999, Sweden defeated Thailand 4-0 in Lidkoping, and Switzerland maintained its place in World Group II thanks to a 4-1 victory over Brazil in Catanduva. Congratulations to all the winning nations, and we look forward to seeing how the new teams at the top of the competition fare in 2015. By any reckoning, the new 'Show Your Colours' campaign has been a rousing success. Thanks to our nations who are supporting this campaign with 100 percent full compliance for both Davis Cup and Fed Cup. The materials look great and showcase the special qualities that make these competitions distinct from anything else in tennis. I want to thank everyone involved for a job very well done and for their continued support in the future. We celebrated the second edition of World Tennis Day on 3 March and the response from our nations was impressive with some 94 countries taking part, a big increase over 2013 when 58 nations scheduled activities on the day. There were three special events around the world in Hong Kong, New York and London. I attended the London World Tennis Day Showdown. I know that the 5,000-plus spectators at Earl's Court loved seeing four legends of the game, Andre Agassi, Pat Cash, Ivan Lendl and Pete Sampras. The players were in great form and I felt the event was a success. In April, the ITF announced the launch of the Junior Masters which will take place in Chengdu, China in April 2015. This new special event will feature eight of the world's top junior players and shine a light on talented players from around the world in junior competition. Junior tennis has always held a special place in my heart and it is good to see increased interest around the world for what is truly outstanding competition. As we look ahead to one of our sport's busiest seasons, our thoughts are on some of the people we will honour at this year's ITF World Champions Dinner. In this issue of ITFWorld, you can read about Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde, who will be presented with this year's Philippe Chatrier Award, and Heide Orth, who will receive the ITF Seniors Award for Outstanding Achievement. Todd and Mark were not only great ambassadors for the sport as successful doubles players but have gone on to make contributions in tennis administration, in coaching and as broadcasters. Heide will be honoured for her career as the most successful female player in the history of senior tennis. Before closing, I would like to say a brief word about Mohammed M'Jid, the president of the Moroccan Tennis Federation, who died recently. He was a good friend for many years and he was someone who made a big difference in his country and in Africa. Tennis flourished in Morocco under his leadership and he will surely be missed. The new ITF Junior Masters will feature eight of the world's top players and shine a light on talented players from around the world in junior competition. Francesco Ricci bitti ITF President