ITF

ITF SENIORS CIRCUIT A highlight of the junior tennis calendar is the ITF/CAT African Junior Championships (AJC). The event was held in Kenya on 18- 23 March and offered competition in two age groups – at the 14 and 16 & under levels. Players from West & Central Africa, Southern Africa and East Africa competed in zonal championships in January to qualify for a place at the AJC. The 18 & under AJC were held as a separate event in Potchefstroom, South Africa on 18-23 February. In total, there were 425 players from 34 African countries participating in the main AJC and the three zonal championships. While competition drives the sport, the training of the best players is also vital. In January 2013 the ITF opened a ITF/CAT High Performance Training Centre in Casablanca, Morocco following the decision taken to amalgamate the Francophone Training Centre in Dakar with the Training Centre in South Africa. The new facility provides a high performance centre closer to the competitive opportunities offered in Europe. At the end of 2013, 23 players from Africa were based full-time at the centre. The ITF also continued to operate training centres in Fiji and Burundi – where players from less developed tennis nations can attend on a full-time or part-time basis. In 2013, 25 players attended the two centres on a full-time basis, with their time split between schooling and training. Many of the players attending the ITF centres are benefitting from Olympic Solidarity scholarships as a result of their performance at regional competitions. The ITF/GSDF Touring Team programme is probably the most well-known initiative of the ITF Development Programme. The flagship team is the International 18 & Under Team in Europe which plays a series of Grade 1 and Grade A events including junior Roland Garros and junior Wimbledon. There were nine junior players from nine countries on the team this year. Anhelina Kalinina (UKR) captured two girls' singles titles on the tour – the Astrid Bowl Charleroi and the Gerry Weber Junior Open. Kalinina also partnered fellow team member Iryna Shymanovich (BLR) to win the girls' doubles title at the Gerry Weber Junior Open and finish as runners-up at junior Wimbledon. Kalinina was ranked No. 58 on the ITF Junior Rankings when she joined the team in May 2013, but after eight weeks on the road, she had climbed the rankings to No. 19. The ITF/GSDF Touring Team programme continues to give talented players the opportunity to play higher-level events outside their region, with the ITF/GSDF coach and expenses during the tour financed by the ITF/GSDF programme. In 2013 there were 23 ITF/GSDF touring teams involving 155 players from 63 countries. Although players now have access to more competitive opportunities through regional circuits and teams, there are still no guarantees that a successful junior player will be able to make the difficult transition to the professional circuit. The GSDF provides travel grants for talented players to play entry-level professional events. In 2013, 32 players from 16 nations were awarded travel grants to play a specific programme of events outside of their own countries. The ITF Seniors Circuit continued its growth in 2013, with 310 tournaments taking place in 68 countries around the world. Men and women competed in 21 age categories, between 35-and-over and 85-and-over, with over 22,800 players taking part. After the introduction of the digitalisation of the ITF Seniors Circuit 12 months before, 2013 was marked by the consolidation of a project which had profoundly modernised the Circuit. The number of seniors players registered for a Seniors IPIN (International Player Identification Number) grew in the course of the year from 23,500 at the end of 2012 to over 28,900 by the end of 2013. Over 95 per cent of the entries for all tournaments were made through the IPIN online entry system, with only a small minority of players still using faxes as an alternative entry method. The introduction of the doubles and mixed doubles World Individual Rankings proved a big success amongst the players and tournament directors. The percentage of tournaments offering doubles events was 85 per cent in 2013, an increase of 15 per cent on 2012. An even greater increase (16 per cent on 2012) could be observed in mixed doubles competitions with 51 per cent of the tournaments offering it in 2013. This year was also notable for the introduction of the women's 85 age group at World Individual Championships level as well as for ITF Seniors Circuit events. With this introduction the concept of gender equality is now fully implemented in international Seniors tennis. The Seniors World Team Championships, which took place in Manavgat, Turkey, went largely the way of the Europeans as Spain and Great Britain won two cups each and France, Italy, Netherlands and Belgium also claimed silverware. Only the older ladies' age groups went outside Europe as USA won the Maria Esther Bueno Cup (women's 50) and the Maureen Connolly Cup (women's 55). The performance of Annette Zweck from Germany was particularly impressive in the Seniors World Individual Championships, as she won the women's 35 singles, doubles and mixed doubles titles. For the 60-80 age groups, the Super-Seniors World Team Championships were held in Austria and Czech Republic in September. USA claimed six of the 10 cups on offer with Canada, Great Britain, France and Spain winning the others. Doris Jane Lutz from USA won the first women's 85 singles title at the Super-Seniors World Individual Championships which took place in Carinthia, Austria. 22 DEVELOPMENT: ITF DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME 23 DEVELOPMENT: ITF SENIORS CIRCUIT 155 Players involved in 23 ITF/GSDF Touring Teams With the introduction of the women's 85 age group, the concept of gender equality is now fully implemented in international Seniors tennis. (Continued from previous page)

• Cover