Issue link: http://itf.uberflip.com/i/441551
WINTER 2014 Welcome 2 ITFWORLD WINTER 2014 T his year, as we complete the tennis season with the two ITF international team competitions, Fed Cup by BNP Paribas and Davis Cup by BNP Paribas, I am struck by how fresh and original they remain so many years after they were founded. It was a privilege to be in Prague to see two great teams compete for the Fed Cup by BNP Paribas title, 51 years after the competition was founded, in front of 13,000 people each day. And it was an honour to be in Lille and see tears in the eyes of two Grand Slam champions, one of whom is surely the best player ever to play this game, when the Swiss lifted the Davis Cup for the first time. Dwight Davis, who donated the Cup 115 years ago for a two-nation competition, would have been proud to see his trophy in such good hands. My congratulations to the Czech team who won the Fed Cup for the third time in four years with a 3-1 victory over Germany to the delight of the cheering Czech fans who crowded the O2 Arena both days. The decisive match between Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova and Angelique Kerber was a dramatic struggle of will, finally won by Kvitova 76 46 64. Both teams are blessed with great captains in Petr Pala and Barbara Rittner and solid commitment from their players. Helena Sukova received the ITF/ITHF Fed Cup Award of Excellence, a fitting honour for her 13 years of participation in Fed Cup including four titles. I want to extend my thanks to Ivo Kaderka, President of Czech Tennis, for his warm hospitality and the great staging of this final. One thing that can always be counted on when the French Tennis Federation (FFT) stages a tie is that it will be outstanding. This Davis Cup Final, between France and Switzerland, was no exception and, considering how brave an effort it was to host it in an unheated football stadium, the FFT not only exceeded its responsibility but gave a gift to Davis Cup with record crowds and great organisation. I could write an entire message based on the innovations of the Stade Pierre Mauroy but, suffice to say, it was a triumph. It was a joy to see Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka celebrate the victory with their teammates, Marco Chiudinelli and Michael Lammer, and captain Severin Luthi and the thousands of Swiss fans who travelled to Lille to watch them compete. The 10,000 people welcoming them home in Lausanne the next day were a testament to how much this win meant to the Swiss fans and for the country. For French captain Arnaud Clement and his team, it was a difficult weekend but there is so much talent there that I find it hard to believe that they will not lift the trophy for a tenth time soon. Better memories for the French would include honouring the heroes of the 1991 Davis Cup campaign, Guy Forget and Henri Leconte, who were presented with the ITF/ITHF Davis Cup Award of Excellence, and Pierre Darmon, so far the most successful French player of all time, receiving the Davis Cup Commitment Award. Pierre has a very impressive 47-21 win-loss record over 12 years in the competition. My thanks to FFT President Jean Gachassin for his exceptional welcome and, once again, congratulations to the FFT for a great effort in the organisation of this final. What 2014 demonstrated in both Davis Cup and Fed Cup is that our Show Your Colours campaign, introduced at last year's Davis Cup Final to celebrate the fan, was absolutely the right concept. I have been to seven ties across the two competitions this Francesco Ricci Bitti at the Youth Olympic Games with Jon Vegosen, ITF Junior Committee Chairman ENDING ON A HIGH