Issue link: http://itf.uberflip.com/i/441551
ITFWORLD WINTER 2014 1 www.itftennis.com Front cover photography by Paul Zimmer. EDITOR Joanne Burnham CONTRIBUTORS Simon Cambers is a freelance sports journalist, specialising in tennis, with more than ten years' experience covering both the men's and women's games. Stuart Fraser is a freelance sports journalist who has covered tennis for a number of different media outlets in the UK including the Daily Mail, The Sun and BBC Radio Scotland. He was a reporter for the London 2012 Olympic News Service at Wimbledon. Mark Hodgkinson is the author of Game, Set and Match: The Secret Weapons of the World's Greatest Tennis Players, which will be published in May. He is also a director of Spin Sports and Entertainment, which created the official Fantasy Wimbledon game. Kevin Mitchell is the tennis (and boxing) correspondent for UK's The Guardian and The Observer, where he has worked for nearly 25 years. He is a toweringly ordinary player on all surfaces with a single shot in his locker, a chopped, lefthanded backhand that on a good day spins back over the net. His inside look at the changing face of the modern game, Break Point, was published in 2014. Alix ramsay has been writing about tennis for longer than she cares to remember and, these days, spends her time following Andy Murray around the globe. She has written for newspapers as far afield as Melbourne, Los Angeles, Edinburgh and London. Jamie renton is a member of the ITF Communications department and editor of the annual publication The ITF Year. He previously worked for London-based Tennishead magazine. phOTO CREDITS Corinne Dubreuil, Mathilde Dusol, Ray Giubilo, Giorgio Maiozzi, Fred and Susan Mullane, Martin Sidorjak, SmashOnTheBeach, Takeo Tanuma, Tennis Foundation, Steve Wylie, Paul Zimmer. DESIGN AND pRODUCTION Clarus · www.clarus-design.com ITFWorld is published by ITF Ltd, PO Box N-272, Nassau, Bahamas. All rights reserved throughout the world. No part of ITFWorld may be reproduced without the prior written permission of the publisher. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the publisher. The publishers accept no responsibility for return of manuscripts, photos or artwork, but if you send material you must include an SAE. Whilst we make every effort to ensure that all editorial material is factually correct at the time of going to press, we cannot accept responsibility if any errors occur and for matters arising as a result. Views expressed in ITFWorld do not necessarily reflect official ITF policy. It should not be inferred that products advertised in this magazine are officially approved by the ITF. © 2014 ITF Ltd. Please address all correspondence regarding ITFWorld to Joanne Burnham, ITF Communications Department, ITF Licensing UK Ltd, Bank Lane, Roehampton, London SW15 5XZ, UK. email: joanne.burnham@itftennis.com In ThIS ISSUE 2 WELCOME MESSAGE From ITF President Francesco Ricci Bitti. 4 HELLO DubAI The UAE's glittering capital provided the setting for the first ITF AGM to be held in the Middle East. 6 THE bEST OF 2014 ITFWorld details the achievements of the ten players who, in a highly competitive season, outperformed the rest of the men's, women's, wheelchair and junior fields to be named 2014 ITF World Champions. 12 CZECH AGAIN Czech Republic became the second most successful nation in the history of Fed Cup by BNP Paribas when its formidable team defeated Germany for the 2014 title. Stuart Fraser reports. 16 REACHING NEW HEIGHTS In front of a record crowd in Lille, Switzerland dashed the hopes of hosts France to finally lift the Davis Cup trophy and become the 14th nation to win the competition. Kevin Mitchell watched history unfold. 24 LONDON SMILING As the NEC Wheelchair Masters moved to its new home in London, it was medallists from the 2012 Paralympics held at the same venue that excelled, says Mark Hodgkinson. 26 NANJING STAGES INNOVATIVE YOuTH OLYMPICS The second Youth Olympic Games was a hit with players and public in China, who welcomed a home gold medallist in girls' champion Xu Shilin. Jamie Renton was there. 30 DREAM TEAMS USA swept the board at Junior Davis Cup and Fed Cup by BNP Paribas, while Germany and Russia triumphed at the ITF World Junior Tennis Finals. 32 HAPPY 18TH For different reasons, both Serena Williams and Marin Cilic were unlikely winners at the US Open, says Alix Ramsay, as she reflects on the final Slam of 2014. 36 HOT PROPERTY Simon Cambers looks back at the junior US Open, where top honours went to Australia's Omar Jasika and Marie Bouzkova of Czech Republic. 38 NEWS ROuND-uP ITF stories from the closing months of 2014. 40 LOOkING AHEAD The 2015 calendar of events. COntentS WINTER 2014 THE INTERNATIONAL TENNIS FEDERATION'S OFFICIAL MAGAZINE 56 26 32 12 16