ITF

The ITF Seniors Circuit continued its growth in 2014, with 346 tournaments taking place in 69 countries around the world. Men and women competed in 21 age categories, between 35-and-over and 85-and-over, with over 23,000 players taking part. It was the first year that IPIN (International Player Identification Number) was offered without subsidies to senior players. As a result all players were required to pay full price and the number of players registered for a Seniors IPIN decreased from 28,900 at the end of 2013 to 20,900 by the end of 2014. However, this reduction was less than forecast and more accurately reflects the size of the ITF Seniors community. The number of players actively participating in ITF Seniors Circuit tournaments in 2014 remained stable. The ITF Seniors community is the largest group of IPIN users worldwide and it is clear that the vast majority of players support the movement to digitalisation. 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 entry method. The Seniors and Super-Seniors World Championships included the use of live scoring for the first time in 2014, courtesy of the ITF partner, Tennis Ticker. This additional service will be offered to all ITF Seniors Circuit tournaments in 2015. The Seniors World Team and Individual Championships took place in Boca Raton and Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA, and constituted the largest combined event on record. The Seniors Individual World Championships welcomed 900 entrants from 55 nations, including several former Top 100 ranked players. The Team Championships consisted of 194 teams representing 38 nations and went largely the way of the Europeans. France won three cups while Spain, Great Britain and Austria also claimed silverware. DEVELOPMENT: ITF SENIORS CIRCUIT 21 The USA won three age groups of its own, defending the Maureen Connolly Cup (women's 55) and claiming the Margaret Court Cup (women's 45) and the Dubler Cup (men's 45). Australia completed the list of champions with victory in the Austria Cup (men's 55). For the 60-80 age groups, the Super-Seniors World Team Championships were held in Manavgat, Turkey in October. The honours were shared, with USA claiming three of the ten cups on offer; France claimed two, while Australia, Canada, Germany, Great Britain and Spain claimed one apiece. Doris Jane Lutz from USA was among the winners at a weather-affected Super-Seniors World Individual Championships, which was played at the same venue in Turkey the following week. Lutz successfully retained her women's 85 title. Germany's Heide Orth was honoured for Outstanding Achievement in Seniors Tennis at the World Champions Dinner in Paris. ITF SENIORS CIRCUIT 23,000 PLAYERS COMPETED IN SENIORS EVENTS IN 2014

• Cover