Issue link: http://itf.uberflip.com/i/560492
ITFWORLD SUMMER 2015 9 www.itftennis.com There seem to be more and more cases of corruption coming to light in recent months. Do you think that this is a reflection of improved methods of surveillance and detection, or indicative of increased illicit activity in tennis? I think what you will find is that most of the cases that have been coming to light are not indicative of a rise in corruption but a natural conclusion to the important work of the Tennis Integrity Unit who find and prosecute offenders. Of course, the growth of online betting has made every sport more vulnerable to corruption but overall I think, as a sport, we are doing a good job in educating players and support personnel and in keeping most corruption at bay. Tennis is considered to be among the best in the Olympic movement in fighting doping and corruption and we deserve more credit for what we do. Everyone is aware of your dedication to junior tennis. Tell us a bit about that. Even now, I am a great fan of junior tennis. I was a good junior player myself, although not talented enough to have a professional career at that time. Being chairman of the Junior Committee for both Tennis Europe and the ITF made it clear to me that something needed to be done to foster the talent of junior players and the idea of a junior tour seemed the best way to deliver this objective. In retrospect, it is encouraging to know that we took the right decision, creating the ITF Junior Circuit from a few tournaments in 1977 to its current position in 120 countries around the world. The Tennis Europe Junior Tour has been hugely successful as witnessed by the number of talented players that have come through the junior competitions in this region. The ITF Junior Circuit achieves this on a global basis and it seems to me that the junior game is stronger than ever. We also created team competitions for Under 16s and 14s and decided to delegate the management of the Junior Circuit to the regional associations in order to give players maximum access to competition without major travel. This has produced many positive effects. I had the privilege of attending the first ITF Junior Masters in Chengdu where the 16 best players played for travel grants and wild cards into professional events. The stadiums were full and there was a lot of media coverage and, in my view, it was a huge success and gave these players a small preview of what it will be like for them as professionals. You have seen a great change in the landscape of tennis over the years of your presidency. Can you talk a little bit about that? The return of tennis to the Olympic Games and the support received for our sport from National Olympic Committees has increased the footprint of tennis enormously over the last 16 years. Just take a look at the draws for the Grand Slam tournaments and see the huge diversity of countries represented compared with only a few years ago. The Grand Slam Development Fund also must take some credit for this as, since 1986, the GSDF has generously helped to grow tennis in less developed parts of the world and that continues today. Just recently, Kosovo became the 50th member of Tennis Europe and is seeking ITF membership. They have worked very hard to make themselves eligible and, while controversial, this is a clear case in my view of the importance of the autonomy of sport. By accepting Kosovo, and other countries like Kosovo, we are accepting their athletes and not making assessments of political situations around the world. What message would you give your successor? I have been very fortunate to work with great people from the team at Roehampton, our Board of Directors and national associations. I will tell him to work with these people, learn from them as I did, so that he can take the ITF to greater heights. I will tell him to respect tradition and welcome innovation and that the two can co-exist very happily in our organisation. Finally, I will urge him to take pride in the important work that the ITF does for tennis, from the elite of Olympics, Davis Cup and Fed Cup to the less celebrated but still important work of our Development department and foremost to protect the integrity of the game. www.itftennis.com Czech Republic has been the most successful Fed Cup by BNP Paribas nation of recent years Venus Williams with Ricci Bitti after winning gold at the 2000 Games in Sydney This interview is adapted from one previously given to Tennis Europe News in April 2015.