ITF

ITFWORLD SPRING 2016 35 www.itftennis.com The ITF was saddened to learn of the death of David Harnik in March following a six-month battle with illness. Harnik was President of the Israel Tennis Association for 23 years, and spent the past 12 years as the organisation's Honorary President. The Junior Davis Cup and Junior Fed Cup by BNP Paribas Finals will be held in Budapest, Hungary for the next three years, starting with the 2016 event, which runs from 27 September to 2 October. From the competition's inaugural year in 1985 when 44 nations took part in regional qualifying with the top 16 boys' and 16 girls' teams moving through to the Finals in Kobe, Japan, the competition has grown to feature around 100 nations every year. Many of the world's leading players have represented their countries in the 16-and-under team competitions, including Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Agnieszka Radwanska and Simona Halep. SPRING 2016 NEWS ROUND-UP BUDAPEST TO HOST JUNIOR DAVIS CUP AND JUNIOR FED CUP BY BNP PARIBAS OBITUARY: DAVID HARNIK Long-serving ITF Chief Operating Officer Juan Margets will be leaving the ITF at the end of 2016, it has been announced. Margets served on the ITF Board of Directors from 1991 through 2015 and was ITF Executive Vice President from 1998 through 2015. He served as Chairman of the Davis Cup Committee 1999 through 2015, the ITF/ATP Men's Circuit Committee 1999-2013 and the ITF Wheelchair Committee 1997-1999. He is General Secretary of the ITF and will act in that role at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and is also the ITF representative on the WTA Board. Margets' outstanding achievements at the ITF have included the implementation of the Davis Cup and Fed Cup Nations rankings which created an objective system of seeding in both competitions, the expansion of the Fed Cup competition from two to three weeks, the creation of the Court Pace Rating rule which excluded extreme surfaces in Davis Cup and Fed Cup, and a comprehensive review of the ITF's media rights distribution model that resulted in the signing of beIN Sports as the ITF's global media rights partner. Margets will formally leave the ITF on 30 September but will consult through the end of the year and assist in the transition to a new Chief Operating Officer who will be named at a later date. MARGETS TO STEP DOWN "It has been a privilege for me for over 25 years to be part of the ITF family, first as a member of the ITF Board of Directors and then in my senior management position in London," said Margets. "I have served under three Presidents, Brian Tobin, Francesco Ricci Bitti and now Dave Haggerty, and the experience with each has been very rewarding." A Davis and Fed Cup Referees' Seminar was held over two days at the ITF offices in London in February. Nineteen referees from around the world took part in the meeting which, though hosted predominantly for those working at Davis and Fed Cup by BNP Paribas World Group ties, also included several referees from Zones I and II. The purpose of the seminar, which it is hoped will become a regular event, was to bring together officials who regularly work independently at Davis Cup and Fed Cup and ensure mutual understanding with regard to duties and procedures, as well as to give referees more information on the ITF's individual departments. In addition to discussing specific on-court procedures, refereeing knowledge and the use of body language and gestures while in the spotlight, the seminar provided officials with an understanding of ITF functions including Anti-Doping, Communications, Commercial, Event Operations, Live Scoring and Technical, and also provided more information on the work of the Tennis Integrity Unit. OBITUARY: JULIEN HOFERLIN The ITF was saddened to learn of the death of former Belgian Davis Cup captain Julien Hoferlin, who died in April at the age of 49 following cancer treatment. Hoferlin, who worked for the Belgian Tennis Federation as a consultant and had also coached the British Davis Cup team after a spell working for Britain's Lawn Tennis Association, underwent major surgery on a brain tumour shortly before the two teams he had coached met in the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas Final last November. Hoferlin captained the Belgian Davis Cup team from 2006 to 2008, overseeing their promotion from Europe/Africa Zone Group I to a place in the 2007 World Group quarterfinals. He also coached a number of Belgium's most prominent players, including former world No. 9 and Olympic doubles bronze medallist Dominique Monami, Christophe and Olivier Rochus, and Steve Darcis. At the LTA, he worked with Britain's No. 1 Johanna Konta and was also personal coach to current British Davis Cup player Dan Evans. ITF HOSTS REFEREES' SEMINAR Tennis was an integral part of life for Harnik, who had a tremendous impact on the Israel Tennis Association. During his time at the organisation, Israeli tennis achieved good results at international level, notably in Davis Cup and Fed Cup by BNP Paribas, and through its individual players at tour level. Last year's winners Canada and Czech Republic

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