Issue link: http://itf.uberflip.com/i/867059
8 ITFWORLD SUMMER 2017 GRAND SLAM ® DEVELOPMENT FUND A WORLD OF OPPORTUNITY For the past 31 years the Grand Slam® Development Fund has played a central role in growing competitive tennis around the world. The introduction of International Player Grand Slam® Grants, financed by the Grand Slam tournaments, takes this a step further. A sk almost any player starting out on their professional career and trying to make the transition from juniors or ITF Pro Circuit events to the WTA and ATP tours, and they will tell you that, side-by-side with ranking concerns, they worry about money. Tennis can be a costly sport when you're competing at a level where your outgoings outstrip your prize money, but you have to invest to continuously improve. The new International Player Grand Slam ® Grants, financed by the Grand Slam tournaments through the Grand Slam Development Fund, aim to ease financial burdens so that talented individuals from around the world can shine, develop as professional tennis players and ultimately compete in the four major tournaments. Fourteen players from 12 countries were selected to receive the first-ever International Player Grand Slam Grants, given as a contribution towards their competition-related costs. The grants, announced in May, were awarded to men and women who met specific age, ranking and regional representation criteria and show exceptional potential, to a total of $650,000 in 2017. Six men each received $50,000 grants: Christian Garin of Chile, Lloyd Harris of South Africa, Ilya Ivashka of Belarus, Jurabek Karimov of Uzbekistan, Duckhee Lee of Korea and Elias Ymer of Sweden. The six women awarded $50,000 each were Brazil's Beatriz Haddad Maia, Tunisia's Ons Jabeur, Sweden's Rebecca Peterson, Uzbekistan's Sabina Sharipova, Bulgaria's Viktoriya Tomova and Mexico's Renata Zarazua. Additionally Jose Statham of New Zealand and Abigail Tere-Apisah of Papua New Guinea both received $25,000 as the highest-ranked players in the Pacific region, to ensure grants were awarded to at least one player from each region. "This important new initiative will provide necessary support to players that we believe show the potential to rise to the top of the game, ensuring that more nations are represented at the highest levels," said US Open Chairman Katrina Adams on behalf of the Grand Slam tournaments. Financial support like this has an instant effect. Speaking ahead of competing in Wimbledon Tunisia's Ons Jabeur reached the third round at this year's Roland Garros Christian Garin successfully qualified for Wimbledon