ITF

ITFWORLD WINTER 2017 25 www.itftennis.com LEARNING AND GROWING There was so much on offer for the hundreds of coaches that converged on Sofia for the ITF Worldwide Coaches Conference by BNP Paribas in October. As Leigh Walsh reports, innovation, integrity and investment played a key role in the ideas presented at the biennial event. F or Iranian coach Ladan Ekhlasi it was hearing the sweet, crisp sound of a well-struck forehand on her first visit to a tennis club in Isfahan that sparked her love for the sport and, ultimately, coaching. Osamah Almaqaleh from Yemen is motivated by an unwavering will to improve the lives of his players in a country brought to its knees by conflict. In a time when child soldiers are being recruited in terrifying numbers, he hopes a tennis racket can bring fleeting moments of escapism to the defenceless young. Born in South Africa to tennis-playing parents who were strong advocates of the anti-apartheid cause, Roxanne Clarke has come full circle. A student at one of the first ITF Training Centres in Pretoria, she is now the director of the ITF Pacific Oceania Regional Training Centre in Fiji. Her daily source of pride? Seeing her players overcome challenges that they themselves didn't think possible. Mary Pierce, who was born in Canada, represented France and now lives in Mauritius, wants to give back to the sport she mastered and then grew to love. Through knowledge and time, she takes great pleasure in relaying lessons from a decorated playing career that spanned 17 years, whether as a coach or a television analyst. I could keep going. With more than 600 coaches from 90 different nations present at the latest ITF Worldwide Coaches Conference by BNP Paribas in Bulgaria, the inspiring stories were countless and no two the same. In a time of borders and walls, tennis's ability to transcend country lines shone bright. ITF President David Haggerty officially opened the four-day conference at the Hotel Marinela, hosted by the Bulgarian Tennis Federation with support from Tennis Europe. Development of the game is one of the key strands of ITF2024, the ITF's long-term plan for sustainable growth, and coaches play a big part in that, Haggerty explained. A young player on the specially-constructed show court Speaker Machar Reid in the interactive session ITF President David Haggerty addresses the conference

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