ITF

ITFWORLD WINTER 2017 3 www.itftennis.com David Haggerty ITF President We look forward to celebrating their achievements with them at the ITF World Champions Dinner in Paris in June. The success of the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas and Fed Cup by BNP Paribas finals underscores the importance of these historic nation-versus-nation events known as the World Cups of Tennis. Like a player who is inspired to improve every day, the ITF looks for ways to improve upon these competitions. At the ITF Board Meeting in Minsk in November, we approved the latest phase of the Davis Cup and Fed Cup reform programme in line with the mission of ITF2024 to strengthen and enhance our two flagship team competitions for players, fans, host nations, sponsors and broadcasters. At the ITF AGM, the nations voted to give the Board the flexibility to trial changes, and we have acted quickly to make this happen. Having received positive feedback from our National Associations, we will be trialling a number of format changes for Davis Cup in 2018. There will be a trial of a two-day format and best-of-three-set matches in Zone Groups I and II, and in the World Group and Zone Groups I and II there will be an increase in the size of teams from four players to five to give nations greater flexibility in team selection. We will also be trialling amendments to the dead rubber policy. For Fed Cup, the Board unanimously approved a trial for 2018 whereby all sets will be played as tiebreak sets. The Board also reiterated its unanimous support for the competition to have an expanded 16-nation World Group, including the possibility of a 'Final Four' format, and we will continue discussions in 2018 on implementing this in order to give more nations a chance to compete to win the title. In Minsk, the Board also approved the 2018 budget of $73.9 million, which includes $4.8 million for strategic investments. These strategic investments include Davis Cup and Fed Cup, development of a new tennis property, the ITF's new Transition Tour, the IPIN system and the ITF's digital strategy. As we announced at the AGM, the ITF is increasing the funding of tennis development by $4.1 million between 2016 and 2018 — a 57 percent uplift which will help us deliver the ITF's 2017-2020 development strategy. This would not be possible without the ongoing support of the Grand Slam tournaments through the Grand Slam Development Fund, and their commitment to increase their contributions by 15 percent in 2018. It has been interesting to follow the progress of the 16 recipients of the inaugural International Player Grand Slam Grants, and satisfying to see the results of three players in particular. Twenty-one-year-old Beatriz Haddad Maia of Brazil moved 102 places up the rankings in 2017, made her Grand Slam debut and ended the year at No. 73 after reaching a career-high No. 58 in September. Tunisia's Ons Jabeur, 23, also broke the Top 100, reaching the third round at Roland Garros, and finishing the season at No. 89. ITF Pro Circuit player Abigail Tere-Apisah, 25, had a notable success in reaching the final of the Australian Open Asia-Pacific Wildcard Play-off, falling just one match short of becoming the first player from Papua New Guinea to compete in a Grand Slam main draw. The Board approved the creation of a new ITF Women in Sport Committee, announced in December, which we see as an important step in promoting equal opportunities for girls and women to play tennis and assume leadership roles in the sport. The ITF also approved amendments to the Rules of Tennis to allow the 2018 Australian Open to extend the time between points from 20 seconds to 25 seconds. The Australian Open will follow on from the 2017 US Open in trialling the use of an on-court shot clock to strictly enforce this in their qualifying competitions. This and other trials and amendments to rules at the four Grand Slam tournaments were announced by the Grand Slam Board, with whom the ITF met to approve these changes. We are all working hard in tennis to ensure that we deliver innovation without losing the core traditions and appeal of our unique sport. There will be new ideas on the ITF Junior Circuit too in 2018 with the Board approving a number of changes. On-court coaching will be permitted, subject to the approval of each tournament, at the Grand Slams, Youth Olympic Games and ITF Junior Masters, and the service let will be eliminated at all Junior Circuit tournaments. A new ranking points system will be introduced at the end of the first quarter of 2018 to ensure that rankings are a more accurate reflection of performance at the Junior Circuit's most important tournaments. In November, I attended the Asian Tennis Federation AGM in Jakarta, which 28 of the region's 44 member nations attended. I addressed the assembly and joined ATF President and ITF Vice President Anil Khanna, and enjoyed meeting with all the delegates. Luca Santilli, ITF Executive Director, Development, also updated nations on the region's development successes and reiterated the ITF's continued commitment to the growth of tennis in this important and growing market. There is much to look forward to in our sport in 2018, but for now I would like to wish you all a happy holiday season, and a very successful start to the new tennis year. Thank you for all you do to develop, grow and promote tennis around the world.

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