itf

ITF Launches ITF World Tennis Tour

November 8, 2018 by Admin

The ITF announced the launch of the ITF World Tennis Tour in 2019 that will serve as a player pathway between the junior game and elite levels of professional tennis.

The launch of the tour is the culmination of a series of ITF reforms designed to support talented junior players in their progression to the senior game, and target the prize money effectively at professional tournaments to enable more players to make a living. The tour will also increase the number of nations hosting ITF tournaments in 2019, providing opportunities for more players.

The ITF World Tennis Tour forms part of a new worldwide tournament structure that has been agreed between the ITF, ATP and WTA in order to address the current challenges at entry level. Under the ITF World Tennis Tour umbrella, tournaments will be split into the following categories

The ITF has unveiled the ITF World Tennis Tour™ logo and sub-brands that have been created to unify the look and feel of the ITF World Tennis Tour across over 1,600 tournaments that are expected to be staged in 2019. The reforms followed a three-year ITF review of professional and junior tennis that included an analysis of player and event data from 2001-13, and a survey of more than 50,000 stakeholders. They address fundamental issues in the existing player pathway and changing trends in tennis that include too many players trying to compete on the professional circuit; too few players breaking even; longer playing careers at the top of the game; and the difficulty for many talented junior players in transitioning to professional tennis.

The first phase of the reforms saw an extensive programme of prize money increases on the ITF Pro Circuit in 2016 and 2017, with total prize money increasing by around $1.5 million. The reforms announced today include the new tournament at entry-level – ITF World Tennis Tour 15s category – that will be staged within a more localised circuit structure with cheaper hosting requirements that reduces costs for players and tournament organisers. Offering ITF World Tennis Ranking points, these tournaments will also increase opportunities for players from more countries to join the pathway and be supported in their transition to professional tennis. The introduction of the ITF World Tennis Ranking will ensure a consistent approach for entries into all events, with players using their ATP/WTA ranking followed by ITF ranking. In order that successful players in juniors, 15s and men’s 25s tournaments are able to progress more quickly to the next level, there will be reserved places in higher-level tournaments for highly-ranked players on the ITF Junior World Ranking and ITF World Tennis Ranking. This includes reserved places for ITF-ranked players in the main draw and qualifying of ATP Challenger tournaments. The implementation of the new ATP, WTA and ITF ranking systems will take place at the end of 2018. Any ATP or WTA ranking points earned at $15,000 ITF Pro Circuit tournaments (as well ATP points earned in early rounds of $25,000 Pro Circuit events) in 2018 will be converted into ITF World Tennis Ranking points.

ITF President David Haggerty said: “The ITF World Tennis Tour provides a clear and integrated pathway designed to attract and retain the best new talent. As part of our ITF2024 strategy, it is our mission to deliver for the next generation of players, and the new Tour will help address the issues of progression between the junior and senior game, and potentially enable more professional players to make a living.”

Thomas Konigsfeldt, Chair of the ITF Men’s and Women’s Circuit Committees, said: “It is vital that we provide opportunities for players of any nation or background to start their journey towards the top 100. The inclusion of the 15s tournaments as part of a new Tour will allow players to take the first steps towards becoming a future champion within a more targeted and affordable circuit structure.”

A Hypothetical Look At The Potential New Davis Cup Format

June 28, 2018 by Admin

By Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

One of the great privileges of my life was being the press officer for the U.S. Davis Cup team from 1997 to 2005. I harbor a deep love of the competition and the ideals of the Cup founder Dwight Davis, an international tennis competition to foster better relations and understanding among nations. I loved the event so much that my U.S. Tennis Association co-workers at the time joked that I would name my first-born child “Davis.”

I had become very concerned in recent months about this sporting contest that I found so magical when the International Tennis Federation began suggesting radical change to the competition that took away the home-and-way element of the event. I certainly recognized the need to tweak the format and the dates of the event but not to completely overturn the event, taking away the soul of the event.

When many Davis Cup legends and fans also expressed disgust with the proposed new format, the ITF came out and said that the format would again be tweaked to include home and away matches for part of the event. Now, I have to say, after analysis, that I am warmed by the new potential compromised format that has been put forth (with some liberties that I am suggesting).

So what would the Davis Cup potentially look like in a new format in 2019? Here’s how it hypothetically could unfold.

The first round of Davis Cup will feature 12 first round matches, the ITF has announced. These matches would be in the traditional home and away format, played over three days, as before. This will feature 24 teams in total and would, by accounts, be played the week after the Australian Open in late January/early February.

The winners of these 12 matches would advance into the one-site Davis Cup final, where they will be joined by the four teams that reached the semifinals the previous year and received a “bye” in to the “finals.” This would provide for an even number of 16 teams competing in the “Davis Cup Final,” although in some news reports, ITF President Dave Haggerty has mentioned two wild card teams – or two “invited teams” – which I don’t understand the need for (and which does not sound like something with any competitive integrity) and would increase the number of nations in the one-site Davis Cup Final from 16 to 18.

These final 16 teams would be divided into four round-robin groups of four teams (although it has been reported that plans had 18 teams divided into six round robin groups of three teams, with two wild card teams also advancing into a quarterfinal round, but problems with tiebreakers in round-robin play if three teams finish with 1-1 round robin records should dissuade officials, hopefully, to avoid that kind of round robin grouping.)

With four round robin groups of four teams in each group, you would have more clear-cut winners of each round robin group who would not only advance into the semifinal round, but also clinch a “bye” into this Davis Cup final round the next year and they would not have to play in the home-and-away first round. Win your round-robin group and advance to the semifinals and get a bye the next year – that’s is easy to understand for players and fans.

The 12 losing teams that do not advance out of round-robin play would then have play in the home-and-away round to start the next year. The four teams that win each round-robin group would then play in a semifinal and final round to determine the Davis Cup champion.

At the same time as this Davis Cup final week, the 12 teams that lost the previous January/February would play in 12 “Playoff Round” matches in home and away match format (to again appease the traditionalists) with the winner of these advancing into the Davis Cup “first round” to be played after the Australian Open.

Using the most recent Davis Cup team rankings, under the rules outlined above, this is how the Davis Cup competition would look like and unfold, going strictly by the rankings.

The Top 4 Seeds (exempt from first round home/away matches, taken from Davis Cup rankings)

1 – France

2 – Argentina

3 – Belgium

4 – Croatia

The next 12 (taken from Davis Cup rankings, presumed to have won their home/away matches in January/February)

Great Britain

USA

Spain

Australia

Switzerland

Serbia

Italy

Germany

Kazakhstan

Canada

Czech Republic

Japan

They would be grouped against (in ranking order, but would be determined by lot, but just for visualization purposes). These matches would be played in late January/early February after the Australian Open)

Great Britain vs. Colombia

USA vs. Netherlands

Spain vs. Hungary

Australia vs. India

Switzerland vs. Sweden

Serbia vs. Austria

Italy vs. Russia

Germany vs. Brazil

Kazakhstan vs. Uzbekistan

Canada vs. Chile

Czech Republic vs. Bosnia

Japan vs. China

We will, for argument sake and for visualization purposes, say that the highest ranking nation advances into the “final” and would be joined by the top four seeds – France, Argentina, Belgium and Croatia. The four round-robin groupings would then be put together, based on team rankings and would look like this.

The Groupings (in order)

France, Great Britain, Switzerland, Kazakhstan

Argentina, USA, Serbia, Canada

Belgium, Spain, Italy, Czech Republic

Croatia, Australia, Germany, Japan

This is how a schedule of play can look like, using round-robin play from two of the four groups each day. These matches would feature No. 1 and No. 2 singles and a doubles rubber with matches being best two of three sets. This would have two team matches per day on a Stadium Court (Arthur Ashe Stadium in NYC, Philippe Chartrier in Paris and Santana Stadium in Madrid, for example) and two team matches per day on a No. 2 court (Louis Armstrong Stadium in NYC, Suzanne Lenglen Court in Paris, Sanchez Vicario Court in Madrid, for example). There would be a maximum of six matches per day per court, with matches sold as separate tickets. Using just two match courts (two stadium courts/arenas) opens up many more potential venues around the world that could host the Davis Cup Final competition, especially if it were to be held indoors.

This format would allow for players to have a day off between round-robin team matches and would take eight days to complete the entire competition (the same time frame as the ATP World Tour Finals), as outlined below.

Day One

France vs. Great Britain; Switzerland vs. Kazakhstan

Argentina vs. USA; Serbia vs. Canada

Day Two

Belgium vs. Spain; Italy vs. Czech Republic

Croatia vs. Australia; Germany vs. Japan

Day Three

France vs. Switzerland; Great Britain vs. Kazakhstan

Argentina vs. Serbia; Canada vs. USA

Day Four

Belgium vs. Italy; Spain vs. Czech

Croatia vs. Germany; Australia vs. Japan

Day Five

France vs. Kazakhstan; Great Britain vs. Switzerland

Argentina vs. Canada; USA vs. Serbia

Day Six

Belgium vs. Czech; Spain vs. Italy

Croatia vs. Japan; Australia vs. Germany

Day Seven – Semifinals (All Four Round-Robin Group Winners Advancing)

France vs. Argentina

Belgium vs. Croatia

Day Eight – Final

France vs. Argentina

Meanwhile, while the final is going on, the 12 teams that lost in the January/February first round would have to play against 12 teams that advance from the American Zone, European/African Zone and Asia/Oceania Zone. For geographic parity, four teams from these three zones will advance into this “Playoff Round” to determine 12 of the teams that will play in the January/February first round. These matches will be home and away, like the traditional format as well. The teams with hypothetical match-ups are seen below.

Colombia vs. Portugal (Euro/Africa Zone No. 1 ranked team)

Netherlands vs. Israel (Euro/Africa Zone No. 2 ranked team)

Hungary vs. Dominican Republic (American Zone No. 1 ranked team)

India vs. Belarus (Euro/Africa Zone No. 3 ranked team)

Sweden vs. Slovakia (Euro/Africa Zone No. 4 ranked team)

Austria vs. Pakistan (Asia/Oceania No. 1 ranked team)

Russia vs. Korea (Asia/Oceania No. 2 ranked team)

Brazil vs. Ecuador (American Zone No. 2 ranked team)

Uzbekistan vs. New Zealand (Asia/Oceania No. 3 ranked team)

Chile vs. Barbados (American Zone No. 3 ranked team)

Bosnia vs. Thailand (Asia/Oceania Zone No. 4 ranked team)

China vs. Venezuela (American Zone No. 4 ranked team)

Perhaps to not compete with the attention and excitement of the Davis Cup Final matches, these “Playoff Round” matches are played in the weekend leading into the Davis Cup Final.

This format would have for the Davis Cup “Final” feature 16 teams and, with four-person teams, 64 total players competing. If you also have the “Playoff Round” played within the same 10-day period – featuring 12 playoff round matches – then an additional 96 players would be playing during this time, meaning that 160 players would be competing during this 10-day period at the end of the year. Considering that there is a controversy on the tennis season lasting too long with no off season, perhaps having the Davis Cup “Final” and the “Playoff Round” matches played earlier in the Fall, perhaps two weeks after the U.S. Open in mid/late September. Also, since the results of these matches will determine what a nation’s team and its players schedule will be the week after the Australian Open for the Davis Cup “First Round” – there will need to be more than eight weeks advance notice if the Davis Cup “Final” and “Playoff Round” are played in late November so National Associations can properly plan and promote home matches and players can make their schedules. Hosting these matches in September also opens up more potential venues to host matches, in particular outdoor matches, in such places as Roland Garros in Paris, the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in California, Madrid, Rome and others.

A rule that can be considered is that the team that wins the Davis Cup gets the opportunity to host this 16-team “final” in their country, harkening back to the tradition (which is good to revert to with Davis Cup) of the old “Challenge Round” format where the winning team hosted the final – or Challenge Round – against the emerging challenging nation the following year. Should this nation not be able to host the event in one facility or in one city, it could, potentially, be held in two nearby cities, similar to World Cup soccer being played in multiple cities. Perhaps a rule could be implemented that says one nation may not host the 16-team Davis Cup final more than one time in a five-year period so as to open up the competition to one of the other three teams that reach the Davis Cup semifinals (and to guarantee that the event will have a “host” nation that will play in front of their own fans.) If a Davis Cup champion nation had hosted the 16-team Davis Cup final within five years, the runner-up nation would receive the nod to host the event and then if that nation had also hosted within five years, it would be offered to the semifinalists.

The “first round” matches after the Australian Open would feature 24 teams and, with four-person teams, 96 total players competing during that week, not including any potential zonal matches that would be played at that time as well.

This format would take up, at maximum, three weeks of the tennis calendar year (as opposed to the current four), but it would be only two weeks for the players (potentially three weekends) and would only be two “trips” for players that are planned well in advance. This is a big improvement from the previous four weeks with home and away matches where players don’t know their Davis Cup schedule until later in the year as the results unfold. It also allows for year-long of pre-promotion of the Davis Cup “Final” and also for “Playoff Round” matches, hopefully played in late September.

Looking at all of the teams that would be potentially involved in the mix and in real contention for the Davis Cup title makes for more interesting match-ups between nations. Seeing teams like Thailand, Barbados, China, Dominican Republic and Pakistan being within a match of qualifying for either the first round or the “Final” will go a long way in the continued global growth of tennis and the popularity of this event. It also makes it more possible for smaller and developing nations to play and potentially host higher-stakes Davis Cup matches. I think Dwight Davis would find that quite appealing.

The 1999 U.S. Davis Cup Team at Longwood Cricket Club

Donald Trump Is More Popular Than Proposed New Davis Cup Format

March 18, 2018 by Admin

The new proposed Davis Cup format is so unpopular that even controversial U.S. President Donald Trump enjoys better popularity ratings in polls.

Two online Twitter polls place the popularity of the new proposed one-site, one-week Davis Cup format at a 22 and 34 percent approval rating. Christopher Clarey, the long-time and respected tennis writer for the New York Times, posted a poll on his Twitter feed asking his followers “Who approves of the ITF’s plan to change Davis Cup?” Only 34 percent of Clarey’s respondents said they approved of the new one-site, one-week Davis Cup format, with 66 percent disapproving. In another poll conducted by our @WorldTennisMag Twitter feed, only 22 percent said they approved of the new format, 78 percent disapproving.

By comparison, the popularity of Trump among Americans has ranged from a low of 34 percent to a high of 46 percent, per Gallup, in the 14 months he has been the President of the United States.

The new format, as outlined here https://www.daviscup.com/en/news/281841.aspx scraps the traditional “home and away” scenarios for the World Group and has the competition played over one week in one location, with round-robin matches featuring two best-of-three singles matches and one best-of-three doubles match. The World Group matches are now stretched over four weeks of the year and are a best-of-five-match series with best-of-five matches.

Marin Cilic of Croatia made an assumption of percentages of players who would approve of the new proposed format at 99.9 percent. However, Frenchmen Lucas Pouille and Nicolas Mahut of the 2017 winning French team are fervently against the changes. Mahut said “they just killed the Davis Cup” when he learned of the format while Pouille called it a “death sentence” for the competition.

Yannick Noah, one of the most iconic Davis Cup figures in the history of the competition, said on Twitter “The end of the Davis Cup. How sad. They sold the soul of a historical ordeal. Sorry, Mr. Davis.”

The French, who perhaps have embraced the competition like no other nation, built the current Roland Garros stadium, now the site of the French championships, specifically for Davis Cup in the 1920s. Arnaud Clement, another Davis Cup warrior for France, was also against the changes as seen here: http://www.tennisworldusa.org/tennis/news/Davis_Cup/52455/arnaud-clement-strongly-against-davis-cup-revamp/

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have said they see merits in the competition while Roger Federer he was “surprised” at the announcement but remained neutral as seen here: http://www.tennisworldusa.org/tennis/news/Roger_Federer/52401/roger-federer-about-new-davis-cup-i-am-surprising-this-is-happening-/

Australians, who like the French, the British and the Americans comprise of the four anchor Grand Slam – and Davis Cup nations – also seem mostly against the new format. Said young Australian Davis Cupper Alex DeMinaur, “I’m completely against it. I think it is a way to ruin a competition with an amazing amount of history. I’m not for it.”

Australian captain and team legend Lleyton Hewitt retweeted an article from The Australian newspaper where author Will Swanton said the new format was “A one-week, mickey mouse, soulless, made-for-TV World Cup of Tennis Finals — with the winner to be named the Davis Cup champion as an afterthought.” Said former Australian Davis Cupper John Fitzgerald of Davis Cup, “It is such an important, iconic event. It is certainly something you do not want to get wrong…You just want to be very confident that it’s going to work before making a move that would change forever a competition that is more than 100 years old” Another Australian Davis Cup legend Todd Woodbridge called it a “bomb” on the tennis landscape here: https://thesydney.news/2018/02/27/davis-cup-planned-format-change-a-bomb-thrown-into-tennis-landscape-warns-australias-todd-woodbridge/

Peter Bodo of ESPN wrote a deep analysis of the format here: http://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/22606083/tennis-proposed-davis-cup-reform-very-much-work-progress He wrote, “A close look at the alternative format makes many wonder if the cure isn’t worse than the disease.” Bodo quoted two-time U.S. Davis Cup winner Andre Agassi of the USA of the new format “I will have to see it to believe it,” and five-time Davis Cup winner Stan Smith saying, “It’s hard to see this going through.”

ITF President Dave Haggerty, who put forth the proposal, had an interesting question and answer session with Sports Illustrated’s Jon Wertheim making his case for the new format here: https://www.si.com/tennis/2018/03/08/david-haggerty-itf-president-davis-cup-changes-proposal

Davis Cup Draw being conducted by U.S. President Calvin Coolidge

ITF introduces Continental Qualification Places For Tokyo 2020 Olympic Tennis Event

February 14, 2018 by Admin

The ITF today announced the introduction of six Continental Qualification places for both the men’s and women’s singles events at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Tennis Event. The new qualification places have been approved by the IOC Executive Board as part of the Tokyo 2020 Qualification System for tennis that will be released by the IOC in the coming weeks.

The 2020 Olympic Tennis Event will once again feature five disciplines: men’s singles and doubles, women’s singles and doubles, and mixed doubles. Each singles draw will comprise 64 players, with a maximum of four players per nation. There will be 56 direct acceptances as at previous Games, and eight ITF places, including the six Continental Qualification places.

For the first time in Olympic history, players will have a chance to earn their place in the Olympic Tennis Event through success at one of the regional multi-sport games, including the 2018 Asian Games and 2019 African and Pan American Games. In addition, one place will be awarded to the highest ranked man and woman in both Europe and Oceania from a country not yet represented in singles.

The following will qualify for a Continental Qualification place provided their ranking is within the Top 300 on the singles rankings of 8 June 2020, and provided the quota for that nation has not yet been filled by four direct acceptances:

ITF President David Haggerty said: “The introduction of Continental Qualification places is a significant and positive change that we believe will help strengthen participation in these important regional games, and will provide opportunities for additional nations to contest the Olympic Tennis Event. This initiative forms part of our commitment under the ITF2024 strategy to secure mutually beneficial partnerships, and we look forward to working with our Regional Associations to ensure successful implementation.”

Tennis was a part of the first modern Olympic Games in 1896. The first woman to win an Olympic medal in any sport was tennis player Charlotte Cooper (GBR) at the 1900 Olympic Games in Paris. After the 1924 Paris Games, tennis withdrew from the Olympics but returned as a demonstration event at 1984 Los Angeles and as a full medal sport at 1988 Seoul. Fifty-six nations took part in the Rio 2016 Olympic Tennis Event, with Andy Murray (GBR) and Monica Puig (PUR) winning the singles gold medals.

Tennis-Playing CEO, Fred Perry Cup Competitor Talks Senior Competitive Tennis

June 14, 2016 by Admin

by Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

Jeffrey Burnett of North Palm Beach, Fla., is one of 24 players announced by the U.S. Tennis Association who will represent the United States at the ITF Seniors World Team Championships, the senior equivalent of tennis’ Davis Cup and Fed Cup competitions, in Helsinki, Finland June 19-24. Burnett, the President and CEO of Labor Finders International, will be representing the United States in the Fred Perry Cup, for men age 50 and over. The following are five questions I posed to Burnett about competitive “senior” tennis.

1) For the most part, tennis players stop playing competitive events after age 35. Why should they continue to play on past that age?

While this is true for most professional tour level players (though there are exceptions to this class of players as well), many who played college tennis took the time to raise families after college and returned to playing competitive tennis after the age of 35. It provides a balance for the working family person to have an outlet to being competitive again and meeting new friends or oddly enough get reacquainted with tennis friends they have not seen or heard from for decades. Besides a basic love for the game, playing competitively after age 35 provides for a healthy exercise option for life.

2) What age do you think is appropriate for competitive players to stop focusing on singles and play more doubles – from a competitive and a recreational perspective?

I do not believe there is any specific age. Many players enjoy playing both singles and doubles. Those that focus on doubles only may do so because they are just better doubles players than singles players while others may have some long term injury issues forcing them to just play doubles. Or it could be the case because of their work family lifestyle they only play doubles during the week and end up playing doubles mostly into their senior years.

3) Do you think there should be more competitive tournament opportunities for high-level players over the age of 35?

Short answer is yes. While we have many USTA national level tournaments, the ITF has virtually no tournaments in the US during the year. If you play a tournament outside the US, there is a very high likelihood it is an ITF event. In my opinion, this penalizes US senior players who would like to pursue a world ranking. Not sure why this is the case but rumors say the relationship between the USTA and the ITF is strained, if so, this may be the reason we do not have many senior ITF events in the US.

4) How has tennis contributed to your success in life, beyond just wins and losses?

Competitive tennis, like other competitive sports, teaches work ethic, discipline, sportsmanship, healthy lifestyle, fairness, honesty, and of course the obvious how to be competitive. All of these attributes contribute to a successful person off the court.

5) What is your favorite tennis tournament in the world to watch and why?

Wimbledon is my favorite for a couple of reasons. First, Wimbledon exudes the pure essence of class for the game of tennis – all whites, tradition, the royal box, strawberries and cream, the flowers, the English crowds. Second, the classic grass style of tennis (less so today with the slowing playing higher bouncing grass), shorter points, and more finesse and adjustment on the shots. And third, many professional players regard Wimbledon as the most esteem tournament on the tour and their most favorite. The old England club makes the venue something extra special.

Thoughts, Ideas From A French Coach On Futures, Challenger Events In Pro Tennis

June 9, 2016 by Admin

By Jean-Luc Fontanot

www.tennisprotour.com

“I have a dream…” was the start of one of history’s most important speeches. But, many tennis players also have a dream: the dream to be at the top of the ATP ranking, holding the coveted grail.

And what an amazing sight – for us to have the chance to see this group of champions fighting for their dream. It hits home with everyone that has had a dream and touches our sense of determination, our will to win and our motivation to be the best.

Tennis is an “elite” sport that is sustained by everyone who is not elite. Without this wide base of players from all over the world, we would not have the sport we love so much. These players are what make up the social part of tennis, the part where we can actually see champions being made. While this social aspect is extremely important in the development of tennis on every level and in every country, it takes a backseat to the actual competition…and the development of competition. Herein, lies the beauty of our sport.

Several years ago, players wanted more. More prize money, more tournaments, more… that is. And as a coach, I had to agree. Prize money has to be shared amongst the professional players. But who is professional? Most of them have been “professional” since age 12 or 13 and the commitment, dedication, effort and money they have put into tennis to get to a top spot is truly unmatched. I say yes. They deserve it.

But, are you really a professional at 12? What does it really take to become professional? I believe that a professional player starts when you play with the bigger guys. When you start to play Challenger Tournaments.

Some players do not have the courage to play Challenger Tournaments because they are scared to drop their ranking by losing too early in the qualifying round but having the courage to try – and keep trying — is the only way to achieve your goal. True, some good players are left on the sideline by having to play too many tournaments, wasting money and get lost in the ranking instead of going for BIG. But, my solution for this is simple: Take the shorter way for the one who can but also to let the others the chance to play and to win.

And when players complain about prize money, I really want to say that we play a sport to play the game. If you become good at the sport, you make money at the game if you make the right decisions. We don’t play Futures for the money but for the points and the development. Let’s just try to save money and to spend on the right topics. And if you don’t make money, you play the sport because of your passion for the game. The strong, elite players – like the ones we have today – do not just put on a good show but instill the desire to play tennis in many others. I think it is natural for them to make what they make. And I tell my players…”maybe one day it will be your turn.”

The women, however, have it even more difficult. They certainly play with the same passion as the men but make even less money. They have to be factored into the solution as well.

Until 2006, players could play satellite tournaments. Satellite tournaments were a set of three tournaments and a masters. The goal of these tournaments was to gain points and qualify for a masters and then convert them to ATP points. But, the real goal was to jumpstart tennis – to jumpstart that base of players I mentioned. And it worked. Players without points were still able to play qualifying matches. But, it was a heavy-handed attempt at a solution to build the base. Later, the idea was to host Futures Tournaments ($10K, $15k, $15K+H*) and the ATP had ($25K, $25K+H*, 50K, 50K+H* and so on…until $125K+H*). At this point, the number of players travelling for tournaments was about 20% to 30% of what it is now.

Until the beginning of 2016, the ITF was offering prize money in the Futures Tournaments between $10k and $15k but after complaints from many players, the ITF decided to raise the prize money to start at $15k.

Now, many tournaments were being cancelled because they simply could not generate this amount of money. So, the goal of these Futures Tournaments – to develop players and completion and for the players to gain points to play in Challenger Tournaments – failed because of called-off tournaments and the players’ lack of faith in the system. This new system goes against development. Too many players with a decent ranking will try to stay in the futures, making a living and not having the courage and responsibilities to play challengers and higher will keep on playing futures taking the spot of unranked players. Do you think it’s normal to see Futures tournaments requiring 2 ATP points to enter?

The ITF and ATP are two very different institutions. with two different goals. To develop tennis – and take care of professional tennis players – the way we should, these two organizations need to work hand-in-hand.

While a long-standing solution will take time, there are several things we can work on to make the sport better. Now.

1- Return to the previous prize money structure to avoid the clubs’ struggles to raise such large amounts and keep the dynamic of the clubs that want to host tournaments; the ITF has to realize that some countries have economic issues such as inflation or currency exchange that affect their ability to come up with big payouts.

2- Offer better playing conditions complete with chair umpires from the qualies, ball changes and new practice balls; having chair umpires starting in the qualifying round (following the French example to develop the formation of young umpires) creates an energy of professionalism and competition amongst the players. And a sense of pride.

3- Offer points based on a base prize money ($5k, $10k or $15k) but offer it within the hospitality (none, half, full, transportation, etc.) to decrease the money spent by the players and also to reward the local businesses that work with the club to organize the tournaments. This will allow players to afford to play in more tournaments.

4- Offer more prize money and ATP points in the Challenger tournaments – both qualifying rounds and main draw — to force players with good ranking to play and to keep the spirit of the Futures Tournaments: development.

5- Have the ATP and ITF assist the clubs in raising the prize money for the tournaments, not for the clubs to make money but to help the players financially.

6- In some countries, like the USA, players need to win five matches to win one ATP point. But, winning five matches is basically winning a tournament. This is a tough challenge at best without chair umpires and balls being used for two sets. Players end up qualifying but being exhausted when they start the main draw. Why not offer a bonus point to the players who qualify and win four rounds?

So, what does a player really want?

To win, of course. but to get there, you need to sacrifice a lot, make smart choices along the way and be part of the solution and not the problem. And, of course, you have to have a dream…

*1H: Hospitality

American David Haggerty Takes Over ITF Helm – Mondays with Bob Greene

September 28, 2015 by Admin

Mondays with Bob Greene

STARS

Milos Raonic beat Joao Sousa 6-3 3-6 6-3 to win the St. Petersburg Open in St. Petersburg, Russia

Agnieszka Radwanska beat Belinda Bencic 6-2 6-2 to win the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, Japan

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga beat Gilles Simon 7-6 (5) 1-6 6-2 to win the Moselle Open in Metz, France

Jelena Jankovic beat Denisa Allertova 6-2 6-0 to win the Guangzhou International Women’s Open in Guangzhou, China

Irina-Camelia Begu beat Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-3 6-1 to win the Korea Open in Seoul, Korea

Hyeon Chung beat Yuki Bhambri 7-5 6-4 to win the OEC Kaohsiung Challenger in Kaohsiung, Taiwan

SAYING

“It’s such a great feeling to come to St. Petersburg and to be able to win this event. It was a great experience overall with the event, the city and the people.” – Milos Raonic, who won the St. Petersburg Open.

“I think I played my best. Of course I feel sad that I couldn’t have the title here. I was really confident that I could beat him today, but he played and served very well in the important moments.” – Joao Sousa, who lost to Milos Raonic in the St. Petersburg Open final.

“I’m never going to be a powerful tennis player, even if I spend the whole day in the gym. That’s the way I play, trying to find a way to beat those stronger players.” – Agnieszka Radwanska, after winning the Pan-Pacific Open.

“It’s amazing to win a title in China for second time this year. Obviously China is very special to me.” – Jelena Jankovic, following her victory at the Guangzhou Open.

“It was an amazing time for me here. I’m so happy I could beat so many good players here and play my first final. Jelena was too good, but I’m happy with my week.” – Denisa Allertova, who upset Simona Halep and Sara Errani on her way to the Guangzhou Open final.

“The key today was to stay calm and make my opponent run more, and I think I was successful in those. I was also hitting the balls deep and close to the lines,” Begu described. “I also think I was better on the important points. I wasn’t dominating every game, but I did better on the big points.” – Irina-Camelia Begu, after beating qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich to win the Korea Open.

“Happy to be back home from hospital. I feel much better and hopefully I will be back soon on court. Thank you for your support and many nice messages.” – Lucie Safarova, who spent a week in the hospital with a bacterial infection.

“Tennis is a very selfish sport and I have always loved getting together as a group and playing for your country.” – Lleyton Hewitt, saying how much he enjoyed playing Davis Cup for Australia.

“We have an opportunity to win the event in the next match, but there’s so much tennis still to go. We still need to win three matches and there’s two or three months until the next tie, and a lot can happen between now and then.” – Andy Murray, who is seeking to become only the fourth player to win the Davis Cup, Olympic gold and multiple Grand Slam tournaments.

SUPER ANDY

Milos Raonic ended a 14-month title drought, winning his seventh ATP World Tour crown at the St. Petersburg Open. It was the Canadian’s first tournament victory since he underwent surgery on his right foot in May, forcing him to miss Roland Garros. Raonic’s last title came in the Citi Open in Washington, DC, in August 2014 when he beat fellow Canadian Vasek Pospisil. In the Russian final, Portugal’s Joao Sousa became the first player in the tournament to break Raonic’s serve. But a Sousa double-fault helped Raonic break his opponent in the second game of the deciding set. The winner finished with 22 aces and saved nine of 10 break points. “This year has been a tough one,” said Sousa, who lost in the final for the third time this year. “It has been my best year, but a tough one as I lost three finals. It’s really, really tough to accept it. But I think I can improve. I’m going to work for it and hopefully I can win the next one.”

SAME FOES, DIFFERENT WINNER

This time it was Jo-Wilfried Tsonga who came out on top. In a rematch of the 2013 Moselle Open final, Tsonga defeated fellow Frenchman Gilles Simon to capture his 12^th ATP World Tour title. Two years ago, it was Simon who ended up with the biggest trophy. It was Tsonga’s third title in five years, winning also in 2011 and 2012. “It’s always tricky to play against Gilles, the ball always comes back,” Tsonga said. Simon led the first-set tiebreak 5-2 before Tsonga won five straight points and the opener. After Simon dominated the second set to pull even, Tsonga overpowered his opponent in the decider, converting on his second match point. “He was more solid than me on the important points, especially in the first set,” Simon said. Tsonga extended t4he run of homegrown dominance in Metz, becoming the sixth Frenchman to win the Moselle Open in the past seven years.

SECOND TIME

Agnieszka Radwanska finally has another title, and this time a familiar. Poland’s top female player won the Pan-Pacific Open for the second time, crushing Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic in the title match. It was Radwanska’s first title since capturing the Rogers Cup in Montreal, Canada, last year. The 26-year-old also won the Pan-Pacific in 2011, and is the first player to have won the event twice since it moved outdoors and onto a hard court in 2008. “This is the first tournament I have won twice, so it’s very special for me,” Radwanska said. The victory also boosted her back into the Top 10 in the rankings. At 2-all, Radwanska won eight straight games to lead 6-2 4-0. “I really didn’t expect that kind of score against Belinda, she’s playing so well,” Radwanska said. The 18-year-old Bencic said her hard-fought victory over top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki in the semifinals took a toll on her. “Agnieszka made me run a lot and my serves were so slow today because, after yesterday, I couldn’t do anything with my legs anymore,” Bencic said. “In the second set I tried to go for my shots more, even if it meant making more mistakes. I still have a lot to learn to play like her, she’s so smart.”

SEED TRIUMPHANT

It was left for Jelena Jankovic to uphold the seeding at the Guangzhou International Women’s Open. The fourth-seeded Serb stopped the surprising run of Denisa Allertova to capture her first WTA title of the year. And she did it in a romp. With Allertova leading 2-1 in her first WTA final, Jankovic ripped through the next 11 games, serving an ace on match point, to win the tournament. En route to the final, Allertova ousted both top-seeded Simona Halep and third-seeded Sara Errani. Then, after trading service breaks with Jankovic, Allertova held for a 2-1 lead. That’s when Jankovic, the only seeded player left in the tournament, began her run, losing just 20 points in those 11 games and giving the Serb her first WTA title in more than two years. She did win a $125,000 tournament in Nanchang, China, this past summer. Jankovic now has 14 WTA titles to her name, her biggest coming at Indian Wells, California, USA, back in 2010.

SWITCH IN LEADERS

American David Haggerty is the new president of the International Tennis Federation (ITF). The 58-year-old Haggerty succeeds Italy’s Francesco Ricci Bitti, who had headed the sport’s governing body for 16 years. Haggerty will serve a four-year term.

Katrina Adams, president of the United States Tennis Association (USTA), was one of three vice presidents selected at the ITF annual general meeting in Santiago, Chile. Others named were Anil Khanna of India and Rene Stammbach of Switzerland. “The selection of vice presidents reflects the diversity on the new board and the experience of these board members,” Haggerty said. “The whole ITF Board is committed to working together over the next four years to enable the continued growth of the organization.” Others elected to the board were: Martin Corrie, Great Britain; Sergio Elias, Chile; Ismail El Shafei, Egypt; Bernard Giudicelli, France; Jack Graham, Canada; Thomas Koenigsfeldt, Denmark; Celia Patrick, New Zealand; Aleksei Selivanenko, Russia; Stefan Tzvetkov, Bulgaria; and Bulat Utemuratov, Kazakhstan. Elias, Graham, Khanna and Stammbach were reelected to the board.

STOPPED

Qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich’s run through the Korea Open draw was halted in the final of the Seoul tournament by Romanian Irina-Camelia Begu. The winner captured eight straight games to build a 6-3 5-0 lead. Sasnovich held at love to stop the streak, but the top-seeded Begu served out the victory. “I’m so happy to win my first WTA title in three years. It’s been a long time and I’ve improved a lot, I think,” said Begu, who hadn’t won since conquering Tashkent, Uzbekistan, in 2012. “I’ve learned a lot from many matches and many experiences, and most of all I think I’ve become much more consistent when I’m playing. I feel totally different from three years ago.” Sasnovich came out of qualifying and upset two of the top three seeds, including third-seeded Sloane Stephens in the quarterfinals and second-seeded Anna Karolina Schmiedlova in the semis.

SERVING TIEBREAKS

Leonard Mayer of Argentina and Joao Souza of Brazil will more than likely keep their record now that the International Tennis Association (ITA) has come up with new rules. Beginning next year, Davis Cup fifth-set matches will be decided in a tiebreak. Earlier this year, Mayer and Souza played the longest Davis Cup singles match on record – 6 hours, 42 minutes. The fifth set alone lasted 2 hours, 30 minutes before Mayer won 7-6 (4) 7-6 (5) 5-7, 5-7, 15-13. The Davis Cup has had tiebreakers in all sets except for the fifth since 1989. Only one match remains to be played under the old rules. Belgium will play host to Great Britain in this year’s final at Ghent, Belgium, November 27-29.

SPEARHEADING RUSSIAN TEAM

Maria Sharapova has been named to the Russian squad that will face the Czech Republic in Prague in the Fed Cup final November 14-15. Others named by Russian captain Anastasia Myskina are Ekaterina Makarova, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Elena Vesnina. “It’s great that all the girls agreed immediately to play,” Myskina said. Sharapova is ranked third in world, Makarova 20^th, Pavlyuchenkova 33^rd and Vesnina 117^th. The two nations have met five times in Fed Cup, but three of those meetings were between Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union. The Czechs are defending Fed Cup champions and lead their head-to-head record with Russia 3-2, including winning their most recent encounter in the 2011 final in Moscow. Russia has won the Fed Cup four times and will be playing in their 11^th Fed Cup final.

STEPPING DOWN

Stacey Allaster is leaving her job as the WTA Tour’s chief executive officer, a position she has held for the past six years. She announced that she was stepping down for personal reasons. “It has been a privilege to lead the organization that Billie Jean King founded and to have worked with the world’s best female athletes, dedicated tournament promoters and passionate and professional WTA team members,” Allaster said in a statement released by the WTA. She said the death in 2013 of Brad Drewett, the former ATP Tour chief executive and her brother-in-law, pushed her to devoting more time to family. She led the WTA through a growing period with more events in the Asia-Pacific region and expanded media exposure worldwide. She was named on the Most Powerful Women in Sports by Forbes magazine. WTA board member Lisa Grattan said a search for Allaster’s replacement has begun.

SAFAROVA READY?

When the Czech Republic takes on Russia in the Fed Cup final, Lucie Safarova hopefully will be in the lineup. A finalist at Roland Garros in June, Safarova recently spent a week in the hospital after contracting a fever and suffering from pain in her neck – pain caused by a bacterial infection. The 28-year-old left-hander may be ready to play the China Open in Beijing next week. She is expected to play in the Fed Cup final in Prague against Russia on November 14-15.

STAN STOPPED

An ankle injury caused Stan Wawrinka to pull out of the Moselle Open in Metz, France. Wawrinka was playing Germany’s Dustin Brown in a second-round match when he twisted his right ankle. “It was painful in the match, but still OK with tape on it,” said Wawrinka, the reigning Roland Garros champion who was the top seed in Metz. “But after a lot of treatment last night and some tests this morning, it’s dangerous for me to play because the pain is still there. So I will have to see a doctor to see if I will be OK in the next few weeks.”

SITE SET

The Davis Cup final will be held in Flanders Expo, a 13,000-seat arena in Ghent, Belgium. The Belgium team opted to play indoors on a clay court in an attempt to neutralize Great Britain’s Andy Murray, the world’s third-ranked player. Clay is Murray’s least favorite surface. Britain is appearing in its first Davis Cup final since 1978. Belgium’s last appearance in the final of the international team competition was in 1904. The Davis Cup final will be held November 27-29.

SIGNS ON AGAIN

It’s Yannick Noah to the rescue once again. The last French man to win a Grand Slam tournament title, Noah has been named captain of the French Davis Cup team for the third time. Noah, who won the French Open in 1983, was named to succeed Arnaud Clement. In his first two stints as captain, Noah led the French team to the Davis Cup title in 1991 and 1996. France also won the Cup in 2001, but were beaten in four other finals: 1999, 2002, 2010 and 2014, the latter against a Switzerland team that included Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka.

STILL WINNING

The doubles team of Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza just keep on winning. After capturing the US Open, they won their sixth title of the year, this time at the Guangzhou International Women’s Open with a powerful performance that saw them not lose a set the entire week. The pair has now won six of the 13 events they’ve entered since joining forces in March, posting a combined 42-7 record as a team. At Guangzhou, Hingis and Mirza beat Xu Shilin and You Xiaodi 6-3 6-1 in the title match. “Thankfully we watched them play last night so we knew the way they played, how they won, and we were very well prepared to play them today,” Hingis said. “There were definitely no surprises out there.”

SET FOR ABU DHABI

Rafael Nadal will spend New Year’s Eve in Abu Dhabi. The Spaniard has confirmed he will play the Mubadala World Tennis Championship (MWTC), which begins on December 31. Six of the world’s best players have agreed to play the three-day event, including Canada’s Milos Raonic, who will be making his MWTC debut. Nadal has won the exhibition twice.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Guangzhou: Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza beat Xu Shilin and You Xiaodi 6-3 6-1

Kaohsiung: Hsieh Cheng-Peng and Yang Tsung-Hua beat Gong Mao-Xin and Peng Hsien-Yin 6-2 6-2

Metz: Lukasz Kubot and Edouard Roger-Vasselin beat Pierre-Hughes Herbert and Nicolas Mahut 2-6 6-3 10-7 (match tiebreak)

Seoul: Laura Arruabarrena and Andreja Klepac beat Kiki Bertens and Johanna Larsson 2-6 6-3 10-6 (match tiebreak)

St. Petersburg: Treat Huey and Henri Kontinen beat Julian Knowle and Alexander Peya 7-5 6-3

Tokyo: Garbiñe Muguruza and Carla Suárez Navarro beat Chan Hao-Ching and Chan Yung-Jan 7-5 6-1

SURFING

Kuala Lumpur: www.malaysianopentennis.com/2015/

Shenzhen: www.shenzhenopen.com/

Wuhan: www.wuhanopen.org/

Tashkent: www.tashkentopen.uz/en/

Orléans: www.opendorleans.com/

Tiburon: http://tiburonchallenger.com/

Beijing: www.chinaopen.com.cn/

Tokyo: www.rakutenopen.com/

Sacramento:www.sacchallenger.com/

Mons: www.ethiastrophy.be/fr/accueil

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

MEN

$1,041,540 Malaysian Open, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, hard

$668,945 Shenzhen Open, Shenzhen, China, hard

$120,291 Open Orléans, Orléans, France, hard

$100,000 Tiburon Challenger, Tiburon, California, USA, hard

WOMEN

$2,212,250 Dongfeng Motors Wuhan Open, Wuhan, China, hard

$226,750 Tashkent Open, Tashkent, Uzbekistan, hard

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

$3,944,715 China Open, Beijing, China, hard

$1,397,250 Rakuten Japan Open, Tokyo, Japan, hard

$100,000 Sacramento Challenger, Sacramento, California, USA, hard

$119,188 Ethias Trophy, Mons, Belgium, hard

WOMEN

$4,720,380 China Open, Beijing, China, hard

ITF Raises Prize Funds For Lower Rungs of Pro Tennis

May 9, 2015 by Admin

By Andrew Eichenholz

The 128 men and women who crash out in the first round of the French Open later on this month will not be losers at all. They will be walking off the court to pick up their loser’s check of more than $30,000, or 27,000 euros.

The ITF announced on Monday that they would be slowly rolling out a prize money increase on their Pro Circuit for events throughout the next two years. Next year, the men’s $15,000 prize fund events will grow to $25,000, while the $10,000 total tournaments will rise to $15,000 in 2017.

That is not enough.

On the women’s side, each tier will see a prize money increase of at least 20 percent, with the exception of the $25,000 events, which will coexist with the current $15,000 tournaments at the same $25,000 fund.

That is not enough.

To put things in perspective, back in 2011 and 2012, Tulsa alumnus Arnau Brugues-Davi set a record on the ITF Pro Circuit. The Spaniard won 44 Futures matches in a row across nine tournaments, falling in the finals of the last one. Yet, total the checks that he picked up after each and Brugues-Davi had $13,900 in his pocket.

No, that does not include any taxes taken out, fees for coaches, cost of living, so on and so forth. Brugues-Davi may have broken a record, but for 45 matches played, and countless hours of time on the tennis court, he won just about $316 per match.

So, when the likes of Mikhail Youzhny, a former top-10 player who gets into pretty much any tournament of his choosing based on past results, goes 5-10 to start his year, there is a pretty devastating statistic for those grinding it out on the lower rungs of the tour.

Youzhny has lost two matches for every one he has won, yet has racked up $130,380 so far this season.

That, for those who are counting, is $8,692 per match on average. Keep in mind, one is for almost exclusively losing, the other for pretty much always winning.

Many will argue that the discrepancy in funding for levels of the professional tennis circuit are justified— the best players deserve the best money.

However, the best always have to start somewhere, and there will come a point when a future star will be missed because they struggle at the beginning of their careers, and cannot afford to keep pushing forward.

Victor Estrella Burgos was one of the feel-good stories of the 2014 season, but his journey is more of a wake-up call for the rest of those trying to make it. Estrella Burgos earned his first singles ranking point in 2002. It took him until March of 2014 to break into the top-100. During that time, 12 years of struggling, Estrella Burgos made $525,690. In the last year and a half, he has already made $348,754. That is the difference in tiers of the ATP World Tour.

Not everyone will be able to wait that long to prosper.

Can An NFL Analytics Deal Spur Tennis?

April 21, 2015 by Admin

Tennis and the world of engaged data haven’t mixed well for the most part. A little Hawkeye here, a little smart court there and you have tracking technology. However compared to most other sports, tennis is in the dark ages. While golf has embraced fantasy as a way to engage a younger audience, fantasy tennis isn’t there.

However in recent months things appear to be changing. First the WTA Tour has looked to their partner SAP to increase the fan and player engagement with data both at events and in the mobile space, using all the information available in matches to better engage with fans and increase general interest in the game, their events and their players.

Then you have global data giant SportRadar looking to do even more work with their partner the International Tennis Federation to find ways to capture data and provide more engagement for fans at a host of international events big and small. The Swiss company and their work with some of the world’s largest sports properties could also be helping to lead tennis into the 21^st century, and an announcement this week away from the court could help spur that along even further.

The news was that SportRadar, and its new US business SportradarUS, had become the official exclusive distributor of comprehensive statistics for the National Football League to digital outlets beginning with the 2015 NFL Season.

The deal gives Sportradar US, which had also signed an exclusive deal with NASCAR earlier in the year, access to NFL’s proprietary Next Gen Stats an initiative first introduced in the 2014 NFL season. It consists of real-time, location-based data such as speed, acceleration and distance traveled, for all players, in all games. This unique information, alongside GSIS, will be distributed by Sportradar US to give fans a closer look into the game, and allow them to experience it in ways never seen before. Insights from Next Gen Stats also will be available for fans in-stadium, at home, and everywhere else that NFL content is consumed.

“Coming right after our decision to rebrand SportsData as Sportradar US, this deal is an important milestone for our company and in particular underlines our commitment to securing a leading position in the U.S. sports data market,” said Ulrich Harmuth, President of Sportradar US added in a statement. “At Sportradar we pride ourselves on being both a development and a technology partner to leagues and customers. “

So how could an NFL, and a NASCAR deal, help tennis? Simply put, data is data and as organizations like football and racing get more attune to the consumer with innovative technology engagement, the pie gets bigger for all. Sportradar is all about mining new data sources to give media partners a better and more engaged experience, and what works for those sports could work very well for the ITF, already a Sportradar partner.

“There is no doubt that the announcement this week for Sportradar and the NFL will open more doors for other sports looking to engage in the digital space, and tennis is prime for a big step,” said Chris Lencheski, a veteran sports marketer now running the consulting firm Phoenicia in the US. “You look at tennis and see Hawkeye and wonder where all the other numbers are. As a fan I want more and I know it exists, maybe this spurs the ITF to better work with their partner to grow the game even more. If it’s good for other sports like golf, it has to be good for tennis.”

So can a deal with the NFL help move the digital needle in tennis. We shall see, but it seems like the right aggressive partner is already on the team.

U.S. Davis Cup Team To Play In Open Air Baseball Stadium At Petco Park – This Week In Tennis Business With Liz Kobak

November 6, 2013 by Admin

by Liz Kobak

@LizTennis

U.S. Davis Cup Team To Compete In Open Air Baseball Stadium For First Time At Petco Park

The USTA announced that San Diego’s Petco Park will be the site for the 2014 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas first round match between the United States and Great Britain, January 31-February 2. The matches will be played on a clay court in a temporary stadium built in left field, which will have an expected capacity of approximately 8,000. It will be the first time Davis Cup is played in an open air baseball stadium in the United States and the first time the U.S. Davis Cup team hosted a tie on clay since the 1992 semifinals (U.S. def. Sweden, 4-1 in Minneapolis).

The event is being organized, staged and promoted by the USTA. Tickets will go on sale to the general public on December 6 (a USTA member pre-sale begins December 4). For more information, fans can call the U.S. Davis Cup hotline at (888) 484-8782 or visit www.usta.com/daviscup.

“Our squad is ready to go up against a tough adversary in the British squad,” said U.S. Davis Cup Captain Jim Courier. “Andy Murray is one of the strongest players in the sport and we expect our home crowd to come out and support us in what will be a thrilling Davis Cup tie.”

ATP World Tour Stars Raise Children’s Charity Funds

ATP Stars Juan Martin del Potro, Tomas Berdych and others helped Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity collect £410,000 at Barclays ATP World Tour Finals Gala at London’s Natural History Museum on Saturday.

The Moët & Chandon sponsored Gala launched Barclays’ 2013 ATP World Tour Finals (playing through November 11) and generated essential funding for Great Ormond Street Hospital’s new respiratory ward. Now in its third year, the 2013 Gala brought the total charity money raised to £1.2 Million since 2011. An exclusive auction was held on Saturday, including a chance to meet the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals champion and a rare gold-leaf Methuselah of Moët & Chandon signed by red carpet World Tour players.

“The Gala has been another terrific success, and a great way to welcome many of the world’s best players to London ahead of next week’s Barclays ATP World Tour Finals,” said Barclays ATP World Tour Finals Tournament Director Andre Silva. “We’re very proud to have helped raise more than £400,000 for Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity for a third consecutive year, and would like to thank all those who gave so generously on the night in support of such a worthy cause. We look looking forward to another spectacular season finale at The O2 over the next eight days.”

The Barclays ATP World Tour Finals has welcomed more than one million fans to its O2 arena these past four years, becoming one of the world’s most lucrative and highly attended indoor tennis tournaments since moving to London in 2009. Tickets are available here: http://www.BarclaysATPWorldTourFinals.com.

USTA Names Tennis Development Workshop Awards Recipients

The USTA announced that eight tennis coaches and administrations were honored at its Tennis Development Workshop in Denver Nov. 1-3 for holistically enhancing this beloved game.

There were six 2013 award categories:

Adaptive Tennis National Community Service Award: USTA Adaptive Tennis program leader exhibited continual tennis excellence, dedication and service. Winner: Omaha Tennis Buddies, Omaha, NE. (http://www.tennisbuddiesrock.com/)
Eve F. Kraft Community Service Award: Bestowed upon those who exemplify Kraft’s mission to give everyone wanting to play tennis opportunities. Kraft was a teacher and USTA staff member who introduced many disadvantaged community members to tennis. Winner: Celia Rehm, Jacksonville, FL.
Janet Louer USTA Jr. Team Tennis Organizer of the Year: Awarded to individuals who positively impact children’s lives and communities. Winner: Heidi Stryker, Irvine, CA.

National Community Tennis Association of the Year: Honors one CTA for developing tennis in its respective community. This category contains 17 nominees, one from each USTA section. Winner: Savannah Area Tennis Association, Savanna, GA.
National Junior Tennis & Learning Chapters of the Year: Awards organizations that maximize their tennis programs according to their specific budgets, segmented into three tiers. Winners: A’s & Aces (Exceeding $500,000), New Orleans, LA; Prince George’s Tennis & Education Foundation ($50-500,000), Prince George County, MD; Olivencia Tennis (less than $50,000), San Sebastian, Puerto Rico.
Trainer of the Year: One who promotes tennis’ growth through exemplary on-court training. Winner: Bill Phillips, Lafayette, LA.

Troicki Missing ATP Action Midway Through 2014 Season

The International Tennis Federation announced that the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) panel has lowered Viktor Troicki’s ITF match suspension from 18 to 12 months.

This decision came after careful evaluation of Troicki and the Doping Control Officer’s misunderstanding. Given Troicki’s degree of fault, his suspension was replaced with a 12-month ineligibility period effective July 15, 2013; he is allowed to compete again after July 15, 2014. While Troicki’s Monte Carlo Masters matches, prize money and ranking points won are still disqualified, the CAS has allowed Troicki to retain prize money and ranking points attained from other competitions he played.

Last week the ITF announced Marin Cilic’s reduced tennis suspension. Read more about Troicki’s here: http://www.itftennis.com/antidoping/news/decisions/cas-decision-in-the-case-of-viktor-troicki.aspx#fwlViMwqR6XJHsUx.99.

Opponent’s Ethnicity Makes Tunisian Tennis Player Forfeit Match

The International Tennis Federation banned Tunisia from the 2014 Davis Cup after one of its players was ordered not to compete against an Israeli opponent at a Challenger last month.

The ITF said in a statement that the Tunisian federation was guilty of “interfering with international sporting practice” when it ordered Malek Jaziri to withdraw from his quarterfinal against Israeli player Amir Weintraub at an ATP Challenger tournament in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

The ITF said its board voted unanimously to suspend Tunisia from the Davis Cup for one year, with Tunisian member Tarak Cherif recusing himself from the vote.

Jaziri, who was ranked top 70 ATP last year, caused his country’s Davis Cup suspension after tennis federation representatives allegedly forbade him from playing his Israeli opponent. Once Tunisia’s tennis federation officials heard of this upcoming match-up against Weintraub, a federation representative allegedly immediately interceded via e-mail and demanded Jaziri withdraw indefinitely. Tunisia’s top-ranked tennis player initially cited a knee injury as his reason for withdrawal.

“There is no room for prejudice of any kind in sport or in society,” said ITF president Francesco Ricci Bitti. “The ITF Board decided to send a strong message to the Tunisian Tennis Federation that this kind of action will not be tolerated by any of our members.”

Tennis Channel Debuting New Studio Set, Live Show

Tennis Channel unveiled its new studio set this November in conjunction with men’s year-end championships coverage Nov. 4-11 and Davis Cup Finals Nov. 15-17.

The Culver City, CA set introduced live coverage show Tennis Channel Live – similar to what the network provided on the US Open grounds and other tournaments in recent years. In 2014 it becomes home to nightly tennis news update show Court Report.

“Viewers have reacted extremely positively to the on-site studio shows at the Slams and other competitions, and we’ve always planned to expand this concept to more events throughout the year,” said Tennis Channel Executive Producer Bob Whyley. “We cover more than 100 tournaments every year, and envision a point where Tennis Channel Live is used to enhance virtually all of them. It was important to us that the new set reflected our signature conversational environment, as opposed to a straight news desk. Tennis has never had this type of studio show on television, and this is a natural progression in our network’s evolution as the sport’s on-air home.”

The new set debuted on Monday during Tennis Channel’s live and week-long coverage of the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London, featuring coverage by sportscaster Brett Haber, Hall of Famer Tracy Austin and former top 5 ATP pro Jimmy Arias. Roland Garros Champion Michael Chang, renowned coach Paul Annacone and WTA sensation Sloane Stephens are making show appearances.

Liz Kobak won the 2013 USTA National Women’s Open Singles Grass Court Championship. She is a 2010 Columbia University graduate and Northwestern University journalism master’s recipient. She is a former WTA ranked pro and #1 ranked United States junior tennis player who rates her 6-4, 6-1 win on Italian clay over Sara Errani as her best victory.

USTA Rendering of Davis Cup at Petco Park

50-Year Anniversary of First Fed Cup Final

June 20, 2013 by Admin

It was 50 years ago on June 20, 1963 that the Fed Cup was awarded for the first time.

As seen in the new THIS DAY IN TENNIS mobile app (www.TennisHistoryApp.com), the United States won the inaugural staging of the international team competition for women– then dubbed by its longer name, the Federation Cup, by claiming a 2-1 win over Australia at Queen’s Club in London. The Federation Cup, the women’s equivalent of the Davis Cup that started 1900, was founded as a part of the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the International Tennis Federation. Billie Jean King, then known by her maiden name Billie Jean Moffitt, paired with Darlene Hard clinch the title for the United States in the decisive doubles match in the best-of-three match series, defeating Margaret Court, then known by her maiden name Margaret Smith and Lesley Turner 3-6, 13-11, 6-3.

Hall of Fame tennis journalist and personality Bud Collins discusses the Fed Cup – and its curious naming – in his volume THE BUD COLLINS HISTORY OF TENNIS, available here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0942257707?tag=tennisgrancom-20&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=0942257707&adid=1Q446RE4XRBX0SYN215X&&ref-refURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tennisgrandstand.com%2F Bud’s summary and take on the “Fed Cup” from the book is excerpted below.

It was a splendid idea with a lame name—twice. That’s the Federation/Fed Cup, the world team competition for women—a la the Davis Cup that has been running in a variety of formats since 1963. It was best-of-three matches until 1996, then best-of-five (like Davis Cup, except curiously playing the doubles last, usually meaningless). The International Tennis Federation, the proprietor, named the Cup unimaginatively for itself. Plenty of excellent names such as Suzanne Lenglen, Helen Wills, Alice Marble were available. In 1995, a name change was advised, and—eek!—it was shortened to Fed. Wonder how much that consultation cost. King or Court Cup (for Billie Jean King or Margaret Court), stars of the event, would have been just fine.

The idea for a female team competition, complementing the Davis Cup, sprang from “Lady Tennis,” American Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman, an all-time champion, who provided a Cup. But in the 1920s, there wasn’t enough broad interest. Thus the Wightman Cup became a prize for a U.S.-Great Britain rivalry, launched in 1923 at Forest Hills and lasting through 1989 when the Brits ran out of talent.

Australian Nell Hopman (wife of her country’s Davis Cup captain, Harry Hopman) and Englishwoman Mary Hardwick Hare, a former Wightman player, successfully lobbied the ITF on behalf of the widening women’s game for a world-wide team tournament, realized in the Fed Cup. Sixteen countries entered at the 1963 start, the U.S. defeating Australia, 2-1 at Queen’s Club, London, the final indoors because of rain.

Court, leading Australia to four Cups, had a 20-0 singles record. King played for six Cup winners, posting a 26-3 singles record; 26-1 in doubles. Arantxa Sanchez Vicario and Conchita Martinez carried Spain to 10 finals, winning five Cups. Arantxa tops the chart, playing 100 matches: 50-22 singles, 22-6 doubles. Conchita was right behind her, 47-18 and 21-5—and they were 18-3 together in doubles. Martina Navratilova is the only Cup winner for two different countries: Czechoslovakia in 1975 (prior to her defection that year), and the U.S. in 1982, 86, 89, and was perfect, 20-0 singles, 16-0 doubles. What about her name on the Cup?

Does This Davis Cup Tennis Court Look Unplayable To You?

April 10, 2013 by Admin

By Randy Walker, @TennisPublisher

Buried in this past weekend’s Davis Cup excitement from the heroics of Serbian journeyman Ilija Bozoljac, an injured world No. 1 Novak Djokovic and an improbable 0-2 comeback win from an unheralded British team over Russia was the controversial ending to the Pakistan-New Zealand Davis Cup Group II match.

The Pakistan Tennis Federation and its star player Aisam Ul-Haq Qureshi are in the process of a full-on campaign for the International Tennis Federation, the organizers of the Davis Cup competition, to overturn a decision by its referee to award the match victory to New Zealand on the account that the court organized by the Pakistani Tennis Federation was not suitable for play. Pakistan was on the verge of posting a 2-0 first-day lead in the best-of-five-match series when the ITF referee called the match in favor of New Zealand due to its perception of the court conditions.

Due to security concerns in Pakistan, the ITF dictated that the Pakistanis would have to play the series at a neutral venue. A grass court at the Pun Hlaing Golf and Country Club in Yangon, Myanmar was selected by the Pakistani Tennis Federation and approved for play by the ITF.

However, after Pakistan’s Ageel Khan beat New Zealand’s Artem Sitak 7-5, 3-6, 6-2, 7-5 and Qureshi lead Daniel King Turner 6-2, 3-6, 3-0 on the opening day of the series, the on-site ITF-selected neutral referee Asitha Attygalla deemed that a hole in the back of the grass court, described as being an inch deep and six inches wide, was endangering players and ruled that Pakistan would have to forfeit the tie immediately for not providing a playable court.

Attygalla did not allow for a delay in play, by hours or even a day, to repair the court, choosing to immediately award the match to New Zealand by a 4-1 margin.

Pakistan-close-up-photo — Hole at the back of the court during Pakistan-New Zealand Davis Cup tie

“It has been a rough court from day one, concerns which we voiced,” New Zealand captain Alistair Hunt told Radio Sport as reported by Reuters. “The court only lasted about a match and a half before a reasonably good hole opened up on the baseline, which proved too dangerous to play on and the referee has called it.”

Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) President Kaleem Imam said to Reuters that Attygalla’s decision was a “disaster” and said, “Our manager said the players were very distraught after the referee’s decision. We spent thousands of dollars on preparing for this tie and sending a full-fledged squad to Yangon. We were desperate to win this tie and confident we could do it. We had no option but to complain to the ITF (International Tennis Federation) after the referee awarded the entire tie to New Zealand claiming the playing surface was dangerous.”

Local observers called Attygalla’s decision “shocking” and deemed the decision was an over-reaction as the court was repaired shortly after the match was awarded to New Zealand.

According to Reuters, Pakistan have been forced to host many international sporting matches at neutral venues as foreign teams have refused to travel to the country after eight Pakistanis were killed following an attack on the Sri Lanka cricket team in March 2009. Attygalla, the neutral referee, is also a native of Sri Lanka and resides in Australia.

Qureshi, who won the doubles title at the recent Sony Open in Miami, plans to fly to London to meet with the ITF’s Davis Cup Committee and directly plead the case of his team and suggest that the two teams resume and complete the match at the club at Roehampton, England, within the shadow of the ITF’s headquarters. A group of Pakistani tennis supporters have set up a Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/DiscriminationWithPakistanTennisDavisCupTeam to support the effort.

Qureshi is one of the most respected players on the ATP Tour and gained international recognition when as a Muslim from Pakistan, he partnered with Amir Hadad, a Jew from Israel, at Wimbledon and the US Open in 2002. Their partnership received much international media attention and their photo appeared as the lead, above-the-fold image on the front page of The New York Times during the US Open, where they reached the third round. He was also placed in the spotlight in 2010 when he partnered and reached the US Open doubles final with Rohan Bopanna, a leading player from India, a nation with political differences with that of Qureshi’s Pakistan. Shortly after his US Open success (he also reached the mixed doubles final) Qureshi founded his non-profit foundation (www.StopWarStartTennis.org), created with the purpose of bringing hope through tennis to all those affected by war, sectarian conflict and landmines/unexploded ordinance.

Qureshi is a two-time winner of the ATP World Tour’s Arthur Ashe Humanitarian of the Year award (in 2002 with Hadad and 2010 with Bopanna) and in 2010 he was named a goodwill ambassador to the United Nations Development Program. In 2010, he was awarded the “Sitara-i-Imtiaz” (Star of Excellence) by the Government of Pakistan and also was given the Pakistan President’s Award for Performance in 2002, the Salam Pakistan Youth Award by the President of Pakistan in 2007 and, in 2003, he was a finalist for the Anne Frank Award For Moral Courage presented by the Anne Frank Trust.

His ebook STOP WAR, START TENNIS: LESSONS OF LIFE AND UNDERSTANDING FROM A PAKISTANI TENNIS PLAYER, (available for $4.99 in the United States here: http://www.amazon.com/Tennis-Lessons-Understanding-Pakistani-ebook/dp/B009XE3LLO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1352133085&sr=8-1&keywords=Stop+War+STart+Tennis) details his inspiring stories of the life and tennis career with the hopes of inspiring people to learn from both defeats and triumphs in sports or other endeavors.