The ITF AGM today voted in favour of the ITF and Kosmos’ transformational reforms to the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas, which will secure the long-term status of the competition. From 2019, the competition will see 18 nations and the world’s best players compete in a week long season finale to be crowned Davis Cup […]
via HISTORIC DAVIS CUP REFORMS APPROVED AT AGM — newfanzoneblog
Fifteen players from 13 countries have been selected to receive the first ever ITF International Junior Player Grants. The new programme will provide total funding in 2018 of $325,000 to selected players from around the world as a contribution towards their competition-related costs with the aim of helping them make the transition from the junior […]
via ITF Announces Recipients Of First-Ever International Junior Player Grants — newfanzoneblog
The ITF announced today that Tim Stemp will join the ITF as Executive Director, Commercial in early 2017. He will head-up the ITF’s Commercial Department that concentrates on the ITF’s sponsorship and television portfolio. Stemp comes to the ITF from the sports marketing and media agency Infront Sports and Media, where he was Associate Director. […]
via Tim Stemp Joins ITF As Executive Director, Commercial — newfanzoneblog
The ITF announced the creation of a long-term plan for sustainable growth under a new agenda, ITF 2024, at its Annual Conference and AGM in Zagreb, Croatia on Wednesday. ITF President David Haggerty outlined the ITF’s mission to develop, grow and promote tennis around the world through good governance, integrity and trust, inclusiveness, innovation, ambition […]
via ITF Identifies Strategic Priorities For Long-Term Sustainable Growth — newfanzoneblog
The ITF today announced that American Brad Parks, the founder of wheelchair tennis, will receive the ITF’s highest accolade, the Philippe Chatrier Award, at the 2016 ITF World Champions Dinner on Tuesday 31 May in Paris at the Pavillon Cambon Capucines. Wheelchair tennis is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2016. The Philippe Chatrier Award, named […]
via Brad Parks To Receive ITF’s Highest Honour — newfanzoneblog
The ITF announced today that Mary Pierce (FRA) and Mark Woodforde (AUS) have been appointed by the ITF Board to four-year terms as athlete members of the ITF Board of Directors, subject to ratification by the ITF Annual General Meeting in June 2016. Pierce and Woodforde will join the other 13 Board members alongside President David Haggerty.
The ITF AGM in Santiago, Chile last year approved this change to the ITF Constitution mandating athlete representation on the ITF Board. The AGM agreed that two former players (one man and one woman) would be appointed by the Board for four-year terms to help the ITF have a better understanding of the players and their importance to tennis.
ITF President David Haggerty said: “After an intensive process where we talked with many talented athletes, I am pleased to announce that the ITF Board of Directors has appointed Mary Pierce and Mark Woodforde for four-year terms. They are the first athlete members of the ITF Board and will provide good insight into the needs of the players and help us to grow the game of tennis around the world. Their perspective and collaboration is very important to the ITF as we work to keep tennis strong and vibrant. Both Mary and Mark will also lead the ITF’s Athlete Commission and will be members of the ITF Olympic Committee.”
Mary Pierce, aged 40, was ranked as high as No. 3 on the WTA rankings, won two Grand Slam singles titles at the 1995 Australian Open and 2000 Roland Garros, and reached the final at the 2005 US Open. She reached the quarterfinals at the 2004 Olympic Tennis Event in Athens, and represented her country in Fed Cup by BNP Paribas in 22 ties over ten years, playing on two winning teams in 1997 and 2003. Since her retirement from tennis in 2006, she has worked as a coach and commentator, helped junior players in Africa, sponsors two ITF Pro Circuit tournaments in Mauritius, and participated in the ITF’s Worldwide Coaches Conference.
Pierce said: “I am very proud and honoured to join the ITF Board. I am convinced that their role in the tennis world is crucial, and I will do my best to bring as much as I can to their action. Thank you so much for welcoming me.”
Mark Woodforde, aged 50, was ranked as high as No. 19 in singles and No. 1 in doubles on the ATP rankings. He won twelve Grand Slam doubles titles, eleven with long term partner Todd Woodbridge and one with John McEnroe, and was also a singles semifinalist at the 1996 Australian Open. Partnering Woodbridge, he won the gold medal in doubles at the 1996 Olympic Tennis Event in Atlanta and a silver medal at the 2000 Olympic Tennis Event in Sydney. He represented Australia 24 times over ten years in Davis Cup by BNP Paribas, played in three Finals and was part of the 1999 winning team. With Woodbridge, he holds the record for the best Davis Cup doubles team in Australia’s history. The Woodies were inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame and the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame in 2010 and received the Philippe Chatrier Award, the ITF’s highest honour in 2014. Since retiring from tennis in 2000, he has worked as a coach, tournament director and commentator.
Woodforde said: “It’s exciting to be appointed to the ITF Board of Directors. “Some of the proudest accomplishments of my career came when I played for my country in Davis Cup and the Olympic Games and was able to see at first hand the work of the ITF. My life continues to be centred around tennis as a commentator and coach. I think that this gives me both insight and perspective on the views of the players that I can share with the Board as we work together to grow tennis around the world.”
The ITF announced today that Serena Williams of the United States and Novak Djokovic of Serbia are the 2015 ITF World Champions. Williams is named Women’s World Champion for the sixth time, while this is the fifth occasion that Djokovic has received the honour.
Martina Hingis of Switzerland and Sania Mirza of India become Women’s Doubles World Champions, while Jean-Julien Rojer of Netherlands and Romania’s Horia Tecau are Men’s Doubles World Champions. Hingis is an ITF World Champion 15 years after last being named World Champion in singles in 2000, while Tecau was previously World Champion in boys doubles in 2002.
Dalma Galfi of Hungary and USA’s Taylor Fritz are named ITF Junior World Champions, while the ITF Wheelchair World Champions are Jiske Griffioen of Netherlands and Japan’s Shingo Kunieda, who becomes men’s champion for the seventh time.
The ITF World Champions will receive their awards at the 2016 ITF World Champions Dinner on Tuesday 31 May, in Paris, during Roland Garros.
Serena Williams came within two matches of achieving the Grand Slam in 2015, winning the Australian Open, Roland Garros and Wimbledon, and held all four Slams at the same time for the second time in her career. She won five titles overall, and finished No. 1 in the year-end rankings for the fifth time on the back of a 53-3 win-loss record.
Williams said: “It means a lot to me to be named the ITF World Champion for the sixth time. I am proud to have achieved my second Serena Slam, in what has been an amazing year for me. Thank you for this recognition and for the undying support of the tennis community.”
Novak Djokovic won a career-best 11 titles in 2015, ending at No. 1 in the year-end rankings for the fourth time. He won three major titles at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open, and was runner-up at Roland Garros. He was in commanding form on all surfaces, boasting a career-best 82-6 win-loss record during the year.
Djokovic said: “It is an honour to be named ITF World Champion for the fifth time. My season was the best of my career with many highlights. It inspires me even more to keep on going, and I hope to continue to play at this level in 2016.”
Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau enjoyed a breakthrough season which saw the Dutch-Romanian pairing capture their first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon. They also won Rotterdam and the ATP World Tour Finals, capturing the season-ending title without losing a set to clinch the year-end No. 1 doubles team ranking. Both players have received support from the Grand Slam Development Fund.
Tecau said: “It is very rewarding and fulfilling to end the year as an ITF World Champion for the second time in my career. We have been improving all areas of our game, and are happy to be moving in the right direction. This is what we dream about, and it’s very motivating to carry on and try and push our limits again.”
Rojer said: “I’m extremely happy and glad with how the whole year went. It is very satisfying to have achieved these results with my partner Horia after putting in so much hard work.”
Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza only joined forces in March but proved a force to be reckoned with in 2015, winning two Grand Slam titles at Wimbledon and the US Open, and seven further tournaments. They won their last 22 matches from the start of the US Open through wins in Asia at Guangzhou, Wuhan, Beijing and the WTA Finals, ending the year with a 55-7 record.
Hingis said: “It is a great honour to be named ITF Women’s Doubles World Champions. Sania and I have enjoyed every minute of the season and we hope to continue in 2016 in the same fashion. We are set to join a long list of champions and it is a privilege to be recognised alongside them.”
Mirza said: “I am very honoured to receive this award from the ITF after what has been a great year for me and Martina. It is incredible that we have achieved so much in such a short time playing together. I am grateful to everyone that has helped me throughout my career and I hope that my success can inspire other girls in India.”
ITF President David Haggerty said: “Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams, who repeat as ITF World Champions, turned in exceptional performances in 2015, each winning three Grand Slam titles and dominating the rankings. In doubles, there are two new teams to receive this honour, Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau, and Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza. Both Rojer and Tecau are beneficiaries of the Grand Slam Development Fund, while both Tecau and Hingis are previous ITF World Champions.”
The ITF’s selection of its senior World Champions is based on an objective system that considers all results during the year, but gives special weight to the Grand Slam tournaments, and two ITF international team competitions, Davis Cup by BNP Paribas and Fed Cup by BNP Paribas.
Dalma Galfi is the first-ever Hungarian player to receive the ITF World Champion honour in any category. In a competitive girls’ season on the ITF Junior Circuit, the 17-year-old won the US Open and secured the year-end No. 1 ranking in the very last tournament of the year.
Galfi said: “I’m very happy and proud to be World Champion in 2015. I’m the first Hungarian to achieve this and it means a lot to me. I hope that the up-and-coming Hungarian players can follow in my footsteps, as there are a lot talented young players in our country.”
Taylor Fritz is the first American boy to be named ITF Junior World Champion since Donald Young in 2005. The 18-year-old reached two Grand Slam junior singles finals in 2015, winning the US Open, and after taking over the No. 1 ranking in June he held on to the top spot for the rest of the season.
Fritz said: “It feels amazing to be the ITF Junior World Champion. It’s been a goal of mine for many years and it feels great to actually achieve it. I loved ITF junior tennis and I hope I can build on the great foundation it has laid for me.”
As ITF World Champion for the seventh time, Shingo Kunieda is now the most decorated man in the wheelchair men’s category. The Japanese had another outstanding season, collecting seven titles on the UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Tour, including all three Grand Slam singles titles, and achieving a 30-2 singles win-loss record.
Kunieda said: “I am really happy to be World Champion for the seventh time and set a new record. I am grateful for the support of my team who have helped me a lot this year, and my goal is now to win my third consecutive gold medal at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.”
Jiske Griffioen of Netherlands had a breakthrough 2015, winning her first Grand Slam wheelchair singles title at the Australian Open, and following up with a second major title at Roland Garros. Having been ranked continuously in the Top 5 since September 2010, the 30-year-old finally reached the top spot in June and stayed there for the rest of the year.
Griffioen said: “It was an amazing year for me. In January I won my first Grand Slam singles title, and then in June won my second Grand Slam title and took over the world No. 1 ranking for the first time in my career. This was a great reward for a lot of hard work.”
ITF President David Haggerty said: “I would like to thank all the 2015 ITF World Champions for their contribution to another memorable year for our sport.”
The ITF has announced details of the regional qualifying events for the 2016 BNP Paribas World Team Cup, the ITF’s flagship wheelchair tennis team event. The main event will be hosted by the Japan Tennis Association (JTA) at the Ariake Colosseum in Tokyo on 23-28 May 2016.
This is the first time that the BNP Paribas World Team Cup will be staged in Japan, and only the second occasion that the event will be held in Asia following the 2012 edition in Seoul, Republic of Korea.
The BNP Paribas World Team Cup, which celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2015, is the ITF’s flagship wheelchair tennis event, often referred to as the Davis and Fed Cups of wheelchair tennis. The initial event took place in California in 1985 involving six men’s teams. The women’s competition began the following year, with quad and junior events introduced in 1998 and 2000 respectively. Due to the increased number of teams wanting to take part, the ITF introduced regional qualifying for the men’s and women’s events in 2012.
Over 100 teams from around 50 countries will take part in the 2016 competition. Four regional qualifying events will determine the six men’s and four women’s teams to join the direct entries in the finals in Tokyo. In Tokyo, teams will contest the men’s World Group (12 nations), men’s World Group II (12 nations), women’s World Group (12 nations), quad event (8 teams) and junior event (8 teams).
The current list of dates and venues is as follows:
18-21 February: Africa Qualification – Nairobi Club, Nairobi, Kenya
27 February-1 March: Asian Qualification – Sri Lanka Tennis Association, Colombo, Sri Lanka
5-8 March: Americas Qualification – Cuenca Tennis and Golf Club, Cuenca, Ecuador
22-26 March: European Qualification – Kaya Belek Resort Hotel, Antalya, Turkey
23-28 May: Finals – Ariake Coliseum, Tokyo, Japan
The Ariake Colosseum will also be the venue for the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Tennis Events. It regularly stages Davis Cup and Fed Cup ties, in addition to the Japan Open ATP event.
BNP Paribas has been the event’s title sponsor since 2012, and recently extended its sponsorship through 2021 as part of its overall agreement with the ITF.
ITF President David Haggerty said: “We are pleased to see the continued growth of the BNP Paribas World Team Cup, which is the most prestigious team competition on the ITF’s wheelchair tennis calendar. The ITF is delighted that the main event will be staged for the first time in Japan, a nation with a long tradition of wheelchair tennis and some of the sport’s most recognisable stars.”
The International Tennis Federation announced today that its agreement with Swiss-based company Sportradar AG for ITF Official Data has been extended for an additional five years through 2021, following a global tender process that attracted significant market interest. Under the terms of the new deal, Sportradar, a global leader in sports data and digital content, will continue as the ITF’s official data rights partner for the ITF Pro Circuit, and Davis Cup and Fed Cup by BNP Paribas, and will remain the preferred streaming partner for a range of ITF Pro Circuit events. The recent successful launch of the ITF Pro Circuit app is just one of the joint initiatives of the ITF and Sportradar, allowing fans to closely follow Pro Circuit events around the world through live scoring information and live streaming.
ITF President David Haggerty said: “Sportradar AG has been an excellent partner for the ITF, allowing us to increase the fan base for the ITF Pro Circuit as well as our flagship competitions, Davis Cup and Fed Cup by BNP Paribas. We have worked together extremely well since our partnership began four years ago, and look forward to working with Sportradar over the coming years to further grow fan, media and market interest in the official data from our competitions.”
Sportradar CEO Carsten Koerl said: “We are very pleased to continue our partnership with the ITF. The last four years have been incredibly fruitful: we have developed a new market for our clients and partners and we have also boosted the commercial value of the ITF’s live data and existing digital products. I am excited about the coming years which will see us develop even more outstanding solutions maximising the live data, video coverage and digital services for tennis enthusiasts all around the world.”
In addition to the live coverage of over 50,000 ITF matches per year through Sportradar’s umpire technology, Sportradar will also increase the live streaming coverage together with the ITF’s National Federations. A newly developed ITF Media Platform will bring the digital content as close to the fans as possible, giving them the opportunity to follow more tennis action than ever before and generating new ways for the ITF to increase its commercial value.
The data Sportradar has collected and processed for the ITF since 2012 has helped to support the ITF’s internal integrity processes. Furthermore, the speed and accuracy of Sportradar’s official data collection and processing has also impeded those who have sought to collect, disseminate and use unauthorised data.
A total of 576 players from 119 nations contested the 2015 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas in another memorable year for the competition. Great Britain, led by Andy Murray, captured its first title in 79 years and tenth title overall by defeating Belgium 3-1 in the Final in Ghent on 27-29 November.
Davis Cup by BNP Paribas was played in 55 countries in 2015, with a total of 83 home-and-away ties and five group events held in the World Group and three regional zones: Americas, Asia/Oceania and Europe/Africa.
Over 39,000 fans attended the Final in Ghent, bringing the total attendance for Davis Cup by BNP Paribas in 2015 to over 530,000 spectators.
It was another successful year for Davis Cup by BNP Paribas on television, with the Final shown in 154 territories by 37 broadcasters. The British broadcaster BBC TV saw a peak audience of 5 million viewers and peak market share of 34 per cent on Sunday. The two Belgian rights holding broadcasters, VRT and RTBF, enjoyed peak market shares of 43 per cent and 23 per cent respectively. Throughout 2015, Davis Cup was shown in 161 territories by 58 broadcasters.
The Davis Cup websites in English and Spanish have shown a 6 per cent growth in 2015, with a record 6.9 million visits, 3.8 million unique visitors and over 30 million page views achieved by the end of the 2015 Final. The competition’s social media properties in English, Spanish and Chinese have seen a 23 per cent increase in users this year, with a total social media audience of 640,000, including 234,000 Twitter followers and 358,000 Facebook likes. The winning point between Andy Murray and David Goffin has been viewed 1.1 million times on Davis Cup Facebook, with an overall reach of 5.5 million.
It has been a strong year commercially for Davis Cup, with title sponsor BNP Paribas extending its current agreement for a further five years through 2021. The ITF signed a new international sponsorship agreement with Betway, and extended existing agreements with Rolex and Adecco. In addition beIN SPORTS became the Official Global Media Rights Partner for Davis Cup and Fed Cup in a seven-year agreement.
Andy Murray became the first player to win eight live singles rubbers in a calendar year since the introduction of the World Group in 1981, improving his Davis Cup by BNP Paribas singles win-loss record to 27-2. The world’s top five players (Novak Djokovic, Murray, Roger Federer, Stan Wawrinka, Rafael Nadal) have now all won the Davis Cup, having contested a total of 107 Davis Cup ties and 232 rubbers among them.
A key factor in the success of Davis Cup by BNP Paribas has been the fan-focused campaign Show Your Colours, which promotes Davis Cup and Fed Cup as the world cups of tennis and has been used by all competing nations. Building on the unique team nature of both competitions, Show Your Colours uses branding elements for promotion, in-stadium activities and all of the ITF’s website and social media activity.
ITF President David Haggerty said: “It has been another memorable year for Davis Cup by BNP Paribas, with some outstanding player performances, strong attendance, and increasing TV and online audiences. The competition continues to inspire both players and fans throughout the world in the unique atmosphere of a team environment.”
Davis Cup by BNP Paribas is the World Cup of Tennis. It is the largest annual international team competition in sport, with 119 teams taking part in 2015. The competition is 115 years old having been founded in 1900.
After 24 years, Executive Director of Tennis Development Dave Miley has decided to leave the ITF for personal reasons at the end of December 2015.
Miley has visited over 140 countries worldwide and has played a key role in the development of tennis globally. He initiated many successful projects including Tennis10s that grew out of the ITF’s Play and Stay Programme.
With Miley’s innovative and creative approach, he worked hard to expand the education of tennis coaches worldwide, particularly with the launch of iCoach, the ITF’s official online coaching platform. Miley was very active over the years with the Worldwide Coaches Conference with another successful five-day conference last week in Turkey.
In 1993, Miley established the ITF Coach Education Programme and was author of both the Level One manual and co-author of the Advanced Coaches manual that is now available in over 20 languages worldwide. The Junior Touring Team programme proved very successful with many top-ranked players coming out of the teams, including Grand Slam Champion Victoria Azarenka (BLR).
ITF President David Haggerty said: “The outstanding work of the ITF’s Development Department and the contributions of Dave Miley are well known throughout the tennis world. Dave will leave a large legacy and we wish him well for the future.”
Former President Francesco Ricci Bitti added: “I worked with Dave Miley for the 16 years of my Presidency and before that as a member of the ITF Board of Directors. He has an excellent reputation both in the tennis world and the wider sports community for his innovative projects and energetic approach to Development.”
The ITF thanks Dave for his years of service and commitment to tennis.
The International Tennis Federation and BNP Paribas announced today that they have renewed their partnership for an additional five-year period, commencing in 2017 through 2021.
The agreement includes the sponsorship of Davis Cup by BNP Paribas and Fed Cup by BNP Paribas as well as sponsorship of Junior Davis Cup and Junior Fed Cup by BNP Paribas, ITF wheelchair tennis activities, and the biennial Worldwide Coaches Conference.
The announcement was made in Ghent at the 2015 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas Final between Belgium and Great Britain. The formal signing of the contract will be held in Ghent on 28 November with ITF President David Haggerty and BNP Paribas Chief Executive Officer Jean-Laurent Bonnafé.
“With BNP Paribas, we will celebrate our 15th year of partnership in 2016,” said ITF President David Haggerty. “Their long running love affair with tennis, that started in 1973 with Roland Garros, has benefited our sport in countless ways. BNP Paribas is an excellent strategic partner and, with this renewal of our contract, we will take Davis Cup by BNP Paribas and Fed Cup by BNP Paribas and our other properties to new levels of global popularity and success.”
Jean-Laurent Bonnafé, BNP Paribas Chief Executive Officer, said: “BNP Paribas is proud to have been the title sponsor, for more than a decade, of the Davis Cup and Fed Cup by BNP Paribas, which are among the most prestigious tennis competitions in the world. Over three days of competition, the tournament incites great emotions among tennis fans. For BNP Paribas, this partnership is a fantastic support for the visibility of our brand and the relationship with our clients. We are delighted to renew our strategic partnership with the ITF and to support the continued development of these great competitions to ensure they attract more players and more fans than ever before.”
BNP Paribas joined the Davis Cup family of sponsors in 2001, taking over as title sponsor of the competition in 2002. In 2005, BNP Paribas became title sponsor of Fed Cup by BNP Paribas.
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