Betway Becomes International Sponsor Of Davis Cup by BNP Paribas and Fed Cup by BNP Paribas

The ITF announced today that Betway, one of the world’s leading betting and gaming companies, has become an international sponsor of both Davis Cup and Fed Cup by BNP Paribas. Betway was introduced as an international sponsor at the recent Fed Cup by BNP Paribas Final in Prague and its sponsorship of both competitions will continue for three years through 2018.

Under terms of the new partnership, Betway will receive branding on court at all Davis Cup and Fed Cup by BNP Paribas World Group ties. Innovative activations to strengthen fans’ engagement with and enjoyment of the Davis Cup and Fed Cup by BNP Paribas will be at the core of the new partnership. All elements of the new partnership are fully compliant with the rules and interpretations of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Programme.

“The ITF welcomes Betway to our family of sponsors,” said ITF President David Haggerty. “To continue strengthening our flagship events, Davis Cup and Fed Cup by BNP Paribas, the support of strong and creative partners like Betway who will elevate our fans’ enjoyment of the competitions is an important initiative. Betway is a well-respected international betting brand. The ITF and Betway share the mission to keep the sport of tennis clean.”

“Davis Cup and Fed Cup by BNP Paribas fit perfectly within our roster of exciting, high profile sponsorships,” said Anthony Werkman, Marketing and Operations Director of Betway. “We are especially looking forward to this weekend’s Davis Cup by BNP Paribas Final in Belgium, as it is a key market for us following our recent launch in the country.”

Today’s announcement follows the renewals of Davis Cup and Fed Cup international sponsor Adecco, and Davis Cup international sponsor Rolex, respectively, earlier this year.

Davis Cup by BNP Paribas is the World Cup of Tennis. It is the largest annual international team competition in sport, with 126 nations entered in 2015. The competition is 115 years old having been founded in 1900. The title sponsor is BNP Paribas, the Official Bank of Davis Cup. International sponsors are Rolex (Official Timekeeper), Adecco (Official HR Sponsor) and NH Hotels (Official Hotel). beIN SPORTS is the Official Global Media Rights Partner.

ITF Launches Official Live Scoring Mobile App For ITF Pro Circuit

The ITF today announced the launch of the official ITF Pro Circuit live scoring mobile app. The app, which offers point-by-point score updates straight from the umpire’s chair at more than 1,200 Pro Circuit tournaments per year, will be powered by Sportradar AG, the worldwide distributor for ITF Official Data.

Mobile app users will be able to receive notifications about each match such as start times, set scores and final scores, as well as seeing a full list of tournaments taking place each week, the daily order of play for each tournament, detailed match statistics, in-play updates of key match moments and player head-to-head records and biographies.

The mobile app, which is available on iPhone and Android, is the latest improvement to the ITF Pro Circuit’s coverage of live scores. Last month the live web scoreboard, also powered by Sportradar AG, underwent a comprehensive redesign, making it compatible with mobile devices.

Since the inception of the ITF Pro Circuit live web scoreboard in 2013, the Pro Circuit website (www.itftennis.com/procircuit) has seen over a 40 per cent increase in visitor sessions, with more than 17 million visits so far this year.

The ITF Pro Circuit consists of over 1,000 men’s and women’s entry-level professional events each year. These events act as a transition between the junior and the senior game, offering world ranking points and enabling players to progress to the higher-level events on the ATP and WTA tours. The 2015 ITF Men’s Circuit consists of 692 Futures tournaments in 79 countries, while the 2015 ITF Women’s Circuit features 593 tournaments in 63 countries. All events are organised and/or approved by ITF member nations, with total annual prize money in excess of $19 million.

ITF President David Haggerty said: “The ITF Pro Circuit is the starting pathway for a player’s professional tennis career and it remains a vital stepping stone for reaching the upper echelons of the game. We have introduced an official live scoring app because we believe it will be an important tool for players as well as National Associations and tournament organisers in the promotion of their Pro Circuit events.”

Sportradar’s Managing Director of Data and Licensing Dr Johannes Ranke said: “Up to this point, we have enjoyed a really successful partnership with the ITF characterised with innovation and ambition. Our data collection model for the ITF Pro Circuit is truly unique, accurate and fast, and we look forward to further building up our product portfolio together with the ITF and to keep on improving the integration of their competitions across today’s digital channels.”

ITF Elects New President And Board At 2015 ITF AGM

David Haggerty was elected ITF President at the ITF Annual General Meeting in Santiago, Chile on Friday. The 58-year old from the United States succeeds Francesco Ricci Bitti, whose 16-year term as ITF President ends today. Haggerty will serve a four-year term from 2015-19.

Haggerty was elected on the second ballot with 200 votes, over Anil Khanna (IND) with 192 votes. Rene Stammbach (SUI) and Juan Margets (ESP) were eliminated on the first ballot.

Francesco Ricci Bitti has been named an Honorary Life President of the ITF.

David Haggerty, ITF

Elections also took place for the ITF Board of Directors for the period 2015-19. The following 13 candidates have been elected to the Board:

Katrina Adams (USA)
Martin Corrie (GBR)
* Sergio Elias (CHI)
Ismail El Shafei (EGY)
Bernard Giudicelli (FRA)
* Jack Graham (CAN)
* Anil Khanna (IND)
Thomas Koenigsfeldt (DEN)
Celia Patrick (NZL)
Aleksei Selivanenko (RUS)
* Rene Stammbach (SUI)
Stefan Tzvetkov (BUL)
Bulat Utemuratov (KAZ)

* returning member

Retiring Board members Roman Murashkovsky (RUS), Stuart Smith (GBR) and Georg von Waldenfels (GER) have been named Honorary Life Counsellors of the ITF.

Over 280 delegates, partners and staff attended the AGM, held at the Santiago Marriott Hotel, and hosted by the Chilean Tennis Federation under its President Jose Hinzpeter.

Haggerty is an experienced tennis administrator, having held a variety of roles within the United States Tennis Association (USTA) since 2001 and within the ITF since 2009. He served as Chairman, CEO and President of the USTA in 2013-14, and was a Vice President on the ITF Board of Directors in 2013-15. He is a former President of the Tennis Industry Association and a current board member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Away from tennis administration, Haggerty had a 30-year career in the racket industry, and is a former Chairman of Head USA, President of Penn Racquet Sports, and President of Dunlop Maxfli Slazenger Sports.

David Haggerty said: “It is a privilege and an honour to be elected President of the ITF. Tennis is the common language that binds all our member nations. It is important that we continue to listen to each other and work together to keep the ITF strong. I want to thank Francesco, who has done so much for the ITF over the last 16 years, for his leadership and friendship.”

Outgoing president Francesco Ricci Bitti said: “I would like to congratulate David Haggerty on his election as ITF President, and wish him all the best for the future. It has been my pleasure to serve as President for the last 16 years, and I am confident that under David’s leadership, the organisation can continue to grow with the support of the ITF staff and our 210 member nations.”

The AGM approved an increase in size of the Board of Directors from 13 plus the President to 15 plus the President to include athlete representation. The additional two athlete members will be appointed by the elected members of the Board and ratification will be required at the following AGM.

The assembly also approved a series of regulation changes and clarifications for the ITF’s international team competitions, Davis Cup by BNP Paribas and Fed Cup by BNP Paribas. This includes the introduction of fifth set tiebreaks in Davis Cup effective from the start of the 2016 competition.

Kosovo has become a member of the ITF for the first time after a successful application for Class B membership. There was also an increase in Class B shares for Poland and Turkey. Two Class C members, Nauru and St Vincent & The Grenadines, have been suspended.

There were ten Awards for Services to the Game approved by the AGM. Charles Trippe (GBR) was nominated by the ITF Board of Directors for his outstanding contribution over 50 years, while Bruce Elliott (AUS) was nominated by the Coaches Commission. Other awards went to Radu Albot (MDA), Sheikh Hasher Bin Maktoum Al Maktoum (UAE), Yves Freson (BEL), Tamas Hamori (HUN), Enrique Ninete (GUM), Aleksei Selivanenko (RUS), Stuart Smith (GBR) and Vladimir Voltchkov (BLR).

The 2016 ITF Annual General Meeting will be held in Zagreb, Croatia in June.

ITF To Elect New President At 2015 ITF AGM

The ITF will elect its new President at the 2015 ITF Annual General Meeting in Santiago, Chile on Friday 25 September. The AGM programme will be hosted by the Chilean Tennis Federation at the Santiago Marriott Hotel on 23-25 September, with over 280 delegates, partners and staff from National Associations, Regional Associations, Foundation Members and Recognised Organisations.

The following four candidates are standing for the position of ITF President for a four-year term from 2015-19. The new President will replace outgoing ITF President Francesco Ricci Bitti, who has decided to step down after 16 years in office.

David Haggerty (USA)
Anil Khanna (IND)
Juan Margets Lobato (ESP)
Rene Stammbach (SUI)

Francesco Ricci Bitti, ITF President, photo credit ITF.com

Elections will also be held for the new ITF Board of Directors for a four-year term from 2015-19. The following 26 candidates are standing for 13 positions on the Board:

Katrina Adams (USA)
* Tarak Cherif (TUN)
Martin Corrie (GBR)
Goran Djokovic (SRB)
* Sergio Elias (CHI)
Ismail El Shafei (EGY)
Jose Luis Escanuela Romana (ESP)
Luisanna Fodde (ITA)
Rodolfo Garcia Muriel (MEX)
Bernard Giudicelli (FRA)
* Jack Graham (CAN)
* David Haggerty (USA)
* Stephen Healy (AUS)
* Anil Khanna (IND)
Ulrich Klaus (GER)
Thomas Koenigsfeldt (DEN)
Jorge Lacerda da Rosa (BRA)
Celia Patrick (NZL)
Aleksei Selivanenko (RUS)
* Rene Stammbach (SUI)
Predrag Stojcevic (CRO)
Marina Tauber (MDA)
Stefan Tzvetkov (BUL)
Ayda Uluc (TUR)
Bulat Utemuratov (KAZ)
Karin van Bijsterveld (NED)
* Incumbent Board Member

The Draw for the 2016 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas will be held during the AGM at the Santiago Marriott Hotel on Wednesday 23 September at 19:00 local time (22:00 GMT). At Friday’s AGM, nations will also vote on the introduction of fifth set tiebreaks in Davis Cup starting in 2016.

Ahead of the formal AGM, Regional Association meetings will be held on Wednesday, while Key Issues sessions will take place on Thursday. Awards for Services to the Game will also be presented during the week.

ITF Confirms Nominations For ITF President And ITF Board Of Directors

The ITF has announced the nominations for the elections for the ITF President and ITF Board of Directors that will be held on Friday 25 September 2015 at the ITF’s Annual General Meeting in Santiago, Chile. Both the President and 13 other members of the Board of Directors will be elected for four-year terms from 2015-19.

Nominations for the position of ITF President have been made by Class B Member Nations who fully meet ITF constitutional criteria. The following nominations have been received by the closing date for resolutions for the 2015 AGM, 25 May:

David Haggerty (USA)
Anil Khanna (IND)
Juan Margets Lobato (ESP)
Rene Stammbach (SUI)

Francesco Ricci Bitti, photo credit ITF.com

The new President will replace outgoing ITF President Francesco Ricci Bitti, who will step down after 16 years in office.

Nominations for election to the ITF Board of Directors have also been made by Class B Member Nations who fully meet ITF constitutional criteria. The following nominations have been received by the closing date for resolutions for the 2015 AGM, 25 May:

Katrina Adams (USA)
* Tarak Cherif (TUN)
Martin Corrie (GBR)
Goran Djokovic (SRB)
* Sergio Elias (CHI)
Ismail El Shafei (EGY)
Jose Luis Escañuela Romana (ESP)
Luisanna Fodde (ITA)
Rodolfo Garcia Muriel (MEX)
Bernard Giudicelli (FRA)
* Jack Graham (CAN)
* David Haggerty (USA)
* Stephen Healy (AUS)
* Anil Khanna (IND)
Ulrich Klaus (GER)
Thomas Koenigsfeldt (DEN)
Jorge Lacerda da Rosa (BRA)
Celia Patrick (NZL)
Aleksei Selivanenko (RUS)
* Rene Stammbach (SUI)
Predrag Stojcevic (CRO)
Surendran Subramaniam (SRI)
Stefan Tzvetkov (BUL)
Ayda Uluc (TUR)
Bulat Utemuratov (KAZ)
Karin van Bijsterveld (NED)

* Incumbent Board Member

The length of term for Board members has been increased from two to four years after a motion was passed at the 2014 ITF AGM in Dubai.