Tennis Europe News - Issue 142 by Tennis Europe

News 142 D e ce mber

I 2018

Tennis Europe Top Executives’ Meeting in Prague

The 40th edition of Tennis Europe’s Top Executives’ Meeting was held in Prague, Czech Republic, from 2829 November, and saw attendance from 42 delegates, representing 34 of the European Tennis Federation’s 50 member nations. 17 high-level speakers from across the sports industry took to the stage during the event to address the assembly on issues related to three main topics:

• Digitalisation, • Event Management • Fundraising & Sponsorship

The Top Executives’ Meeting is devised to provide the Chief Executive Officers and General Secretaries of European national tennis federations with an opportunity to meet, share best practices, debate contemporary issues affecting the sport, and to receive education relating to international sports management.

Inside this issue Top Executives’ Meeting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01 Tennis Europe to crown men’s and women’s European Champions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 02 Tennis Europe Coaches Conference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 03 Tennis Europe & HEAD extend partnership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 05 2018 European Tennis Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 07 Tennis Europe Junior Tour Players of the Year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 08 2019 Winter Cups by HEAD Preview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 ITF World Tennis Tour launched . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Tennis Europe Junior Rankings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Tennis Europe Junior Tour Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 European Tournament Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Tennis Europe Top Executives Meeting’ in Prague The event was opened by Czech Tennis Association President and Tennis Europe Vice-President Ivo Kaderka. Following updates from Tennis Europe CEO Thomas Hammerl and ITF COO Kelly Fairweather, the first afternoon featured presentations from representatives of HEAD (Christian Wilber), adidas (Mats Merkel), the European Observatoire of Sport and Employment (Ben Gittus) and the Hungarian Tennis Association (Attila Richter). The morning of Day 2 focused on Digitalisation, with interventions from FC Bayern München, the ITF, French Tennis Federation and SAP (Achim Ittner). Following a lunch break, the meeting explored the topic of Event Management with speakers from e|motion Management (Herwig Straka), Top Five Management (Stéphane Gurov), Polish Tennis Association (Magdalena Rejniak-Romer) and Tennis Europe (Marta Conean). Tennis Europe Chief Executive Officer Thomas Hammerl commented, “Our aim is for each and every participant to reap some personal benefit from their at-

Meeting in progress.

tendance. This year we were particularly happy to have representatives from such a broad cross section of the sports industry. Tennis has many lessons to learn from our colleagues in other sports, and it has been very satisfying to see such dialogue taking place.” To see a video of highlights from Prague, click here

Tennis Europe to crown Men’s and Women’s European Champions For the first time, European Championship titles will be awarded to men and women. The 2019 winners of a top-level professional tournament at a major venue will be crowned European Champions. In addition, the European Tennis Federation has revealed plans for a brand-new European Championship event for players aged 21 & Under. The draws will be comprised of players nominated by Tennis Europe’s 50 constituent national tennis associations.

Tennis Europe CEO Thomas Hammerl announced the news at the Tennis Europe Top Executives’ Meeting, saying; “This is an important step for us as we look to build on our existing tournament portfolio and provide new opportunities for players from our member nations. We are planning a festival of tennis during which European men’s and women’s champions are crowned. We will also host a series of side-events which will provide the Presidents and staff from our nations a chance to work together while supporting their most promising next generation players at back-to-back major events.” Tennis Europe currently administers over 1,200 tennis events across the continent each year, from the Tennis Europe Junior Tour to ITF World Tennis Tour and Senior Circuit tournaments. Until now, European Championship events have been held for junior players aged 14, 16 and 18 & Under (and feature over 20 current and former world #1s amongst the former champions), and seniors aged 35 & Over to 85 & Over. The new announcement completes the portfolio of European titles.

Tennis Europe CEO Thomas Hammerl announces the creation of the new competition.

Further details of the new events, including the dates and venue, will be announced soon.

Women’s Tennis in focus at Tennis Europe Coaches Conference The Over 120 coaches from 39 of Tennis Europe’s member nations attended the 2018 Tennis Europe Coaches Conference, which was held from 19-20 October. (Photo Gallery) Hosted by the French Tennis Federation at the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy, this year’s event focused on the topic of ‘Women’s Tennis’ and featured a host of world-class speakers. Friday’s programme kicked off with introductions from Tennis Europe’s Development Committee Chair Christiane Jolissaint and updates from the organisation’s CEO, Thomas Hammerl and ITF Development Officer for Europe Vitor Cabral, before keynote speaker Patrick Mouratoglou took to the stage. Coach of 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams and Founder and President of the eponymous academy, Mouratoglou spoke passionately about his views on coaching and offered an insight to the reasons behind his success as a coach. Following a question and answer session, he then led the coaches through some of his favoured on-court drills.

Dinara Safina in conversation with Vitor Cabral.

Irena Chichmarova (BLR).

Under sunny skies, the day continued with on and offcourt presentations from the LTA’s Jo Ward and Irena Chichmarova of the Belarus Tennis Federation before concluding with an interactive panel discussion. Day 2 saw a varied programme, kicking off with China’s Li Pingwei’s discussion of the WTA Pathway, before ITF Team Coach Petra Russegger provided some insights of a female coach. Carl Maes, the former Belgian Fed Cup captain and long-time coach to Kim Clijsters then gave the delegates a look at a scientific approach to coaching female players before focusing specifically on training patterns for transitioning juniors.

Delegates.

After lunch, the sessions moved back on court with Roch Vidal of the FFT detailing technical and tactical drills around the serve and return before Ruben Neyens of the KNLTB explored how to develop movement for juniors. The conference concluded with former world #1 Dinara Safina addressing the delegates. The three-time Grand Slam finalist shared her career experiences, with a particular focus on the challenges of dealing with pressure.

Patrick Mouratoglou.

The 34th edition of the Tennis Europe Coaches Conference was the first to be ‘open’ in nature, allowing private coaches to attend alongside the delegations from member nations (subject to approval from the national

Women’s Tennis in focus at Tennis Europe Coaches Conference Amongst the official delegates were two former WTA players now focusing on coaching; Anna Smashnova of Israel and Tatiana Poutchek of Belarus. Using the full array of facilities available at the state-of-the-art academy, the workshop-style conference employed a variety of presentation settings, including courtside and classroom, panel discussions, and – for the first time - interactive question and answer sessions, moderated by Vitor Cabral. Summarising the event, the ITF Development Officer for Europe commented, “With this conference we tried to accomplish a few ambitious goals: to work in an outstanding venue, have a speaker panel of the highest

quality and the best logistics possible. We managed to achieve all these objectives. For a conference dedicated to women’s tennis, it was also important to us to have a strong representation of female speakers, and I must extend special thanks to Dinara Safina for her contribution, which gave us the chance to hear from a former world #1 for the first time at a Tennis Europe conference. Indeed, the whole panel was outstanding, and the coaches were extremely happy to have an exclusive insight from Patrick Mouratoglou on his unique methodology.” To see a video of highlights from the Coaches Conference, click here

Tennis Europe & PTR to continue partnership During the Coaches’ Conference, Tennis Europe and the Professional Tennis Registry (PTR) renewed their current partnership for three more years. The agreement recognises PTR as an ‘Education Partner’ of Tennis Europe. The European Tennis Federation and the PTR – the world’s largest international organisation of tennis teachers and coaches – have been cooperating since 2016 and will continue to work together to educate, promote and service tennis coaches in Europe.

Notes from Tennis Europe Season’s greetings from Tennis Europe! Please note that the offices in Basel will remain closed from 24th December until 2nd January. The 2019 Tennis Europe Annual General Meeting will be hosted by the Malta Tennis Federation in Valletta from 28-30 March. For further information contact Nadja Koran. The latest issue of the European Racquet Stringers’ Association’s ‘Pro Stringer’ magazine is available here

Contact Us TENNIS EUROPE Zur Gempenfluh 36 CH-4059, Basel Switzerland Tel: +41 61 335 9040 Fax: +41 61 331 7253 Email: contactus@tenniseurope.org Web: www.TennisEurope.org To subscribe to Tennis Europe News, simply send an email to contactus@tenniseurope.org.

Tennis Europe and HEAD extend partnership Tennis Europe and HEAD have announced a further extension to the comprehensive long-term partnership between the two organisations, due to last until 2021. The leading tennis equipment manufacturer has been the European Tennis Federation’s Official Racquet, Tennis Ball and Tennis Bag since 2007. Under the terms of the agreement, HEAD is promoted as the Recommended Ball of the Tennis Europe Junior Tour, which consists of over 360 international tournaments for players aged 12, 14 and 16 & Under, held in almost all 50 of the member nations of the International Tennis Federation’s largest regional association. Additionally, HEAD will become Tennis Europe’s Official Sportswear & Footwear Partner. The partnership will also have an increased focus on digitalisation and swings into action next month with the 43rd edition of the sport’s largest indoor team event, the Tennis Europe Winter Cups by HEAD, where more than 190 national junior teams will compete across the three age categories. HEAD will also continue to serve as title sponsor of the 12 & Under summer team event, the Tennis Europe Nations Challenge by HEAD, and as Official Partner of the Tour’s most prestigious individual events, the European Junior Championships, and the season-ending Tennis Europe Junior Masters. Thomas Hammerl (Tennis Europe CEO) & Ottmar Barbian (Executive Vice President, HEAD Racquetsports).

“TENNIS EUROPE AND HEAD SHARE MANY GOALS AND VALUES, AND THIS PARTNERSHIP WILL CONTINUE TO BENEFIT OUR MANY PLAYERS, TOURNAMENT ORGANISERS AND FEDERATIONS.” Tennis Europe President Vladimir Dmitriev said, “After so many years together, HEAD is an integral part of the Tennis Europe family, and we are delighted to continue our extensive cooperation for another three years. Tennis Europe and HEAD share many goals and values, and

this partnership will continue to benefit our many players, tournament organisers and federations. We look forward to being able to offer increasingly attractive packages to our players as a result of this updated agreement.” Ottmar Barbian, Executive Vice President of HEAD Racquetsports commented, “HEAD is committed to supporting the sport of tennis at a grassroots level. The cooperation with Tennis Europe is a significant part of that commitment. Together, we can make a difference where it really matters: with young talents that have a passion for the game and compete on the highest level. They are the future of tennis. Therefore, it was an easy decision for HEAD to renew the contract with Tennis Europe. We believe that the work they do for the national federations, for coaches and players, is critical and deserves our full support. We are a proud sponsor and look forward to another three years of productive, successful collaboration. For further information about HEAD, visit head.com.

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2018 European Tennis Report published The fourth edition of the ‘European Tennis Report’ has been published by Tennis Europe and is now available free of charge. The report is a unique source of data and statistical analysis and is designed to present the most accurate possible snapshot of the current state of European tennis. Each of Tennis Europe’s 50 member nations has its own page with details of the national federation, its key staff and contact details, plus player statistics (recreational, licensed and club members), numbers of clubs, courts, coaches and international tournaments, three-year trends and further analysis. Sections of the report analyse Europe as a whole and examine groups of nations according to their Tennis Europe membership status. For the first time, the Report also has an interactive component, with an online dashboard providing a wealth of key data in graphic form. The report’s key findings include: • A slight overall decline in European tennis participation

rates.

• More facilities (clubs, courts, coaches) than ever be-

fore.

• The fastest-growing nations in terms of tennis partici-

pation include Montenegro, Hungary, Slovenia, Portugal and Greece.

• 12 nations report greater than 10% increases in num-

bers of club members and federation members since 2015.

• The numbers of officially-sanctioned international

tournaments are growing, but there has been a decline in the number of professionally-ranked European players.

The full 88-page report can be found here in pdf format, and key data can also be viewed on our interactive dashboard. The European Tennis Report is the result of a triennial survey of Tennis Europe’s constituent national tennis federations, which was conducted in association with sports industry research leaders SPORTS MARKETING SURVEYS INC.

FAST FACTS The European nation with most tennis clubs (Germany) has more clubs within its territory than 40 of the remaining 49 Tennis Europe member nations combined. Six nations – France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Spain and Russia – each account for over 10% of the total number of European players. A total of over €155.7 million was distributed in prize money in 2017 at professional tennis events in Europe. Switzerland leads Europe in terms of tennis players as a percentage of total population, with 7% of the populace picking up a racquet twice a year or more. France, Spain, Belgium and Monaco follow close behind. Source: 2018 European Tennis Report

2018 Junior Tour Players of the Year The winners of the 2018 ‘Tennis Europe Junior Tour Players of the Year’ titles have been revealed. The award is presented to the four players that top the boys’ and girls’ 14 and 16 & Under rankings at the end of the season, plus a series of other winners selected for their achievements on the Tour throughout the year.

title. Poljičak with Prizmic also earned more silverware together as they were crowned European 14&U Champions.

In addition to the coveted ‘Player of the Year’ title, this year’s four year-end #1 ranked players will also receive a special prize of a one-week stay at the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy in southern France, to be taken during 2019.

Boys 14&U: Mili Poljičak (CRO)

Rewarded for his hard work and consistency on the tour, playing 15 tournaments, Poljičak was a winner at the Kyiv Cat.1 tournament and Runner-up at Messina and Renningen Cat.1 tournaments. Poljičak won two Cat.1 tournaments, Bolton and Piestany with his Croatian partner Dino Prizmic and one Cat.1 tournament, Messina with Serbian partner Jovanovic. Poljičak was an integral member of Croatia boys’ team as they scored a comeback win in the final to claim their first ever Tennis Europe Winter Cups by HEAD 14 & Under

“I’m thrilled to receive this award, as it a recognition for all the effort invested in training and matches. Success is even sweeter because it is achieved in tough competition. I had to have a two-month pause this year because of illness but there are two highlights. First highlight was Bolton when I won the doubles against the favoured American team and we came from a set and a break down. Second highlight was winning the Winter Cup in Veska where I came in with the team down 0:1 every time so I could not lose.”

Girls 14&U: Linda Noskova (CZE)

The girls 14 & under title went to Czech Republic’s Linda Noskova in a highly competitive category. Noskova won just one 14 & Under title (the Category 1 event in Sainte Genevieve Des Bois), finishing as runner-up in Odos, Category 1 event. However it was her stunning victory in the European Championships that set her apart alongside a formidable partnership with compatriot Linda Fruhvirtova. Noskova was the European Championsip winner with Fruhvirtova and their partnership also helped Czech Republic to victory in the Winter Cups. Noskova also claimed two Category 1 titles, Odos and Sainte Genevieve Des Bois, playing alongside Fruhvirtova. “I’m very happy to end the year in such a position,” she told us. “I know I’m going in a good direction, and with these results I think I’m still confirming.”

Boys 16&U: Petr Nesterov (BUL)

14 & Under Player of the Year Mili Poljicak (CRO).

14 & Under Player of the Year Linda Noskova (CZE).

Petr Nesterov capped an impressive year by being crowned Masters Champion at the season-ending event. Nesterov won Sarajevo (Cat.1) and also Pancevo (Cat.2) and Lida (Cat.2) while also finishing runner-up in Maribor (winning doubles with Popovic, his conqueror in singles) and Sofia (Cat. 2 events). “I am so happy to hear that I’ve been chosen as the Player of the Year! This is so special for me because this award has been won by so many tennis stars like Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic and others. This year was literally the best on European level I’ve played with so many great matches I gained a lot of experience. The most special tournament was the Tennis Europe Junior Masters; I played some great matches there and I fought for the title. That was the best feeling ever and I’ll never forget it. I would like to mention my coach Kristiyan Iliev and Bulgarian Tennis Federation for all the support they gave me this whole year.”

2018 Junior Tour Players of the Year Masters, where I played finales with my great friend Tara Wurth. It was also my favorite match. It’s great honor to receive the award for the best Player of the Year.” In addition to the above Players of the Year awards, the Tennis Europe Junior Tour also recognises some other special achievements during the season...

Overseas Players of the Year

16 & Under Player of the Year Petr Nesterov (BUL).

Alexandra Eala (PHI) Eala made a massive impact on the Tennis Europe Junior Tour, and ended the season ranked as 14 & Under #6, having played just 6 events (less tournaments than any other player in the Top 40). She started the year by winning singles at Les Petits As, and in the summer won both singles and doubles at Category 1 events in Hasselt and Oosterbeck, as well as at the Category 2 event in Nantes.

In 2017, she was part of the Doubles Team of the Year after going unbeaten in five events.

16 & Under Player of the Year Antonia Ruzic (CRO).

Girls 16&U: Antonia Ruzic (CRO)

Antonia Ruzic won the season ending Masters against her compatriot and closest challenger for the year end number one ranking, Tara Wurth. Ruzic won 4 Category. 2 tournaments, Milovice, Novi Sad, Pancevo and Budapest, (also winning doubles with Szabanin (HUN) as well as finishing runner-up in the Torello (Cat.1) tournament in 2018.

Ziheng had a phenomenal season, winning 23 of 24 doubles matches and 40 of 47 singles matches. He claimed five singles titles (Ulcinj, Subotica, Pecs, Tuzla and Riga) and four doubles titles (Palmanova, Niksic, Subotica, Pecs and Tirana) to finish the year ranked #13.

Doubles Team of the Year Mili Poljicak & Dino Prizmic (CRO) The Croatian pair played just four tournaments together but always delivered, winning 2 Category 1 titles and the European 14 & Under Championships. They also teamed up for their country at the Winter Cups and won all three matches at the final rounds. The final win/loss for the pair was an impressive 18/1.

“The season was really food for me,” said Ruzic. “I’ve been at many great tournaments and played interesting matches. The highlight for me was the Tennis Europe

Hi Ziheng (CHN)

Photos, left to right: Overseas Player of the Year Alexandra Eala (PHI) & Hi Ziheng (CHN). Doubles Team of the Year Mili Poljičak & Dino Prizmic (CRO) .

2018 Junior Tour Players of the Year

National Team of the Year

Four nations swept the winter and summer team events in their respective age categories this year, but the Czech 12 & Under girls’ team outshone their rivals. The team – comprised of Brenda Fruhvirtova, Nikola Bartunkova, Sara Bejlek and Tereza Valentova - went unbeaten in both competitions (an incredible 42/0 win-loss record).

Frank Jonker (NED).

Special Achievement Award

National Team of the Year - Czech 12&U girls’ team.

This year’s Special Achievement Award goes to Frank Jonker of the Netherlands. He earned a phenomenal 44/2 win/loss record in doubles, winning 10 titles with 9 different partners which is a unique achievement.

Tennis Europe Junior Tour New for 2019 2018 was a year of major review and restructure for the Tennis Europe Junior Tour, which grew to include 372 events across the continent. As a result of these investigations, many changes will be implemented as we head into the new season. In the last issue, we informed you about the 12 & under restructure. Events in this age category from 2019 will have two categories. Category 2 events will take place in a round robin format, with play-offs from the quarter finals. The different categories will give events more freedom to offer different levels of hospitality. To ensure quality of fields, there are restrictions on the numbers of tournaments that can be held each week,

and on the geographical distribution of tournaments. For more information, click here 2019 will also see changes on the 14 and 16 & Under circuits. A rankings review has been carried out with the overall aim of boosting player participation in qualifying, bonus (consolation) and doubles competitions, and to better reward players that represent their countries. To read about the rule changes in full, please click here If you are just getting started on the Tennis Europe Junior Tour in 2019, or have any queries about the rules, you can find all relevant information, plus an updated Frequently Asked Questions document here

2019 12 & Under Tennis Europe Winter Cups by HEAD Preview Europe’s biggest indoor team tennis tournament – the Tennis Europe Winter Cups by HEAD – is just a few weeks away. 194 national teams will be in action across the three age categories of the competition, which takes place over four consecutive weekends. The 41st edition of the Winter Cups kicks off with the 12 & Under category, which sees the qualifying rounds take place during the last weekend of January. 66 national teams are due to take part at seven venues across the continent, with eight boys’ and eight girls’ teams advancing to the final rounds two weeks later. Having swept the 12 & Under competitions for a second consecutive year (also winning the Girls 14 & Under) last year, the Czechs will be heavy favourites to repeat as champions, and also would benefit from playing at home should they reach the boys’ final rounds in Veska. Croatia will be keen to defend the Boys’ 14 & Under crown they won last year for the first time. In the 16 & Under events, France’s boys and Russia’s girls’ teams made full use of their home advantage last year to triumph.

Team France celebrates the 16&U boys win in Ronchin.

For a full list of dates, venues and the repartition of nations, please see below.

*Teams will play a preliminary qualifying round on 24th January. **Teams will play a preliminary round on 31st January.

Boys 12 & Under Qualifying 25-27 January Zone A

Ogulin (CRO) · Croatia, Italy, Moldova, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland

Zone B

Hradek nad Nisou (CZE) · Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Hungary, Ireland*, Lithuania*, Netherlands, Portugal

Zone C

Hillerod (DEN) · Bulgaria, Denmark, Finland, France, Great Britain, Israel, Luxembourg, Turkey

Zone D

Tallinn (EST) · Armenia, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Latvia, Romania, Russia, Ukraine

Finals

Veska (CZE) · 8-10 February

Girls 12 & Under Qualifying 25-27 January Zone A

Neudorfl (AUT) · Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Great Britain, Ireland, Luxembourg, Slovenia, Switzerland

Zone B

Rakovnik (CZE) · Belgium, Czech Republic, Hungary, Israel, Netherlands, Portugal, Serbia, Slovakia

Zone C

Tallinn (EST) · Belarus, Estonia, Finland, France, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia

Zone D

Kyiv (UKR) · Cyprus, Denmark, Georgia, Italy, Moldova, Romania, Turkey, Ukraine

Finals

Sunderland (GBR) · 8-10 February

2019 12 & Under Tennis Europe Winter Cups by HEAD Preview

Boys 14 & Under Qualifying 1-3 February Zone A

Zetrud-Lumay (BEL) · Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Finland, Great Britain, Lithuania, Sweden

Zone B

Niederzier / Huchem-Stammeln (GER) · France, Germany, Latvia, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Spain and Ukraine

Zone C

Ronchi dei Legionari (ITA) · Austria, Croatia, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland

Zone D

Leeuwarden (NED) · Belarus, Estonia, Israel**, Moldova**, Netherlands, Romania, Russia, Serbia and Turkey

Finals

Veska (CZE) · 15-17 February

Girls 14 & Under Qualifying 1-3 February Zone A

Plovdiv (BUL) · Bulgaria, Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey

Zone B

Rakovnik (CZE) · Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Italy, Israel**, Lithuania, Moldova**, Slovenia, Switzerland

Zone C

TBA (HUN) · Austria, Croatia, Finland, Great Britain, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Russia

Zone D

Kyiv (UKR) · Belarus, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Latvia, Slovakia, Ukraine

Finals

Rakovnik (CZE) · 15-17 February

Boys 16 & Under Qualifying 1-3 February Zone A

Varna (BUL) · Bulgaria, Great Britain, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Turkey

Zone B

Cholet (FRA) · Belgium, France, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Switzerland

Zone C

TBA (HUN) · Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Slovenia, Ukraine

Zone D

Kazan (RUS) · Austria, Belarus, Estonia, Italy, Lithuania, Romania, Russia, Sweden

Finals

Veska (CZE) · 15-17 February

Girls 16 & Under Qualifying 1-3 February Zone A

Minsk (BLR) · Austria, Belarus, Croatia, Great Britain, Lithuania, Romania, Switzerland, Ukraine

Zone B

Lousada (POR) · France, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain

Zone C

Kazan (RUS) · Bulgaria, Cyprus, Germany, Hungary, Moldova, Russia, Turkey

Zone D

Kyiv (UKR) · Czech Republic, Estonia, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, Sweden

Finals

Brest (FRA) · 15-17 February

Tennis Europe Junior Tour Promotional Tools for Organisers Since last year many Tennis Europe Junior Tour tournament organisers have been using our customisable free-of-charge ‘Brand Hub’ to promote their events on social media and in print. The range of available assets includes templates for posters, magazine/brochure articles, social media posts (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram), leaflets/flyers and e-mail footers. The new season is just around the corner, so don’t miss the opportunity to give your tournament as much visibility as possible. Check out the Tennis Europe Junior Tour Tournament Director download page, or contact Filip Kollar (filipk@tenniseurope.org) for further information and assistance.

Tennis Europe Junior Tour Referees Seminar Tennis Europe organised the third edition of its Tennis Europe Junior Tour Referees’ Seminar on 17th-18th November 2018 in Vienna, Austria. The seminar was aimed at White Badge referees who are working primarily on the Tennis Europe Junior Tour, and various other Junior, Senior and Wheelchair Tennis tournaments. A total of 18 participants from 12 member nations were present. During these two days, the referees had the opportunity to listen, discuss and debate a wide range of important topics using real cases and relevant issues. The programme included a general Tennis Europe update, rules & regulations discussion, and topics such as procedures, code violations, player welfare, integrity, safeguarding and more. A short briefing was also given on the forthcoming ITF World Tennis Tour.

seminar format giving plenty of opportunities for questions and answers” said Anders Wennberg, ITF Regional Officiating Officer for Europe.

“The seminar was an excellent opportunity for us to come together and debate pertinent issues for referees in tennis, especially at this time of change. An emphasis was placed upon discussion and debate with the

Given the positive feedback and remarks from the officials, Tennis Europe confirmed its intention to hold a fourth edition of the Tennis Europe Junior Tour Referees Seminar in the future.

Delegates at the referees seminar.

Leading Balkan coaches attend course in Albania The Albanian Tennis Federation recently hosted an ITF CAP (Coaching Advanced Players) Course in Tirana. Managed by Vitor Cabral, ITF Development Officer for Europe and Goran Shevchenko from the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, the regional course was attended by leading coaches from Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, FYR Macedonia, Kosovo and Montenegro. Among the delegates were Dimitar Labudovikj, FYR

Macedonia’s Fed Cup Captain, Predrag Rusevski, a former Davis Cup player also from FYR Macedonia, Kosovo Fed Cup Captain Arben Islami, Vanja Ibrahimovic 12&U Captain and Jasmin Dzambic - both national coaches from Bosnia & Herzegovina, Granit Barajliu, Davis Cup player from Kosovo, and Mujo Dapcevic, member of the Coaches’ Committee of Montenegro. According to Vitor Cabral, “This is a great opportunity not just for the coaches of these smaller Balkan federations to progress in their education but also to come together to foster cooperation. Most of the countries involved are very small, but they are also very close, making such cooperation a fundamental tool for player development.”

ITF launches ITF World Tennis Tour The ITF has 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 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 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 reduce 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.

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. A total of 576 ITF Pro Circuit events were held in Europe in 2018, and administered by Tennis Europe. 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

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”.

Croatia secures second Davis Cup title Croatia has won this year’s Davis Cup by BNP Paribas. The team, composed of Marin Cilic, Borna Coric, Ivan Dodig and Mate Pavic, was too strong for defending champions France. Despite a ray of hope after Saturday’s doubles win and with the support of a stadium of over 22,000 cheering fans, the host nation was not able to defy the Croats a second Davis Cup title. Coming in to the final day, Croatia was up 2-1, having taken both singles matches on Day 1. Coric put the visitors 1-0 up, with a 6-2 7-5 6-4 win over Jeremy Chardy. Cilic then kept a clean sheet, taking out Jo-Wilfried Tsonga by a very similar scoreline; 6-3 7-5 6-4.

Croatia celebrates victory at the Davis Cup finals.

Saturday’s doubles match saw a more active and vocal crowd get behind their players. Upon taking the first and then second sets, the home fans saw a glimmer of light, however far in the distance it may have been. The Croatian pair of Dodig & Pavic fought back to claim the third set, but Nicolas Mahut & Pierre-Hugues Herbert ensured that the final would continue to a third day with a 6-4 6-4 3-6 7-6(3) win which kept the French team’s faint hopes of an 11th title alive.

In his post-match interview, Cilic was beaming, “It’s just an incredible feeling to play like this in the final. The first set was tough… (I’m) extremely proud of the win.” Speaking of his nation, Cilic said “It’s a dream come true for us, for this nation, we are so passionate… I feel that in Croatia it’s going to be incredible too.”

Sunday’s opening match saw Marin Cilic clinch the tie and the title for the Croats. Up against Lucas Pouille, the 4th ranked Frenchman at #32 on the ATP singles rankings, Cilic was the favourite going in. Composed from the outset, the world #7 seemed to be a step ahead and a gear above Pouille, especially after taking a tight first set. Serving to stay in the match in set three, Pouille was met with a barrage of heavy returns and groundstrokes

and managed to save two match points, one with an ace, but Cilic played a cool and calm lob winner to seal the deal for Croatia with a 7-6(3) 6-3 6-3 win.

The second title has been over a decade in the making for the burgeoning Croatian team. Borna Coric has shot up the ATP rankings this year, finishing at #12 with some impressive wins along the way. Marin Cilic, the 2014 US Open champion, is now a top ten staple. Mate Pavic, the #4 ranked doubles player in the world and part of the #1 ranked doubles team, is also a force to be reckoned with, despite being upset in Saturday’s doubles match. Croatia now has two titles from the three finals it has contested.

LOOKING AHEAD TO 2019 2019 will be a year of great changes for the sport’s flagship men’s team competition. Known as the ‘World Cup of Tennis’, the Davis Cup finals will be held at the Caja Magica in Madrid and will see not 2 but 18 teams in contention for the title. The previous year’s champion (Croatia), runner-up (France) and two semi-finalists automatically qualify (USA and Spain). 2 wild-cards are given for automatic qualification (Argentina and Great Britain). 24 other teams will play a qualifying round in February (12 will play at home, 12 away). The 12 losing teams will be relegated to Group I (to be played later in the year). 12 winning teams will advance to the Davis Cup finals joining the top 4 from the previous year as well as the 2 wild-card recipients in an 18-team competition. The 18 teams will play at the Davis Cup finals in Madrid. They will be divided into 6 group of 3 and play a three-match (2 singles and 1 doubles) best-of-three round robin. The winner of each group (6 in total), plus the two best-performing second-placed teams will advance to the quarterfinals, then semi-finals then final, maintaining the same match formats.

Czech Republic wins 11th Fed Cup title The Czech Republic has secured its eleventh Fed Cup by BNP Paribas title, with a 3-0 win over the United States in Prague, earning the nation a sixth title in the last eight years. With the absence of some of the game’s top names, some pundits were predicting a lacklustre final, however it was anything but. Missing from the American team were Sloane Stephens, Madison Keys, Coco Vandeweghe and the Williams sisters. On the Czech side, Karolina Pliskova was injured and watched from home. Petra Kvitova, though ill and having been an integral part of the team, was in attendance at the Prague O2 Arena to show her support. After the opening day’s play the Czechs went to bed on a high, holding a 2-0 lead. Earlier Barbora Strycova had come back from a one set deficit to defeat teen Sofia Kenin, playing her first ever Fed Cup match, 6-7(5) 6-1 6-4. Afterwards, Katerina Siniakova took care of Alison Riske 6-3 7-6(2). Siniakova was back on court in Sunday’s first reverse singles match against Kenin. It was an arduous match, played with fervour and grit. Both players gave their all as Siniakova struck first, taking the first set 7-5. Kenin, despite the circumstances, did not seem fazed by the boisterous home crowd and took the second set by the same scoreline and went on to forge a 4-1 lead in the third. Siniakova brought it back, but at 5-4 Kenin was serving for the match yet couldn’t close it out, making two errors to allow the Czech to level at 5-5. At 0-40 up on Siniakova’s serve, Kenin saw yet another opportunity slip away. Siniakova held on to get her nose in front 6-5, getting back as many balls as she could and not giving away any free points. This forced a depleted Kenin to go for more and eventually she buckled, sending the ball into the doubles alley on Siniakova’s second match point. Jubilation and smiles on one side of the net were contrasted with despondency and tears on the other. Siniakova had toppled Kenin 7-5 5-7 7-5 in

The Czech Fed Cup team celebrates.

3 hours and 45 minutes to give the Czechs an insurmountable 3-0 lead. On an individual level, Petra Kvitova won the Fed Cup Heart Award, voted for by the fans. She also becomes the most prolific European winner of the competition, as she earns her sixth Fed Cup as part of the Czech team. This puts her ahead of Spanish legends Arantxa Sanchez Vicario and Conchita Martinez, who won five Fed Cups between 1991 and 1998. The two most successful nations in this competition have now faced off for a thirteenth time, with the Head-to-Head now standing at 10-3 in favour of the Americans. The last time the Czechs beat the Americans was in 1985. The victory against their old tennis foes has been a long time coming but highlights how dominant the Czechs have been in recent years, winning in 2011-2, 2014-6 and now in 2018. There is still some way to go for the Czechs to catch the US record of 18 Fed Cup titles though. When questioned about the dominance of the Czech team in recent years, Coach Peter Pala claimed that “we have great depth,” and said that the Czechs “are fortunate that we have so many players that are willing to play.”

Centenary Tennis Clubs 2018 review The 2018 Centenary Tennis Clubs Association competition calendar concluded recently after a busy summer which saw teams from many of the world’s best-known clubs taking part in senior and junior competitions. While friendly events have been held across four continents, the bulk of the Association’s competitive events took place in Europe. As always, the highlight of the CTC competitions was the Winners’ Group, which unites the champions of the previous year’s senior events at one location to battle for the CTC’s most prestigious title. This year’s Winners’ Group took place in Prague at the I.CLTK from September 7-9 and saw the host club – aiming for a hat trick of titles - battle it out with Kungliga Lawn Tennis Klubben (SWE), Malahide Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club (IRL) and Haagsche Lawn Tennis Club Leimonias (NED). On the closing day of the competition the participants had the chance to meet with former Czech world #3 Helena Sukova, a recent inductee to the International Tennis Hall of Fame. The legend no doubt inspired her local team, who edged to victory in a close final match, beating KLTK from Stockholm 5/4 to defend the title. I.CLTK will be back in Winners’ Group in 2019 alongside the champions of the other senior events. SALK were home champions in Stockholm, beating out Fitzwilliam LTC (IRL) and TC Genova (ITA). Real Club de Polo Barcelona beat two teams from host club Villa Primose (FRA) to claim the title there, while another visiting team, TC Geneve (SUI), outlasted hosts Rot-Weiss in Berlin by the slimmest of margins (5-4) to win their group. Sadly, there was no champion at the competition in Athens, which was hit by heavy rain. As always, junior events were a major focus of the CTC calendar. The Under 12 Carrickmines Cup in Dublin saw a record total of 8 teams in action, with the hosts eventually relinquishing their title after a closely fought final against I.CLTK (CZE). I.CLTK in turn hosted – and beat the Real Club de Polo Barcelona in Prague to claim the Under 14 I.CLTK Cup in September. Back in Barcelona, the Real Club de Tennis 1899 reclaimed the Under 14 RCTB Cup with a win over local friends and rivals RC Polo in the final. Fitzwilliam LTC hosted the CTC’s Under 16 event, where they beat Real Sociedad de Tenis de La Magdalena from Spain. Other events staged by the CTC in 2018 included a first ever South American event, hosted by TC Guayaquil in Ecuador, which saw 15 clubs in action in two different

Winners’ Group victors in Prague.

Carrickmines Cup.

categories (Over 45 and Over 55) during a very successful four-day event. Carrickmines in Ireland hosted – and won – this year’s Super Seniors event, seeing off competition from Leimonias and neighbours Donnybrook. Looking ahead, 2019 will be another year of worldwide growth for the association, whose annual General Meeting in Lausanne last month saw four new member clubs accepted; Ladies’ Recreation Club (Hong Kong), Manila Polo Club (Philippines), River Forest Tennis Club (Illinois, USA) and Murcia Tennis Club (Spain), which celebrates its centenary in 2019. This brings the total number of CTC member clubs to a new record high of 74. The CTC is an umbrella group of clubs that are more than 100 years old. Initially founded by eight members as a pan-European association, the organisation now has an extensive and truly global membership and is affiliated to Tennis Europe and recognised by the ITF. The CTC ended the year by announcing that E. Gutzwiller & Cie, Banquiers will assume the role of principal sponsor from 1st January 2019. For further information, please visit www.centenarytennisclubs.org.

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Service Line... stories you may have missed AWARDS AND RANKINGS The ITF has announced that Serbia’s Novak Djokovic and Romania’s Simona Halep have been named the 2018 ITF World Champions. The Women’s Doubles World Champions are Barbora Krejcikova & Katerina Siniakova, while Mick Bryan & Jack Sock (USA) are the men’s champions. Japan’s Shingo Kunieda, Netherlands’ Diede de Groot and Australia’s Dylan Alcott have been announced as the men’s, women’s and quad winners in the wheelchair division. Clara Burel from France and Tseng Chun Hsin (Taipei) were named as junior World Champions. The trio of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer finished in the Top 3 ATP Rankings for the seventh time (2007-11, 2014, 2018), the first since 2014. All three players ranked No. 1 at one stage during the year and it was the first time all three ranked No. 1 during the same season. Other notable facts in the ATP Year end rankings include France having the most players in the Top 50 with six, Greek player Stefanos Tsitsipas becoming the first Greek man to finish in the Top 20, No. 13 Fabio Fognini and No. 20 Marco Cecchinato marking the first time since 1973 that two Italians appear in the year-end Top 20 and Russian duo of No. 11 Karen Khachanov and No. 16 Daniil Medvedev combining to be the first two Russians in the year-end Top 20 since 2009.

EVENTS The ATP World Tour has announced the final shortlist of candidates bidding to host the ATP Finals. The cities of London, Manchester, Turin, Singapore and Tokyo have been selected and will now be assessed in the final phase of the bidding process to host the Tour’s crown jewel event from 2021 to 2025.

team for 2019. Meanwhile, Grigor Dimitrov has added Andre Agassi to his team of advisors. Johan van Herck has been announced as Belgium’s new Fed Cup Captain having led the men since September 2011. Many WTA stars will begin the season with new coaching arrangements; Angelique Kerber has hired 2003 Australian Open finalist Rainer Schuettler as head coach. Victoria Azarenka reunites with Wim Fissette. Elise Mertens will start the 2019 season with David Taylor in her corner, while another Brit, Andrew Bettles, steps up to perform as main coach to Elina Svitolina. Johanna Konta will be working with Dimitry Zavioloff. Kiki Bertens has added Elise Tamaela to her coaching team while Greek Maria Sakkari hires Mark Petchey. Thomas Drouet will coach 20 year old Russian Anna Blinkova, and 2013 Wimbledon Champion Marion Bartoli will make her debut as a coach, working with 19 year old Lucie Wargnier.

MOVING ON 2018 saw many well known players hang up the racquets for the last time. Amongst those to call it a career were: Agnieszka Radwanska, Max Mirnyi, Mikhail Youzhny, Florian Mayer, Gilles Muller, Julien Benneteau and Tommy Haas. Former World No.5 and 2015 Roland Garros finalist Lucie Safarova has announced her final tournament will be the 2019 Australian Open, while David Ferrer will play a select group of events on his farewell tour.

BEACH TENNIS Russia’s Nikita Burmakin has created history after rising to the top of the ITF Beach Tennis World Rankings, becoming the first non-Italian European to hold the Men’s World No. 1 spot.

COACHING CAROUSEL Amelie Mauresmo has decided against taking over as captain of France’s Davis Cup team to instead coach compatriot Lucas Pouille. The accolade of French Davis Cup Captain goes to Sebastian Grosjean. Another Frenchman, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, has reportedly added Spanish Davis Cup captain Sergi Bruguera to his

LOVE-ALL Aussie couple Daria Gavrilova and Luke Saville have recently got engaged. Kiki Bertens also said “yes” during the off season, getting engaged to her physical trainer Remko de Rijke.

Tennis Europe Junior Tour Rankings - Overall Tennis Europe’s junior ranking system is devised to give a unified overall list that shows the relative strengths of all players, regardless of where they achieved their results or picked up points. A player’s overall total includes points from Tennis Europe Junior Tour 16 and 14 & Under events, plus points earned by players in these age categories who participate in ITF Junior Circuit and professional tournaments, all of which are weighted according to their relative strengths. The 14

& Under ranking is still available separately (see next page), as well as being integrated to these overall rankings. For more information on the rankings system, check out the Tennis Europe Junior Tour Rules and Regulations at www.TennisEurope.org. The ‘Race to the Masters’ rankings are also available separately, and include points earned exclusively at Tennis Europe Junior Tour events. Rankings below are as of Tuesday 18th December, 2018.

Rank

Name

01 NEW Cori Gauff

Nat.

Points

USA

5415

Clara Tauson

DEN

4505

Qinwen Zheng

CHN

3398

FRA

3023

04 NEW Diane Parry 05

Leylah Fernandez

CAN

2833

Kamilla Bartone

LAT

2460

Alexa Noel

USA

2180

Emma Raducanu

GBR

1960

RUS

1938

UKR

1935

Name

Nat.

Points

Lorenzo Musetti

ITA

3478

Bu Yunchaokete

CHN

2568

Arthur Cazaux

FRA

2000

Dalibor Svrcina

CZE

1950

Harold Mayot

FRA

1873

Holger Rune

DEN

1760

USA

1585

ESP

1584

09 NEW Luciano Darderi

ITA

1549

10 NEW Santiago De La Fuente

ARG

1525

09 NEW Oksana Selekhmeteva 10

Dasha Lopatetskaya

Overall Girls’ Ranking

Oksana Selekhmeteva (RUS)

Overall Boys’ Ranking Rank

07 NEW Zane Khan 08

Carlos Alcaraz Garfia

Luciano Darderi (ITA)

Tennis Europe Junior Tour Rankings - 14 & Under Tennis Europe’s junior ranking system is devised to give a unified overall list that shows the relative strengths of all players, regardless of where they achieved their results or picked up points. A player’s overall total includes points from Tennis Europe Junior Tour 16 and 14 & Under events, plus points earned by players in these age categories who participate in ITF Junior Circuit and professional tournaments, all of which are weighted according to their relative strengths. The 14

& Under ranking is still available separately, as well as being integrated to the overall rankings. For more information on the rankings system, check out the Tennis Europe Junior Tour Rules and Regulations at www.TennisEurope.org. The ‘Race to the Masters’ rankings are also available separately, and include points earned exclusively at Tennis Europe Junior Tour events. Rankings below are as of Tuesday 18th December, 2018.

14 & Under Girls Name

Nat.

Points

Linda Fruhvirtova

CZE

1000

Fatma Idrizovic

SRB

970

Sofia Costoulas

BEL

875

Katerina Dimitrova

BUL

820

Linda Noskova

CZE

775

Aliona Falei

BLR

765

Anastasiya Soboleva

UKR

760

Olga Molchanova

UKR

760

Darja Suvirdjonkova

SRB

740

CZE

740

Name

Nat.

Points

Mili Poljicak

CRO

920

Konstantin Zhzhenov

RUS

765

Matthew William Donald CZE

745

Luca Van Assche

FRA

720

Kalin Ivanovski

MKD

710

Constantinos Koshis

CYP

690

Filip Pieczonka

POL

655

Olaf Pieczkowski

POL

650

Hynek Barton

CZE

605

ITA

593

Rank

10 NEW Barbora Palicova

Barbora Palicova (CZE)

Rank

10 NEW Niccolo Ciavarella

14 & Under Boys

Niccolo Ciavarella (ITA)

Tennis Europe Junior Tour Results 2018 Tennis Europe Junior Tour - 12 & Under Week

Venue