International Tennis Federation

International Tennis Federation Tennis Development
Department
ITF Monthly E-Mail Newsletter for Coaches, Year 6, Issue 1, January 2005
-------------------------------
The ITF Development Department is pleased to welcome you to the January edition of its ITF
Monthly E-mail Newsletter.
In an effort to keep you informed and updated on ITF coaching matters worldwide, in this issue of
the newsletter you will find:
* Tennis lends support to fundraising for Tsunami victims
* ITF extends its deepest sympathies
* Development Events
* One year on....ITF Junior Combined Ranking celebrates success
* 'JA' Alexander appointed Australian Fed Cup Captain for 2005
* 2004 European University Tennis Championships
* News from National Associations and other organisations
--------------------------------TENNIS LENDS SUPPORT TO FUNDRAISING FOR TSUNAMI VICTIMS
The tennis community has linked up with international aid agency UNICEF to help raise funds to
help the victims of the Tsunami disaster in Asia. Australia's seven lead-in tournaments to the
Australian Open, and the Grand Slam of Asia/Pacific itself, will be working with UNICEF to run
fundraising days at each of the tournaments, with all money raised going to the disaster relief
fund. Geoff Pollard, President of Tennis Australia, said, "The tennis community here in Australia,
and the international players that are starting to arrive here to play in the lead-in tournaments to
the Australian Open, have all been deeply shocked and touched by this tragedy. Our heartfelt
sympathies go out to those in the affected countries and those visitors and their families caught
up in the aftermath. With the backing and support of the international bodies of the ITF, WTA and
ATP, we will be working with UNICEF to look at ways to involve each of the tournaments in
Australia over the next month in helping raise funds for the victims. When we approached each of
the tournament directors they were immediately supportive and as a starting point have each
nominated Gold Coin Days to provide a public focal point for their fundraising efforts."
The Gold Coin Days for the tournaments are: Hyundai Hopman Cup in Perth (Monday 3 and
Saturday 8 January), Uncle Tobys Hardcourts on the Gold Coast (Friday 7 January), Next
Generation Hardcourts in Adelaide (Wednesday 5 January), Morilla International in Hobart
(Thursday 13 January), Richard Lutton Properties Canberra Womens Classic (Friday 14
January), Medibank Private International in Sydney (Friday 14 January), Kooyong Classic in
Melbourne (Wednesday 12-Saturday 15 January), and Australialian an Open in Melbourne
(Tuesday 18 January)
UNICEF Australia Chief Executive, Carolyn Hardy said she is delighted. "This is a wonderful
partnership for UNICEF. The tennis lead-in tournaments around Australia in January, culminating
with the Australian Open in Melbourne, are a highlight of the Australian sporting calendar. This
will provide a wonderful fundraising opportunity for UNICEF's emergency Tsunami appeal."
--------------------------------ITF EXTENDS ITS DEEPEST SYMPATHIES
The ITF extends its deepest sympathies to all those affected by last week's Tsunami disaster in
Asia. We fully endorse the efforts initiated by Tennis Australia to assist international aid agency
UNICEF through fundraising days at tournaments throughout the Asia/Pacific Region including
the ITF's own Hyundai Hopman Cup with support from the ATP.
During the upcoming Australian Open, the ITF Board of Directors will meet with the Board of the
Asian Tennis Federation to discuss how we can best assist the nations affected by this crisis. The
ITF President Francesco Ricci Bitti is in touch with both ATF President Salvador Andrada of the
Philippines and ITF Board Member Anil Khanna of India and has expressed his personal
condolences to them.
--------------------------------DEVELOPMENT EVENTS
6-13 January: 28th ITF/CAT African Junior Championships - Southern/East Qualifying event,
South Africa.
8-19 January: ITF 14 & Under Asian Championships - Zone 2, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
13-19 January: ITF/Tennis Europe North-East Regional 14 & Under Training Camp, Lithuania.
--------------------------------ONE YEAR ON....ITF JUNIOR COMBINED RANKING CELEBRATES SUCCESS
One year on from the launch of the ITF Combined Junior Ranking the ITF is pleased to celebrate
the success of the project. The introduction of the Combined Junior Ranking, which counts a
players' best six singles results plus one quarter of their best six doubles results, was approved
by the ITF Board of Directors at the end of 2003 and was first issued on 5 January 2004. With the
immediate aim of encouraging the doubles game at junior level the new ranking system has more
than achieved its goal in only its first year of being. In 2004 the majority of players in the top 20
boys' and girls' rankings played an equal number of singles and doubles tournaments. For
Michaella Krajicek, the ITF Junior Girls' World Champion, doubles play was an important factor in
achieving the No. 1 ranking, she played only one less doubles event than singles and achieved
almost equal points in doubles as in singles. With three singles tournament titles and five doubles
titles, including two Grand Slams, she has proved herself to be a very well rounded player, and
worthy World Champion. Gaël Monfils, the ITF Junior Boys' World Champion who ran away with
the title after winning three singles Grand Slam titles, obviously appreciated the importance of
doubles, playing doubles at 75% of the tournaments in which he participated.
On the launch of the Combined Junior Rankings ITF President Francesco Ricci Bitti expressed
his support: "I am delighted that the Board of Directors have approved this ground breaking
initiative. The ITF is a strong supporter of doubles competition and believes that doubles
experience is a vital ingredient in a players development."
Regional and National Associations have also shown their support for the initiative by launching
their own versions of Combined Rankings in the younger age categories of 14 and under and 16
and under, with many other Associations following suit.
Hans Felius, Technical Director and Fed Cup captain at the Netherlands Tennis Federation
confirmed what the Combined Junior Ranking means from a coaches point of view: "The aim of
junior tennis is much more then to determine who is the No. 1 junior player in the world; it is about
developing junior players into the best possible players they can be at the professional level. The
rule change to make a combined singles and doubles ranking has been great in that perspective.
All kids are playing not only singles now, but also developing their doubles game, which adds
towards their overall development as a player."
So after only one year, the Combined Junior Ranking has lived up to initial hopes of encouraging
doubles play at junior level. This is also a step toward the longer-term aim of the project, which it
is hoped, will eventually have an impact on the professional game by providing well-rounded
players, graduating from the junior to the professional game. Luca Santilli, ITF Manager of Junior
& Seniors Tennis sums up the success of the project: "The Combined Junior Ranking has proved
to be a huge success. During the year we have received overwhelming positive feedback from
National Associations, coaches, players and tournament organisers. While coaches have
appreciated having more motivated players competing in doubles, the job of tournament
organisers has been made easier with only one ranking list, and the standard of doubles draws
has risen. I also wish to stress that key to the success of the project was the decision made by
the Junior Competitions Committee to count one quarter (25%) of the best six doubles results for
the ranking. This resulted in the ITF being able to continue to produce a realistic and credible
junior world ranking that faithfully reports the standard of junior players competition on the ITF
Junior Circuit. We look forward to seeing the impact of the Combined Junior Ranking on the wider
game in the future.
--------------------------------'JA' ALEXANDER APPOINTED AUSTRALIAN FED CUP CAPTAIN FOR 2005
John 'JA' Alexander has been appointed Captain of the Australian Fed Cup Team for the 2005
campaign. He replaces Evonne Goolagong Crawley who retired from the role in November after
three years as Captain. John is the first male since Neale Fraser, 1976-1978, to hold the
captaincy of the women's team.
A respected TV commentator and businessman, Alexander's involvement in tennis has included
chairing the Player Development Committee at Tennis Australia since 1994. He represented
Australia in 41 matches over a span of 13 years and reached a career high of world No. 8 in
singles. The youngest ever player to play Davis Cup for Australia, he represented Australia in
Davis Cup in 11 years between 1968 to 1980. A Grand Slam doubles champion, Alexander won
the Australian Open men's doubles in 1975, partnering Phil Dent and 1982 current Australian
Davis Cup Captain John Fitzgerald. He was runner-up in the Wimbledon doubles in 1977 and
French Open doubles in 1975.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2004 EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS
Fourteen University Tennis Teams with 40 students (17 women and 23 men) from six countries
took part in the 2004 team European University Tennis Championship (EUTC), which was hosted
in Touques, France from 13- 17 December. The EUTC is a European University Sport
Association (EUSA) event and was organised by the French University Sports Federation
(FFSU), with the support of the French Tennis Federation (FFT). The main Championship
sponsor was BNP PARIBAS.
The Championship venue was Domaine de l'Amiraute with 8 indoor synthetic clay tennis courts,
which the French Davis Cup team has used for a training camp and where an ITF US$50,000
women’s tournament is organised every November. Seven players with WTA / ATP rankings took
part in the event including players from Russia (women 238 and 261, men 713 and 1460),
Germany (1460) and France (women 1200, men 1500). Before the opening of the EUTC a
welcome address was given by representatives from the EUSA, FFSU and the Touques Major.
The EUTC featured a round robin system for the mens’ and womens’ events. In the womens’
event, Gulnara Fattakhetdinova and Maria Gondratieva from Moscow confirmed their supremacy
in this event by winning in the final Metz 2-0. In the mens’ event Sebastien Kosack, former French
university champion and Pierre Metenier of Rouen’s A team won the all French final against
Grenoble 3-0. Koln’s men’s team and the Grenoble A women’s team secured third place.
For the final results of the 1st EUSA tennis team championship and for further information on the
EUTC, together with information on the bidding procedure for 2005, please visit www.eusaunisport.org
In 2006 the Tennis EUC will be held from July 2nd to 9th in Einhoven (together with Football and
Volleyball), hosted by the Studentsport Nederland and the Eindhoven Technical University, which
is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
--------------------------------NEWS FROM NATIONAL ASSOCIATIONS AND OTHER ORGANISATIONS
Argentina: Premio Nacional de Cirugía para el Doctor Javier Maquirriaín. Durante la última
semana de 2004 el Doctor Javier Maquirriaín, Director Médico de la Asociación Argentina de
Tenis y miembro de la Comisión Médica y de Ciencias del Deporte de la ITF, recibió el Premio
Anual de Cirugía otorgado por el Colegio de Médicos de Buenos Aires (IV), por el trabajo
científico titulado "Tratamiento médico quirúrgico de las tendinopatías aquileanas crónicas" que
fue seleccionado por la Facultad de Medicina de la Universidad de Buenos Aires.
Ecuador: Los Señores Fernando Hidrovo [email protected] y Juan Carlos Rodríguez
[email protected] Presidente de la Rama de Tenis del Club Rancho San Francisco
de la ciudad de Quito -Ecuador, nos hacen llegar esta interesante oferta de trabajo para un Head
Pro del Club. A los verdaderos interesados les agradecemos escribir directamente a las
direcciones electrónicas que se señalan. Las responsabilidades son: Dirigir el grupo de
competición o de alto rendimiento en equipos júnior, con proyecciones nacional e
internacional, manejo de equipos de trabajo, entrenadores, etc., dirigir las escuelas de tenis de
iniciación, en general la dirección general del área de tenis. El club es un club moderno, social y
deportivo, con excelentes facilidades, recursos financieros y administrativos. Las áreas
deportivas son: Tenis, Natación, Squash, Hípica, Polígono de tiro, Gimnasio, además de varios
salones de comedor, cafetería y para reuniones sociales. Estas facilidades le convierten en uno
de los mas importantes club del Ecuador. El club tiene un excelente nivel de competición
deportiva, nacional e internacional, en todas las áreas, por lo que queremos fortalecer y
desarrollar el área de tenis con estos objetivos de excelencia.
Cyprus: Cyprus Tennis Federation. Job Vacancy for National Coach. The Cyprus Tennis
Federation is currently looking for a National Coach. The person interested should be a high level
coach, with strong leadership ability. A background as a very good tennis player would be
considered an advantage. The National Coach of Cyprus will be responsible for the training of the
National Teams and following up all Development Programmes preparing strategic plans and
reports. He will also perform any other duties which may be assigned to him. The salary will be
based upon qualifications and experience. Priority will be given to citizens of the European
Union. Applications should be directed to the President, Mr Philios Christodoulou, Phone: 00357
22 666822 Fax: 00357 22 668016. E-mail: [email protected]
USA: Head Coach Position Open in the Caribbean: A Tennis Academy in the Caribbean is
looking for a Head Coach to take over its junior programme. The coach must have at least 5
years’ experience of teaching - ideally in an academy setting and also have high competitive
tennis experience (ATP/WTA, ITF or College). Must be able to oversee training programmes for
all levels and supervise staff. Position needs to be filled immediately. Send resumes to:
[email protected]
Posicion de Head Coach en el Caribe: Academia de Tenis en el Caribe esta en la busqueda de
un Head Coach para dirigir el programa juvenil. Se requiere al menos 5 años de experiencia
enseñando, idealmente en una academia, y haber competido a un alto nivel (ATP/WTA, ITF o
tenis universitario). Sera responsable de los programas de entrenamiento de todos los niveles y
supervisar un staff de entrenadores. La contratacion debe ser inmediata. Mandar resume a:
[email protected]
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--------------------------------Dave Miley and Miguel Crespo- Authors
Rachel Woodward - Editor
ITF Monthly E-Mail Newsletter for Coaches is published monthly.
International Tennis Federation
Tennis Development Department
c/o Miguel Crespo
c/ Pérez Báyer, 11, 10º A
46002 Valencia
Spain
E-mail addresses: [email protected]
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