Dubai: The President of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) has vowed the governing body’s commitment for the development of the sport in the Middle East region.
The world governing body for tennis celebrated its centenary in Paris last year, and this is the first time-ever that the ITF is holding its annual meeting in the Arab world, somewhat similar to what Fifa did while organising its World Cup in South Africa in 2010.
Nearly 200 delegates representing ITF member nations have gathered in Dubai to deliberate on various internal issues affecting the sport over the next two days. The AGM will conclude with the draw ceremony for the 2015 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas at 7pm on September 18.
Speaking to media before the start of the three-day ITF Annual General Meeting (AGM) being held at Madinat Jumeirah, ITF President Francesco Ricci Bitti admitted that tennis development in the UAE and surrounding countries is top heavy due to the organisation of some of the best tournaments on the ATP and WTA Tours.
“We need to work at the bottom of the pyramid. We need to pay attention to the development of our sport especially in this region as it is relevant to us and our sport. Yes, there is a need to pay more attention to participation and players development,” Ricci Bitti said.
“Tennis is one of the few lifetime sports. It involves physical and mental aspects and I believe a young developing country like the UAE needs to have a sport like tennis to match its progress in other spheres,” he added.
“We can’t disregard this area. Luckily for us we have the leaders giving sport so much of prominence to assist the development of the country.
“We need more work at the bottom of the pyramid and by having our AGM here means we have made a good start in this direction and the relevance of this region is very much recognised.”
Bitti, a former tennis player himself, went a step further and suggested the tried and tested formula of the three Cs: courts, coaching and competitions.
“For example in a place like the UAE or Qatar, you have some of the best tournaments on the ATP and WTA. What we need now is tournaments for the juniors along with the smaller Satellite, Futures and Challenger tournaments so that aspiring players can make the transition,” Ricci Bitti suggested.
Being the ITF president for the past 15 years, Ricci Bitti has been a personal witness of the shift of the tennis base from North America to Europe.
“There was a time when Europe simply could not match the Americas. But the biggest advantage Europe has today is due to the stress on competitions at all age levels, and that I believe, is the way forward for this region as well,” the 72-year-old suggested.
