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Tennis Europe and Rafa Nadal Academy to stage new 12 & Under event

An exciting new event will make its debut on the Tennis Europe Junior Tour calendar in 2021, when the inaugural 12 & Under Festival is held at the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar.

Designed to celebrate and reward the best-performing players of the Tennis Europe Junior Tour’s youngest age category, the 12 & Under Festival will be an invitational event for national squads of European boys and girls.

The 32-player draws will consist of champions from Category 1 tournaments throughout the season and players will also pair up for a doubles competition. The unique format of the singles event will see the winners of eight round robin groups advance to the quarterfinals, ensuring optimal match play for all participants.

The event will take place from 15th – 20th November on the hard courts of the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar. Situated in the Mallorcan home town of the 20-time Grand Slam champion and former Tennis Europe Junior Masters winner, the Academy has hosted many high-calibre international events, including ATP Challenger and ITF World Tennis Tour tournaments. 

Tennis Europe President Ivo Kaderka said, “This event is incredibly special for us, and is sure to be a highlight of the season for some of our most promising 12 & Under players. I would like to thank the Spanish Tennis Federation and the Rafa Nadal Academy for their cooperation, and we look forward to working together to provide these young talents with a unique tournament experience at an inspirational venue.”

Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar Director Toni Nadal spoke of his excitement at hosting this tournament in Manacor. “At the Academy we’re really thrilled to host this event and to be able to enjoy the talent of the best players in the world in the Under-12 category. We are sure that this synergy with Tennis Europe will be a huge success and that this tournament will be world class. In addition, these players will be able to enjoy a unique experience thanks to the new facilities we’ll be opening at the Academy in 2021, including new indoor and outdoor courts and a medical-services, physiotherapy, nutrition and fitness building”.

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The facilities of the Academy have been adapted to comply with the safety and hygiene protocols established by health authorities.   Thanks to   synergy with QuirónSalud (healthcare partner of the Academy)  the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar has been considered a success story by the press and international institutions, and an example of safety and trust thanks to its management during the health crisis caused by COVID-19.

It has also obtained the seal " Safe COVID-19 Protocol by Quirónsalud " issued by Applus +. This seal certifies the quality and efficiency of the Academy's work processes to guarantee the safety and well-being of all its players. We are very proud of our human team, which has obtained the experience and knowledge necessary to develop a protocol that guarantees a safe stay and sports practice in our facilities.

To guarantee a safe environment,  all players and guests  of the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar  must comply with the health measures approved by the Government of the Balearic Islands, which include restrictions on the entry of passengers to Mallorca.

• Procedure for passengers from a foreign country:  https://spth.gob.es/  
• Procedure for passengers from Spanish territory:   https://www.ibsalut.es/es/viajar-a-baleares  

The preventive measures associated with the current pandemic for our players enrolled in the  Junior Programs  will be confirmed by the Players Desk team before the arrival of the players and their families, according to the context upon arrival.

Below are some of the safety measures that have been implemented to prevent COVID-19 contagion:

• The facilities of the Academy have been adapted to comply with the safety and hygiene protocols established by health authorities.  Increased frequency of disinfection and general cleaning, limitation of capacity in communal areas and the design of circuits   guaranteeing the minimum safe distance are some of the measures which make up the protocol which has already been successfully implemented.
• Our team has received comprehensive training , allowing them to apply the protocols for safety and prevention of infection recommended in each area of action. They are also responsible for teaching young people, conveying the importance of respecting the stipulated measures to keep them and others healthy.
• All our clients must respect the health measures implemented in the installation.   Frequent disinfection of hands and the use of masks in areas where minimum safe distances cannot be guaranteed   is obligatory.
• At the Rafa Nadal Academy   we have the collaboration of QuirónSalud, a medical centre of reference in Spain , for the implementation of health protocols and assistance for players who need to visit a medical specialist.
• Over the last few months, the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar has been considered a success story by the press and international institutions, and an example of safety and trust. During the health crisis, the Academy established safety protocols which allowed the health of the 93 young people who were confined in its facilities to be safeguarded.

Certified protocol against COVID-19 APPlus+: 

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Método exclusivo de entrenamiento, trainning físico personalizado, entrenamiento mental alto rendimiento.

Today we are winning the matches that we will play tomorrow.

We want you to know how important you are to us and to remind you that together we will come out on top.

For this reason, and to adapt to your personal circumstances, at Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar we offer you the possibility of modifying or cancelling your new reservations at no cost, booking the FLEXBLE PLUS rate,   if you do so at least 48 hours before starting your stay with us. We will play again soon!

Get ready – your best matches are yet to come!

Check availability  for  juniors here  and for  adults here .

Player fields announced for 2022 Tennis Europe Junior Masters

Former champions of the 2022 Tennis Europe Junir Masters include Grand Slam champions such Rafael Nadal and Kim Clijsters, and Olympic gold medallists Alexander Zverev and Belinda Bencic.

The player fields for the 2022 Tennis Europe Junior Masters, which kicks off later this month at the Monte-Carlo Country Club from 26 to 28 October 2022, have been announced.

The 2022 Tennis Europe Junior Masters, the season-ending event for the Tennis Europe Junior Tour’s top boys and girls aged 14 and 16 & Under, is based on points gathered by players between 26th October 2021 and ended on 10th October 2022 and is open to European members only

Former champions of the tournament include Grand Slam champions such Rafael Nadal and Kim Clijsters and Olympic gold medallists Alexander Zverev and Belinda Bencic .

The field for the 2022 tournament in different age categories is as follows:

Boys 14 & Under

• Ivan Ivanov (BUL)
• Nikola Bilozertsev (UKR)
• Niels McDonald (GER)
• Matei Todoran   (ROU)
• Diego Dedura-Palomer o  (GER)
• Christopher Thies (GER)
• Lenny Petit (MON)
• Valentin Gonzalez-Galino (ESP)

Girls 14 & Under

Ksenia Efremova

• Mia Pohankova (SVK)
• Julie Pastikova (CZE)
• Kali Supova (SVK)
• Sona Depesova   (SVK)
• Yuliya Perapekhina
• Sofie Hettlerova (CZE)
• Maia Ilinca Burcescu (ROU)

Boys 16 & Under

• Nicolai Budkov Kjaer (NOR)
• Timofei Derepasko
• Antonio Voljavec   (CRO)
• William Rejchtmann Vinciguerra (SWE)
• Mateusz Lange   (POL)
• Sergej Zivkovic (SRB)
• Gabriel Ghetu (ROU)
• Kerem Yilmaz  (TUR)

Girls 16 & Under

• Alena Kovackova (CZE)
• Diana-Ioana Simionescu (ROU)
• Emiliia Kats
• Noemi Maines (ITA)
• Alexia Ioana Tatu (ROU)
• Flora Farkaslaki Hints (HUN)
• Andrada Ekaterina Komarov (ROU)
• Tereza Krejcova (CZE)

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Junior Internationals Tournaments

Junior international tournaments.

Have you played a few Tour 1000 or higher tournaments and would like to see how you do against players from other countries? Then, you are ready to play some international tournaments. Fortunately, with 10 international junior tournaments hosted in the island of Ireland, there are a few close to you.  

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) coordinates under 18 events and Tennis Europe under 16, under 14 and under 12.

All players entering ITF or Tennis Europe tournaments must register with the ITF and get an IPIN. Membership is valid for 12 months so make sure it is up to date before entering a tournament.

This page covers individual International Tournaments, for team events visit our International Events page.

International Tournaments Online Entry and Acceptance Lists:

The online entry to International Junior Tournaments closes 20 (ITF) to 27 (Tennis Europe) days before the Monday the main draw starts.

Players can enter three tournaments on the same week stating a priority order and can withdraw without penalty up to the Withdrawal Deadline, which is clearly shown in the Fact Sheet (ITF) or Overview tab (Tennis Europe) of the tournament.

Shortly after the online entry has closed the ITF or Tennis Europe publish an Acceptance or Entry List with the full list of entered players in order of Acceptance, broken in three groups:

• Qualifying Draw

If a player has entered multiple events, he/she should withdraw from all events in which he/she no longer wishes to compete before the Withdrawal Deadline. The lists can change considerably up to the withdrawal deadline, as players pick their chosen tournament and withdraw from the others. After the withdrawal deadline, the system automatically drops players that are still in multiple events following guidelines published in the ITF or Tennis Europe Regulations. You should read them to make sure you understand how the system works and you don’t find yourself withdrawn from an event you were interested in.

Prior to the Withdrawal Deadline a player’s status on an Acceptance List is not confirmed. A player who appears on a Main Draw or Qualifying Acceptance List at any time after the Withdrawal Deadline is considered to have been accepted and is committed to play in the tournament.

A player can appear on more than one Alternate list and is not committed to play in any one tournament unless he/she moves into a Main Draw or Qualifying Acceptance List before the Freeze Deadline, in which case he/she will be removed from all other lists.

The freeze deadline is 2PM on the Wednesday (ITF) or Thursday (Tennis Europe) before the tournament week.

Sign-in and Draws:

Draws of international tournaments are not made until the evening before the draw is due to start. Players must sign-in with the referee personally or online between 3 and 6PM on the day before the Qualifying or Main Draw start (depending on what list they are in) to confirm they will be playing. Players who do not sign-in are not included in the draw.

Alternates:

If players directly accepted into the qualifying draw do not sign-in, spaces may become available. These will be offered to players in the alternates list that have signed, following the order in the list. If there are no players in the alternates list to avail of them, the spaces will be offered to non-entered players that appear at the tournament venue to sign-in for the qualifying.

ITF WORLD TENNIS TOUR JUNIORS

There are seven levels of ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors events – from JGS (Junior Grand Slams) through to J500, J300, J200, J100, J60 and J30 (the lowest grade).

You can enter all the ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors events from your ITF IPIN profile. The online service has a full calendar of events and details on how you can enter. You must be under 18 on the 31 st of December of the previous year and 13 or older to be eligible to play.

ITF World Tour Information

Always check the Fact Sheet for the relevant dates and deadlines.

• The dates shown in the ITF junior calendar are those of the main draw. Qualifying draws may be the previous two days.
• The Entry Deadline is at 14:00 hrs Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) on the Tuesday twenty (20) days prior to the Monday of the tournament week.

ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors events hosted in Ireland 2023:

• J30 Dublin (Castleknock LTC) 11 to 17 February
• J60 Dublin (National Tennis Centre) 1 to 7 April
• J30 Belfast (Windsor LTC) 24 to 30 June
• J60 Naas (Naas LTC) 1 to 7 July
• J30 Glasnevin (Glasnevin LTC) 8 to 14 July

Tennis Europe Junior Tour

The Tennis Europe Junior Tour is open to players under the age of 16 and is broken into three age groups:

• 16 & Under: Players are allowed to play in a 16 & Under event from the year they turn 13 years of age until the year the player turns 16 years of age.
• 14 & Under: Players are allowed to play in a 14 & under in the year they turn 11 years of age and have reached their 11th birthday on or before the start of the Singles Main Draw, until the year the player turns 14. Players eligible to compete in 12 & under Competitions may also compete in 14 & under Tennis Europe events but participation in such tournaments will count towards the maximum of ten events permitted.
• 12 & Under: Players are allowed to play in a 12 & Under event from the year they turn 10 and have reached their 10th birthday on or before the start of the Singles Main Draw, until the year the player turns 12 years of age. In any calendar year players must only compete in a maximum of ten tournaments (excluding the Tennis Europe 12 & Under Festival) for 12 & under sanctioned by the ITF, or Tennis Europe.

Junior Tour Entry Information

You must have a valid ITF IPIN membership and Tennis Europe account before you can enter a Tennis Europe Junior Tour tournament. It’s important to make sure both are set up well in advance of the event entry deadlines, so you don’t miss out.

The Entry Deadline is at 14:00 hrs Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) on the Tuesday twenty-seven (27) days before the Monday of the tournament week.  

2023 Tennis Europe Junior Tour events hosted in Ireland:

• TE-14 Ireland 1 (National Tennis Centre) 11 to 17 February
• TE-14 Ireland 2 (Malahide LTC) 1 to 7 April
• TE-12 Dublin (Malahide Castle Leisure Hub) 1 to 8 July
• TE-14 Ireland 3 (Shankill LTC) 8 to 14 July
• TE-14 Ireland 4 (venue to be confirmed) 28 October to 5 November

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Henrik thorsøe pedersen elected tennis europe president.

23 March 2024

Henrik Thorsøe Pedersen has been elected to serve a four-year term as Tennis Europe President.

Elections were held on Saturday at the organisation’s Annual General Meeting, which was hosted by Tenis Slovenija in Portoroz.

The new Board of Management features three re-elected members, and restores gender parity to the executive body, which consists of 4 men and 4 women:

Florence Alix-Gravellier (FRA)* Nikolina Babic (CRO)* Milos Karadzic (MNE) Avraham Perets (ISR) Sandi Procter (GBR) Raimondo Ricci Bitti (ITA) Csilla Suto (HUN) Cem Tinaz (TUR)* *re-elected

Over 140 attendees from 47 of the European Federation’s 48 member nations were on site for the two-day meeting, which was chaired by Interim President Giorgio Di Palermo. He said, “Sincere thanks to Gregor Krusic and the team at Tenis Slovenija for what was a flawless meeting with a delightful social programme. I’d like to pay tribute to my colleagues on the outgoing Board for what has been an exceptional three year term, during which I believe our unity, enthusiasm and expertise have allowed us to bring Tennis Europe to this very positive moment. My very best wishes to the new President, who will have the benefit of working with an experienced Board of Management brimming with expertise.” 

59-year old Mr. Pedersen of Denmark will be the first President from a Nordic country. He used his first official address to assure the assembly that he would be a “President for all nations,” and said that he intended to encourage dialogue, collaboration and unity. “I am greatly looking forward to getting started with the Tennis Europe staff and my new colleagues on the Board of Management, who truly reflect the unique diversity of Tennis Europe nations,” he commented. 

Friday’s varied Open Session saw the delegates receive updates from the International Tennis Federation, before taking part in panel discussions and working groups on the topic of stakeholder engagement and digitalisation. Aside from the elections, Saturday’s Plenary Session saw the approval of Tennis Europe’s annual reports by the various committees, the financial statements and the 2024 budget.

Former world #1 Jelena Jankovic and Slovenian tennis legend Mima Jausovec were among the guests of honour at the official dinner, during which the annual Tennis Europe Awards ceremony was held. A full list of winners can be found here | Photo Gallery

The meeting closed with the announcement that next year’s Annual General Meeting  will be hosted by the Turkish Tennis Federation in Antalya.

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Penn State Nittany Lions

Field Hockey 3/25/2024 9:55:00 AM

New Nittany Lion Field Hockey Player Aby Deverka Named to Junior USWNT U-18 Tour Roster

Incoming freshman named to one of two touring roster by junior uswnt staff.

RELEASE INFORMATION COURTESY USA FIELD HOCKEY –  New Penn State Nittany Lion field hockey player Aby Deverka has been named to one of two Junior USWNT U-18 Tour Rosters by the USWNT staff. Deverka, who will be a freshman goalie for Penn State for this coming fall's 2024 campaign, will be part of the U-18 USWNT White Tour Roster.

The Junior U.S. Women's National Team coaches have named the tour rosters for the U-16 and U-18 teams traveling to Europe at the end of March. These selections came following a training camp this past weekend at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

"As we finalized the selections for our U-16 Junior National Field Hockey team after three intensive training camps, I am excited to continue our training and learning in Europe," said Tamara Durante, U-16 USWNT Head Coach. "Playing top international teams will be a tremendous test for our group."

The U-16 side will be led by Durante, with assistant coaches Alan Good, Hannah Prince and Scott Tupper. They will play four games at HOD Valkenswaard in Valkenswaard, Netherlands, against the U-15 national teams from Belgium, Germany and The Netherlands.

USA will be taking two U-18 teams to the other Four Nations Tournament in Leuven, Belgium. One of the teams competing will bring a roster with both U-16 and U-18 athletes. They will play against national teams from Belgium, France and Poland. This team will be led by head coach Stacey Bean, and assisted by Manuel Garcia Nieto, Ali Johnstone and Cheri Schulz.

"The growth of this group throughout the selection and training cycle has been tremendous," said Bean, head coach of the U-16/U-18 mixed team going on tour. "As expected, each athlete brought a high-performance mentality, demonstrating a significant commitment to team and individual development throughout the process. Congratulations to those athletes selected to represent the USA in competition. I'm excited to continue the journey with the team in Belgium."

U-18 USWNT Blue (Mixed) Tour Roster

Ella Beach (Northbrook, Ill.), Taylor Bigbie (Rocky Point, N.Y.), Lindsey Brown (Boylston, Mass.), Paige Cornelius (New Albany, Ohio), Emily Eaton (Charlotte, N.C.), Savannah Faulkner (Louisville, Ky.), Abigail Gerdeman (Chester Springs, Pa.), Margot Houle (Potomac, Md.), Anna Krebs (Louisville, Ky.), Sabrina McGroarty (Mickleton, N.J.), Ava Meehan (Norfolk, Mass.), Reese Milone (Bryn Mawr, Pa.), Saylor Milone (Bryn Mawr, Pa.), Danielle Murphy (Harrisburg, Pa.), Morgan O'Donnell (Lincoln University, Pa.), Riley Savage (Charlotte, N.C.), Merritt Skubisz (Houston, Texas), Lauren Sloan (Louisville, Ky.), Lilian Soldan (Ann Arbor, Mich.), Aubrey Turner (Downingtown, Pa.), Melea Weber (Macungie, Pa.), Lilly Wojcik (New Freedom, Pa.)

The other Junior USWNT competing in Leuven will be a U-18 team, led by Mark Egner. He will be assisted by Jamie Montgomery and Cheri Schulz.

"I've been really impressed with the tempo of play our group has produced over the last two camps," commented Egner. "They're doing everything they can to prepare themselves for what will be a very demanding tour. I'm excited to see them embrace the challenge of international tournament play, and look forward to getting started."

U-18 USWNT White Tour Roster

Gabby Anderson (Williamsburg, Va.), Reese Anetsberger (Northbrook, Ill.), Juliana Boon (Houston, Texas), Jordan Byers (Landisburg, Pa.), Erin Callahan (Woolwich Twp, N.J.), Caitlin Connell (Paoli, Pa.), Corinne Courtright (Ann Arbor, Mich.), Reese D'Ariano (West Chester, Pa.), Abygail Deverka (Houston, Texas), Sofia Ferri (Phoenixville, Pa.), Sofia Fidalgo Schioppa (Westport, Conn.), Jordyn Hollamon (Delmar, Del.), Grace Hunter (Mickleton, N.J.), Isabella Moore (Southampton, N.J.), Isabel Morgan (Winnetka, Ill.), Jenna Narleski (Basking Ridge, N.J.), Molly Nye (Cambridge, Mass.), Catalina Quinteros (Miami, Fla.), Caroline Raynes (Houston, Texas), Callie Rogers (Richmond, Va.), Opal Sparling (Chester Springs, Pa.), Shae Wozniak (Wayne, Pa.),

The non-traveling reserves are Calista Boos (Jamison, Pa.), Kaia Beaudoin (Fairfax, Va.), and Jaelen Perez (Broadlands, Va.).

Each team at the Four Nations Tournament in Leuven, Belgium will play three pool games and the opponent for their fourth game will be determined by pool placement results.

For more information on the tour and a schedule of games, visit https://www.usafieldhockey.com/news/2024/march/11/junior-uswnt-staff-names-u-16-u-18-tour-rosters .

Fans are encouraged to follow the Nittany Lion field hockey team online at www.GoPSUsports.com (click teams, click field hockey), on X/Twitter @pennstateFH and on facebook at www.facebook.com/pennstatefieldhockey .

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Who is Gabriela Ruffels? All you need to know about the Australian tennis player turned professional golfer

G abriela Ruffels is an Australian-American professional golfer with a background in tennis. Born on April 14th, 2000, she is the daughter of former tennis professionals Anna-Maria Fernandez and Ray Ruffels.

From the young age of six, Gabriela Ruffels showed a keen interest in tennis. Between 2011 and 2012, she clinched three doubles championships, a feat that propelled her to the top of the Australian junior rankings in 2012. Building on this momentum, Ruffels continued to excel, capturing the 2014 New South Wales Junior International title in doubles.

However, in 2015, Gabriela Ruffels transitioned from tennis to golf, seeking new challenges after growing weary of the tennis circuit. As an amateur golfer, she showcased her skills in tournaments across the USA, Singapore and Australia.

Her rapid adaptation and prowess on the golf course were evident in her rankings, securing the 9th spot in the Australian Women's Amateur in 2016 and 17th in 2017.

The tennis player-turned-golfer participated in numerous tournaments during her amateur career, earning several honors. Ruffels won the 2018 Windy City Collegiate Championship, the 2019 North and South Women's Amateur, the 2019 U.S. Women's Amateur and the 2020 Rebel Beach Intercollegiate.

In addition to this, Ruffels was also a part of the International team that won the 2019 Arnold Palmer Cup. She then stood as a runner-up at the 2020 U.S Women's Amateur. As she participated in the Epson Tour events, she made one cut in one start in 2020; with a T5 result at the Epson Tour Championship.

Besides, Gabriela Ruffels' older brother, Ryan Ruffels , was also engaged in tennis during his childhood, alongside soccer and golf. As he grew up, Ryan ultimately chose to pursue a professional career in golf and currently plays on the Korn Ferry Tour.

A closer look at Gabriela Ruffels' professional journey

After competing in numerous golf tournaments, Gabriela Ruffels turned professional in 2021. She began her professional career by participating in events on the LPGA Tour, Symetra Tour and Ladies European Tour.

The 23-year-old golfer has secured three professional victories on the Epson Tour to date. Her successes include winning the Carlisle Arizona Women's Golf Classic in 2023, as well as claiming two additional victories that same year at the Garden City Charity Classic at Buffalo Dunes and the Four Winds Invitational.

Her triumphs led to her being honored with the Epson Tour Player of the Year award, which further paved the way for her entry into the LPGA Tour by securing a tour card for the 2024 season.

This year, Ruffels has competed in three events. Her first was the LPGA Drive On Championship, where she did not make the cut. Following that, she played in the Blue Bay LPGA, finishing T15 on the leaderboard.

Her latest tournament, the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship , saw her finish with a total score of 8 under par, tying for third place with Alison Lee. Currently, she is ranked 151st in the Rolex Rankings and has accumulated $149,273 in earnings from her participation in these events.

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The ATP men’s tennis tour’s 2025 calendar includes expanded events in Canada and Cincinnati

FILE - A racquet and ball during the Wimbledon tennis tournament in London, June 28, 2022. The Masters 1000 tournaments in Canada and Cincinnati will increase to 12 days each next season, and events in Dallas, Doha and Munich will be upgraded to the 500 level as part of changes announced by the ATP Tour. The men’s tennis tour released its 2025 calendar on Friday, March 22, 2024. The calendar reveal comes as tennis is at something of a crossroads, with proposals to alter the way the sport is organized being discussed by its leaders. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)

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LONDON (AP) — The Masters 1000 tournaments in Canada and Cincinnati will increase to 12 days each next season, and events in Dallas, Doha and Munich will be upgraded to the 500 level as part of changes announced Friday when the ATP Tour released its 2025 calendar for men’s tennis.

The calendar reveal comes as tennis is at something of a crossroads, with proposals to alter the way the sport is organized being discussed by its leaders.

The London-based ATP will have 60 tournaments in 29 countries next year.

Other changes include moving the Hamburg Open from July to May, shifting the event in Los Cabos from February to July, and switching the Cordoba Open to Mallorca, Spain, as part of the lead-in to Wimbledon.

The Estoril tournament is no longer part of the calendar, but the tour said it will “try to find a solution for the highly regarded event to take place in 2025, and beyond.”

The National Bank Open in Canada and the Cincinnati Open follow the Masters 1000 tournaments in Rome, Madrid and Shanghai in stretching to 12 days. That other trio all expanded in 2023. It means that as of next season, seven of the nine ATP Masters events will last nearly two weeks instead of one.

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

Top coach criticizes USTA for ‘wasting millions’ and cutting player development program

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla — As one of the biggest months on the pro tennis calendar in the U.S. heads toward a climax at the Miami Open, there is turmoil inside the operation that has helped create a mini-renaissance in American professional tennis.

Last week, Jose Higueras, the former pro who helped lead the player development program for the United States Tennis Association (USTA), which is responsible for the current generation of top professionals, sent a blistering letter to leaders of the American tennis community and the USTA, criticizing the wide-ranging budget cuts that he said threaten to undo the progress of the past dozen years. 

Higueras, a native of Spain who moved to Palm Springs, California, and coached the Grand Slam winners Michael Chang, Jim Courier and Roger Federer, is among the most respected voices in tennis coaching. He became a U.S. citizen after marrying an American woman in the early 1980s.

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In his letter, Higueras said the leadership of the USTA had veered off course since 2020, “ deliberately cutting funding and staffing for the Team USA pathway and American players, while they waste millions of dollars on boondoggles like unnecessary building renovations at the USTA Campus in Lake Nona and a million dollar holiday party.” 

In recent years, the USTA has cut funding for camp programs and eliminated four positions that helped run them. It has also cut the number of national team coaches from 24 to 11. Higueras estimated that USTA funding and grants had an impact on roughly 1,500 players and their parents, and 1,500 coaches annually — figures that stand to drop substantially amid the current budget cuts, with potential downstream effects. The USTA did not refute any of Higueras’ numbers.

In a statement, the USTA said it was “incredibly proud” of its player development program and the partnerships with the private sector that had driven the success of American players in recent years, success that it knows inspires children and adults to play. 

Indeed, these are supposedly good times for American professional tennis.  

Coco Gauff, already a U.S. Open singles champion at 20 years old, has become one of the top celebrities in U.S. sports. There are six American men in the top 40, all aged 27 or younger, more than any other country, and three in the top 20.

From 1995 to the middle of 2008 — when Higueras accepted an offer from the then head of player development Patrick McEnroe to help revive American tennis — the country produced just three junior Grand Slam singles champions. From mid-2008 through last year, the U.S. produced 22 junior Grand Slam champions. In 2015, three players Higueras and his team developed through their teen years — Tommy Paul, Taylor Fritz and Reilly Opelka — all won junior Grand Slam titles.

Both Paul and Frances Tiafoe have often said they would never have been able to afford the coaching and training opportunities that have led them to Grand Slam semifinals without the assistance of the USTA. 

However, the organization said it needed to take “ a holistic approach to ensuring that appropriate levels of funding are in place for all of its priorities”, making sure that the growth in participation during the Covid-19 pandemic continues by investing in grassroots and community tennis programs.

“To do so, the USTA must balance and reprioritize support for key areas, such as growing participation — ensuring that every player has access to a facility and a place to play — and that there are sufficient, qualified coaches available nationwide to inspire love of the game,” the USTA said.

In the view of Higueras and other veterans of the USTA’s player development program, the organization is making investments in community tennis and other areas at the expense of the next generation of top American players. 

For nearly two decades, the USTA has worked hard to try to reduce the high costs of tennis training that so many families struggle to afford. Expenses can reach $2,000 (£1,600) a month or more, not including travel, which leads them to encourage their children to pursue a cheaper alternative.

The USTA pursued a broad strategy in that effort. It invested millions of dollars to train coaches throughout the country to teach the skills required for the modern game. 

At the top of its coaching pyramid were more than 20 national coaches that worked to develop the elite talent. It held local and regional camps to identify and cultivate that talent and regularly brought the best players together for national camps at its training centers in Florida and Carson, California. Those coaches worked closely with the best players and often accompanied them to tournaments in their teen years before they were earning money and could afford to pay a coach to travel with them.

Sometimes Higueras, who traveled more than one million miles to every corner of the U.S. to help develop the program and to attend junior tournaments, even hosted smaller camps for the best of the best at his ranch in the California desert.

“My wife asked me five times why I was doing this,” Higueras said during a recent interview. “This is my country. I was obsessed.”

Marc Lucero, a former national coach who is based in California, remembers spotting Jenson Brooksby hitting a beginner-level squishy orange ball at a training camp in 2009. Thirteen years later Brooksby was ranked as high as No 33 in the world. Now 23, he is coming back from wrist surgery and a suspension for missing three drug tests.

“I agree with the entirety of it,” Lucero wrote in a text message when asked about the Higueras letter, which he had read.

What baffles Higueras most is that the cuts have continued after the USTA has largely recovered from the debacle of having to hold the 2020 U.S. Open without any spectators because of the pandemic. The U.S. Open has recorded record revenues and attendance in recent years. In 2022, the most recent year for which figures are available, the organization collected a record $529million. 

Also, the USTA has restocked its reserves thanks in part to the sale of the Western & Southern Open, the main tune-up for the U.S. Open, to financial services firm Beemok Capital for about $300million. However, according to people within the organization, there is widespread debate about how large a role the USTA should play in developing professionals, despite years of pronouncements that producing star players is essential for generating enthusiasm for the sport, especially at the grassroots level, which has become its priority.

Higueras said there is enough money to accomplish both tasks. 

“ I am 100 per cent for community tennis,” Higueras said. “Community tennis should be a good start to find some kids.

“But the next step is player development. That is a totally different expertise.”

(Top photo: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images for Laver Cup)

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Matthew Futterman is an award-winning veteran sports journalist and the author of two books, “Running to the Edge: A Band of Misfits and the Guru Who Unlocked the Secrets of Speed” and “Players: How Sports Became a Business.”Before coming to The Athletic in 2023, he worked for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Star-Ledger of New Jersey and The Philadelphia Inquirer. He is currently writing a book about tennis, "The Cruelest Game: Agony, Ecstasy and Near Death Experiences on the Pro Tennis Tour," to be published by Doubleday in 2026. Follow Matthew on Twitter @ mattfutterman