ITF Press Release, April 1, 2021
The ITF has announced that more than 100 nations from across six continents have signed up to launch the ITF World Tennis Number from 2021. Together, these countries account for 68 million tennis players, equating to 78% of the world’s playing population.
The ITF World Tennis Number will establish a single global tennis rating for players of all ages, genders and abilities, making it easier than ever for people to find opponents that are evenly matched to them, wherever they are in the world.
Featuring a host of innovative features, it is powered by a state-of-the-art algorithm that analyses performance data and millions of match results in order to provide players with a real-time skill level rating that will enable them to have more meaningful and enjoyable tennis experiences.
Delivering global digital transformation is a key objective of the ITF 2024 strategy and this milestone represents an important step on the ITF’s journey to increase the global tennis-playing population to 120 million by 2030. The platform, which is free to use, has been developed with the aim of revolutionising tennis at the recreational level and providing federations with the digital infrastructure to engage with players, enable new competition formats and drive participation at a national level.
The Singapore Tennis Association became the first national federation to formally adopt the platform in January, with more countries set to launch in the coming weeks. Following these planned national roll-outs, a pilot project to use ITF World Tennis Number as an entry acceptance criterion for ITF World Junior Tennis tournaments is set to begin in Q4 of 2021.
ITF President David Haggerty said, “Through the ITF World Tennis Number we are focused on creating a single global community of tennis players of all abilities. The project has received significant support from our member national associations around the world, and I am delighted that we have reached this important milestone. I am confident that ITF World Tennis Number will be a game-changer for recreational tennis and an essential tool to deliver our shared goal of 30 million more players over the next ten years.”
Introductory courses about both the platform and the algorithm can be found alongside other educational resources on the ITF Academy. Click here and select ‘education’ to find out more.
More information about the ITF World Tennis Number can be found here.
