ITF Press Release, January 28, 2022
Forty-four junior and professional players will receive Grand Slam Player Grants in 2022, funded by the Grand Slam Player Development Programme.
The Grand Slam Player Development Programme (formerly known as the Grand Slam Development Fund) was established by the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments in 1986 to encourage and increase competitive opportunities for players from developing tennis regions. The Programme provides Grand Slam Player Grants to support players so that they can gain competitive experience at an international level, including at the Grand Slams.
Since its inception, the Grand Slam Player Development Programme has contributed more than $55 million to support player development.
In 2021, former Grand Slam Player Grant recipients Ons Jabeur, Casper Ruud and Hubert Hurkacz made history and finished the year in the Top 10 rankings. Grand Slam champions Simona Halep, Victoria Azarenka, Jelena Ostapenko and Gustavo Kuerten are also among the Programme’s alumni.
The following players will receive grants of up to $25,000 as a contribution towards competition-related costs, with the aim of aiding their development in professional tennis and enabling them to compete at Grand Slam tournaments:
Duje Ajdukovic CRO
Viacheslav Bielinskyi UKR
Pedro Boscardin Dias BRA
Gonzalo Bueno PER
Eliakim Coulibaly CIV
Tomas Martin Etcheverry ARG
Nick Hardt DOM
Jerome Kym SUI
Jack Loutit NZL
Leo Matthysen RSA
Hamad Medjedovic SRB
Rodrigo Pacheco Mendez MEX
Juan Carlos Prado Angelo BOL
Ajeet Rai NZL
Jurij Rodionov AUT
Thiago Seyboth Wild BRA
Juncheng Shang CHN
Timofei Skatov KAZ
Dominic Stricker SUI
Thiago Agustin Tirante ARG
Chun Hsin Tseng TPE
Kacper Zuk POL
Maria Lourdes Carle ARG
Sasha Natalie Chimedza ZIM
Rositsa Dencheva BUL
Alexandra Eala PHI
Aliona Falei BLR
Lya Isabel Fernandez Olivares MEX
Laura Hietaranta FIN
Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva AND
Yoana Konstantinova BUL
Michaela Laki GRE
Evialina Laskevich BLR
Petra Marcinko CRO
Celine Naef SUI
Sada Nahimana BDI
Maria Gabriela Rivera Corado GUA
Solana Sierra ARG
Daria Snigur UKR
Johanne Christine Svendsen DEN
Xiyu Wang CHN
Vivian Yang NZL
Renee Zhang NZL
Qinwen Zheng CHN
Eight junior players also competed at the 2022 Australian Open Juniors as part of the Grand Slam Player Development Programme Touring Team, providing them with the opportunity to travel to and compete at the Australian Open under the guidance of an ITF Coach.
Greg Jones (AUS) led the boys’ team of Ignancio Buse (PER), Daniel Vallejo (PAR), Kalin Ivanovski (MKD) and Lautaro Midon Ballesteros (ARG) while the girls’ team, under the guidance of Roberta Burzagli (BRA), consisted of Aysegul Mert (TUR), Solana Sierra (ARG), Laura Hietaranta (FIN) and Angella Okutoyi (KEN).
Ugo Valensi, Executive Director of the Grand Slam® Board said: “On behalf of the four Grand Slams, we offer our congratulations to the 44 recipients of the 2022 Grand Slam Player Grants. We hope these grants continue the legacy of the Grand Slam Player Development Programme in helping to enable professional and junior players from developing countries to compete internationally in some of the world’s most famous events.”
David Haggerty, ITF President said: “At the heart of our development goals is that any player with talent, no matter where they live or what resources they have available to them, will have the chance to fulfil their potential. The recent successes of players like Ons Jabeur of Tunisia demonstrate the importance of this support and we thank the Grand Slam tournaments for their continued investment in the stars of the future.”
