Celebration, tributes and memories at ITF World Champions Awards
Applause rang around Pavillon Gabriel as ITF President David Haggerty crowned Stan Smith the 2022 ITF Philippe Chatrier Award winner at last night’s ITF World Champions Awards in Paris.
The guest list was long and distinguished with the 150-strong contingent, which included previous Chatrier Award winners, Grand Slam champions and former players affording iconic American Smith a rapturous ovation.
They also revelled in the accomplishments of the 2021 ITF World Champions, whose attention-grabbing exploits from the previous season were marked during a glamourous evening within the gardens of the Champs Elysees.
Novak Djokovic, Ashleigh Barty, Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic, Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova, Dylan Alcott, Diede de Groot, Shingo Kunieda, Petra Marcinko and Juncheng Shang had already been confirmed as ITF World Champions in December.
The 75-year-old, who has made an enormous and hugely significant contribution to tennis on and off the court for more than half a century, is the latest luminary to join an illustrious list of ITF Philippe Chatrier Award winners since the accolade was introduced in 1996.
“To receive the ITF Philippe Chatrier Award is special honour, while it is always a great night when last year’s ITF World Champions are honoured,” said Smith.
“I actually know all of the previous recipients of the ITF Philippe Chatrier Award other than Juan Antonio Samaranch – he is the only person I don’t really know, but all the others who have received this award have been friends of mine. It is a great list of people who have done great jobs on and off the court.
“It’s also very special because I knew Philippe Chatrier pretty well. I got to meet him in 1968 when he was just about to become Davis Cup captain and soon after he became president of the French Tennis Federation and then the ITF. He has done so much for the game.”
With the ITF traditionally honouring their World Champions and the Philippe Chatrier Award winner during Roland Garros, the occasion also offered the opportunity to recall some outstanding moments and memories from 2021.
What was said by the 2021 ITF World Champions:
Novak Djokovic – men’s ITF World Champion
This is the seventh time that Djokovic has been named an ITF World Champion and he moves ahead of Pete Sampras, claiming sole ownership of first place on the all-time list of men’s winners.
“Thank you very much for this award,” said Djokovic. “I had a fantastic Grand Slam year in 2021, winning three Grand Slams and making the final in New York. Receiving the ITF World Champion award again means the world to me.”
Ashleigh Barty – women’s ITF World Champion
This is a second ITF Word Champion award for the Australian, who announced her retirement from tennis earlier this year having sealed the last of her three Grand Slam titles at Wimbledon in 2021.
“Thank you everyone for all your support this year,” said Barty. “2021 was an incredible year for myself and my team and we are so privileged, humbled and really grateful to be an ITF World Champion for 2021. This is an incredible night for tennis all across the world.”
Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova – women’s doubles ITF World Champions
The Czech duo are ITF World Champions in women’s doubles for the second time, having previously received the award in 2018, after an outstanding campaign which saw them triumph in women's doubles at Roland Garros and the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
“Last season for Barbora and I was amazing,” said Siniakova. “There is a lot to remember, and I am really proud to receive this award and I would like to thank the ITF so much for it. I hope I have another chance to attend this beautiful evening.”
Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic – men’s doubles ITF World Champions
This year’s ITF World Champions Awards is the first time that Croatian players have been crowned ITF World Champions. Mektic and Pavic were celebrated after a stunning 2021 campaign, during which they won the men’s doubles titles at Wimbledon and Tokyo 2020.
“I just want to say thank you for this award,” said Mektic. “It is a huge achievement for us and we are really proud to be named the best doubles team in the world.”
Shingo Kunieda – men’s wheelchair ITF World Champion
Having fulfilled his long-held ambition of winning singles gold at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, Kunieda is the ITF World Champion in the men’s wheelchair category for a ninth time, an accolade he first received more than a decade ago in 2007.
“To be No. 1 is always my goal,” said Kunieda. “Last year, I had Tokyo 2020 in my home town and it was my biggest dream throughout my long, long career and my dream came true with the gold medal.
“The moment I won the gold medal was amazing. I have won a lot of titles, but I can clearly say that this was the best moment of my career.”
Diede de Groot – women’s wheelchair ITF World Champion
De Groot made history in 2021 with a calendar Golden Slam in the women’s wheelchair division and has been crowned ITF World Champion for a third successive time.
“It feels special to be here and to be an ITF World Champion,” De Groot.
“I keep all my ITF World Champion awards and all my other silverware in a very safe place and hopefully one day I can look at them and be super proud. For now, I am just storing them. I am still very proud of them but, for now, they are in a safe place.
“2021 was such a special year. I got the Golden Slam. I didn’t necessarily have that as a goal of mine to become a Golden Slam champion, but the year just went very well and title after title came.
“At the end of the year, I looked back and just thought, ‘wow, what an amazing year it has been’. Hopefully I can have another year like that but, also, I have done that, and everything now is a little bit of a bonus.”
Dylan Alcott – quad ITF World Champion
Now retired, Alcott collected a third successive ITF World Champion quad title after clinching a calendar Golden Slam in 2021 – winning singles titles at all four majors and the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.
“It’s a massive honour to be named ITF World Champion for the quad division – for one last time as I’m officially never ever going to win this again, because I’ve retired,” said Alcott.
“What a huge honour to win this. To everybody at the ITF, thanks for making my dreams come true for the last eight years. To round it off with a Golden Slam last year was pretty special for us.
“To Dave and everyone at the ITF, thanks so much for supporting me, you know how much inclusion means to me. Sometimes I was probably a bit too passionate for everybody, but the support you gave me and the Wheelchair Tour was game-changing.
“When I first started playing wheelchair tennis again, there was no quad division in Wimbledon and Roland Garros and now there are 8-draws and that’s because of what we all did together.
“I’m really honoured to be a tennis player, I love being a tennis player. To everybody in the room who supported me – able-bodied professionals, administrators, sponsors – thank you so much. You’ve changed my life and hopefully changed the loves of a few people.
“Keep supporting wheelchair tennis, keep backing us as players. This isn’t the last you’ll see of me. I won’t be playing again, that’s for sure, but I’ll be around Grand Slams working, broadcasting. If you see me, make sure you come and say hello.
“From me and my team and my family – thank you for everything you’ve done. I really appreciate it and I’ll see you soon.”
Petra Marcinko – junior ITF World Champion
Along with Mektic and Pavic, Marcinko is among the first Croatian players to be recognised as an ITF World Champion. This follows a stunning end to the 2021 campaign which ensured the 16-year-old sealed the junior world No. 1 spot. She has since claimed the Australian Open girls’ title, won events on the ITF World Tennis Tour and made her Billie Jean King Cup debut for Croatia. She is currently competing in the Roland Garros Junior Championships.
“It feels amazing to get an invite to an event like this with so many great players,” said Marcinko. “It is great to be here. This last six months have been really good, there has been a lot of winning and I have been feeling good on the court.
“I had no idea that, along with Nikola and Mate, I was the first Croatian player to be named an ITF World Champion. It is really big for me to be the first one.
“The ITF player pathway has been so important for me. First, I got experience in juniors and I had so much confidence at the end of 2021 and that meant a lot going into the Australian Open Junior Championships.
“After Australia, I was feeling good and feeling confident and that helped with playing on the ITF World Tennis Tour. It was easier for me to go to professional events after playing juniors.”
Juncheng Shang – junior ITF World Champion
Known as Jerry to his friends, Shang is the first player from China to be crowned an ITF World Champion in any category. He enjoyed a solid year in junior tennis and finished 2021 as the year-end No. 1-ranked boy. He also showed his class by making a stylish start to his professional career by claiming three ITF World Tennis Tour titles – at M15 Fayetteville, M15 Naples and M15 Vero Beach – in quick succession during a highly-profitable September and October.
“It’s a great honour for me to be the first Chinese player ever to receive this award I hope my experience can inspire a lot more kids to play tennis,” said Shang.
“It hasn't been easy for me to transition from juniors to the pros but I believe all the hard work will pay off and hopefully I can make it to the Grand Slams in the near future.
“I would like to thank the ITF, you guys have done an amazing job organising and making it enjoyable for all young kids with career dreams. Thanks to my parents as well, my most loyal supporters, without you guys I wouldn't be here receiving this award.
“I would also like to thank my team and the IMG Academy for the amazing help and support you guys have given me.”