New ITF Seniors tournament grades to launch in 2021
With 27,500 competitive players between the ages of 35 and 97, and more than 500 tournaments on the ITF Seniors Circuit taking place around the world in 2019, Seniors Tennis is going from strength to strength.
Today the ITF has announced a series of further improvements to the ITF Seniors Circuit for 2021 following the publication of the 2019-2021 ITF Seniors Strategic Development Plan in January 2019.
After consultation with the ITF Seniors Player Advisory Panel and ITF Seniors Tournament Director and Referee Panel, 2021 will see changes to the tournament structure, tournament grading system and a new tournament recognition scheme.
All changes have been designed to help fulfil the ITF’s mission to make seniors tennis the leading sport in terms of participation for those aged 35 and over, and to further increase the number of players, nations and tournaments on the ITF Seniors Circuit.
Among the most important changes to be introduced in 2021 is a new, refined and simplified tournament structure. The previous Grade A to Grade 4 naming will be replaced by numeric figures representing the points available to the winning player or players in each event. The ITF Seniors World Championships – Young Seniors, Seniors and Super-Seniors categories – will remain the highlight of the season and the highest grade on the circuit.
The 2021 structure will also introduce a new grade – ITF Seniors 1000, a small number of global tournaments aimed at elite players within each age group. These events will offer a greater value of ranking points, relative to the points available at the World Championships.
In addition, four further grades will exist to provide a more appropriate tournament experience to players of different standards. Clearly defined entry-level tournaments – ITF Seniors 100 – are designed to provide more competitive opportunities and appropriate tournament formats for the huge number of players who already compete, while also attracting new tournaments and players to the circuit.
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| ITF Seniors Tournament Structure: click to expand |
Matt Byford, Manager, ITF Seniors said: “We are very pleased to announce several developments to further enhance the tournament experience for players, officials, tournament organisers and our member nations from 2021 onwards. The new tournament structure supports the ITF’s long-term mission and is a pivotal part of the 2019-2021 ITF Seniors Strategic Plan. These changes aim to provide a more suitable tournament and match experience for entry level through to elite level Seniors players, and in turn better attract and retain people to participate on the circuit. I would like to thank our highly engaged community for their feedback at various stages of the development, particularly the members of the Player Advisory Panel and Tournament Director & Referee Advisory Panel.”
Player Advisory Panel Member and ITF Seniors Tournament Director Joakim Berner, who runs the Hanko Open in Finland, welcomed the news: “The changes to revise the tournament structure in 2021 and to introduce a tournament recognition scheme are very exciting changes for ITF Seniors. The new structure is a professional model and makes it very easy to understand the levels for new and existing players and tournament organisers. I would like to congratulate the persons working in the ITF office for the very positive improvements with ITF Seniors in recent years.”
Summary of key changes for 2021
- The ITF will assign all existing tournaments with a new grade in 2021. Tournaments set to take place between January-June will be informed of their grade by 31 July 2020. Tournaments from July-December 2021 will be informed by 31 January 2021.
- The ITF will introduce a Tournament Recognition Scheme in 2021 where tournaments that receive the very best player satisfaction feedback will be recognised on the ITF website and ITF Seniors tournament calendar. This feature will help new and existing players to identify the tournaments that are providing the very best levels of player satisfaction, while motivating and rewarding tournament organisers who are delivering an exceptional tournament experience.
- Updated ranking point tables for 2021 to reflect the new tournament structure.
- The ITF recognises the importance to players of a great tournament and match experience which offers value for money. Doubles events and consolation events will be strongly encouraged to help improve the player experience at ITF Seniors tournaments.
- The ITF will work with national associations and tournament organisers on an initiative for younger age groups (up to 45 and over) to adapt the tournament experience to make it more relevant for this large playing group. This will include the use of adapted scoring formats, the ability for players to compete in up to two singles matches a day and to shorten the length of tournaments.
Further information (PDF)
- 2021 ITF Seniors Circuit changes
- 2019-2021 ITF Seniors Strategic Plan