Meet the ITF Class of 2023
The ITF’s ‘Class of…’ series recognises and celebrates players who have had a successful year on the ITF World Tennis Tour, identifying the year’s most promising and breakthrough talents, and those predicted to go on to bigger and better things next year.
This year’s final five was decided by a panel of experts: Ashley Keber (WTA), James Marsalek (ATP), Mark Woodforde (ITF), Mary Pierce (ITF) and Nao Kawatei (ITF), following a vote from a shortlist of 18 players.
Discover the ITF Class of 2023 in full below.
Henrique Rocha
Henrique Rocha, a 19-year-old rising talent from Portugal, has been prolific in ITF men’s competition this year and is fast-developing into a player capable of flourishing at the highest level of the sport.
Described as an ‘all-round, very complete player’ by Rui Machado, a former world No. 59 and current head of the Portuguese Tennis Federation’s High Performance Team, Rocha boasts a particularly fierce forehand and is lightning quick around the court.
He has leapt almost 600 spots to a career-high ATP ranking of No. 247 following a fine season on the ITF World Tennis Tour in which he won over 60 matches and clinched six titles.
A worthy inclusion in the ITF Class of 2023 and, as Machado puts it, ‘the future of Portuguese tennis’.
> Read the full Henrique Rocha article
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Marina Stakusic
Marina Stakusic enjoyed one of the quicker breakthroughs. The 19-year-old Canadian spent the first six months of the year sidelined with injury, before returning with a sizzling spell on the ITF World Tennis Tour that culminated in her being selected for - and starring in - Canada’s victorious Billie Jean King Cup team.
She won her first three ITF singles titles in quick succession across five tournaments, completing a run of 17 wins in 18 matches to earn a place – in the absence of Bianca Andreescu – in Heidi El Tabakh’s team for Seville.
There, she burst onto the global tennis scene, recording three wins from her first four matches in the women's World Cup of Tennis to tee up Leylah Fernandez to secure the winning point against Italy in the final.
Her coach, Elena Bovina, describes her turnaround year as ‘amazing’. We can likely expect more head-turning performances from this teenage talent in 2024.
> Read the full Marina Stakusic article
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Alina Korneeva
Alina Korneeva enjoyed a stunning season in both junior and women’s competition on the ITF World Tennis Tour to firmly establish herself as an emerging star in the women’s game.
The 16-year-old won back-to-back junior titles at the Australian Open and Roland Garros, and quickly translated that form to the women’s game by winning significant titles as a qualifier at both W60 Pretoria and W100 Figuera da Foz.
She caused a stir on several counts at the latter event, becoming the youngest winner of an ITF W100 tournament and doing so in emphatic fashion: with a 6-0 6-0 victory over established top 200 player Carole Monnet.
“If I’m mentally ready to fight, nothing stops me,” Korneeva declared. Let that be a warning to the rest of the field for the 2024 season…
> Read the full Alina Korneeva article
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Dino Prizmic
Dino Prizmic’s rise through the professional ranks began just over 12 months ago with a run on the ITF World Tennis Tour that put him in a position to surge up the ATP rankings in 2023.
Prizmic won four titles in his last five ITF tournaments of 2022, embarking on a 15-match winning streak that December to end the year inside the world’s Top 500.
Twelve months on, he finds himself knocking at the door of the ATP Top 150 and with a maiden ATP Challenger title, an ATP quarter-final, and a fifth ITF singles title under his belt.
“I’m sure the experience and knowledge I picked up in ITF tournaments had a lot to do with that,” he reflected. It’s a grounding that is sure to serve him well as he continues his rise in 2024.
> Read the full Dino Prizmic article
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Mirra Andreeva
Mirra Andreeva starred on the ITF World Tennis Tour in 2023, laying significant foundations for a meteoric rise which has seen her become something of a household name.
After reaching the Australian Open girls’ final in January, Andreeva proceeded to win back-to-back ITF World Tennis Tour events at W60 Chiasso, as a qualifier, and then at W60 Bellinzona.
Just a week later, the 16-year-old chalked up her maiden victories against Top 20 opposition on the WTA Tour at the Madrid Open and, as a qualifier, would go on to reach the third round at Roland Garros and the fourth round at Wimbledon.
It has been a fabulous campaign for this intrepid teenager, and it will be fascinating to see the heights she is able to scale in 2024.
> Read the full Mirra Andreeva article
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