Records tumble during ITF's momentous November to Remember
November proved a month to remember on and off the court as records tumbled in the ITF’s five season-ending events.
There were new world champions crowned in both the men’s and women’s world cup of tennis events as Canada claimed a maiden Davis Cup title just two weeks after Switzerland got their hands on the Billie Jean King Cup trophy for the first time.
It has been an historic year for both the men’s and women’s World Cup of Tennis events, with record numbers of nations and players competing – 145 in Davis Cup and 110 in Billie Jean King Cup.
The relationship with new Billie Jean King Cup title partner, Gainbridge Insurance Agency, ensured equivalent prize money with the Davis Cup. The winning team received a total of $2m, the highest player prize money since the competition began almost 60 years ago.
Equivalent prize money at the men’s and women’s World Cup of Tennis is a major goal for the ITF. As is expanding the reach of the competition, with both finals being broadcast to a record number of nations – 196 in Billie Jean King Cup and more than 200 in Davis Cup.
Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup weren’t the only World Cup events to receive record-breaking broadcast figures. The ITF Beach Tennis World Cup had an English international broadcast for the first time as the popularity of the sport continues to soar.
In addition to Brazilian streaming coverage from N Sports, the World Cup was distributed internationally for the first time via beIN Sports (USA & Canada) & W-Sports (Benelux, South East Asia & Sub-Saharan Africa).
The Beach Tennis World Cup, which saw Italy crowned champions on Copacabana Beach, also received record views on the ITF’s YouTube channel.
The Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup Juniors by BNP Paribas Finals saw history being made for Brazil, winning their first title in the boys’ event, while USA, who featured in a behind-the-scenes documentary throughout the week, claimed a record-extending seventh Billie Jean King Cup Juniors title after defeating Czech Republic in the final.
And the event that started the month off in style, the NEC Wheelchair Tennis Singles Masters and ITF Wheelchair Tennis Doubles Masters, saw 16-year-old Tokito Oda claim a first Masters title in singles after defeating world No. 1 Alfie Hewett in the final.
There was more good news for the younger players on the wheelchair tennis scene, with Oda and Ben Bartram, who have a combined age of 33, going undefeated in the group stage of the men’s doubles event. Spain’s Martin de la Puente and Argentina’s Gustavo Fernandez eventually defeated the youngsters in the semi-finals before going on to take the title.
There was plenty for the home crowd in Oss to cheer about with victories for Dutch players in the women’s singles and doubles as well as the quad singles and doubles.