Article 09 Feb 2023

Who, where, when: GSPDP/ITF Touring Team in South America

Ross McLean

09 Feb 2023

What is the Grand Slam Player Development Programme (GSPDP)/ITF Touring Team?

Each year, groups of talented junior players from developing tennis nations are invited to join Grand Slam Player Development Programme/ITF Touring Teams, which are financed through the Grand Slam Player Development Programme.

This invitation allows players to travel as part of a team, have access to high-performance coaches and gain exposure to events outside of their region. Without the Touring Team, these players would not have the opportunity to compete at such a high level of competition, which is a key component of their continued development.

In January, Bulgaria’s Iliyan Radulov made the most of being on the Touring Team to Australia by powering through to the quarter-finals at the Australian Open Junior Championships and rising to No. 7 in the ITF Junior Rankings.

There have been many other successes over the years, perhaps none more so than Angella Okutoyi who was raised by her grandmother in a Kenyan convent after her mother tragically passed away during childbirth.

Okutoyi’s story is a powerful one and the teenager has overcome significant odds to get to where she is today. The Touring Team gave her the chance to travel to the 2022 Australian Open Junior Championships where she reached the third round and made history.

More was to follow at Wimbledon in July 2022 as she teamed up with Rose Nijkamp of Netherlands to claim victory in the girls’ doubles, becoming Kenya’s first Grand Slam champion in any discipline. This shows the level of opportunity provided by Touring Teams.

During 2023, the Grand Slam Player Development Programme will have teams competing in all six regions globally and at ITF World Tennis Tour level, under-18 junior events and top-level under-14 regional and international events.

Having already travelled to Australia this year, the Touring Team’s next stop is South America.