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The Asian Tennis Federation (ATF) is a non-profit organization affiliated with the International Tennis Federation was founded in 1958. It is a continental body of national tennis associations of Asian countries. The ATF's main objectives are to raise the quality standard of Asian tennis and to popularize tennis sport among the peoples of Asia. There are currently (in May 2024) 45 member associations who represents their respective nations. The ATF works closely with the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and supports its member associations through the implementation of a wide range of programs.
 | |
 Members of ATF | |
| Formation | 1958 [1] |
|---|---|
| Type | Sport Association |
| Headquarters | Continental Federations |
| Location |
|
Region served | Asia |
Membership | 45 Asian nations |
President | Yuriy Polskiy |
| Website | asiantennis.com |
Member Associations
editThe member associations of the ATF are[2]
| Region (members) |
Area of Jurisdiction | Member Associations |
|---|---|---|
| East Asia ( 8 ) |
|
|
| Southeast Asia ( 11 ) |
|
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| South Asia ( 8 ) |
|
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| West Asia ( 12 ) |
|
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| Central Asia (5 ) |
|
Board of directors
editThe board of directors is the elected group of members from national tennis bodies of Asian nations. As of May 2024 the current list of members is:[3]-
| Name | Designation |
|---|---|
| Yuriy Polskiy (Kazakhstan) | President |
| Iroda Tulyaganova (Uzbekistan) | Vice President Development |
| Jianbin Won (China) | Vice President East Asia |
| Tep Rithivit (Cambodia) | Vice President Southeast Asia |
| Salim Saifullah Khan (Pakistan) | Vice President South Asia |
| Tareq Darwish Zainal (Qatar) | Vice President West Asia |
| Eziz Dovletov (Turkmenistan) | Vice President Central Asia |
| Naser Al Marzooqi (UAE) | Treasurer |
| Anil Jain (India) | Member |
| Arij Almutabagani (Saudi Arabia) | Member |
| Cheon Jin Choi (Korea) | Member |
| Mirzan Mahathir (Malaysia) | Member |
| Ng Mui Soon Gilbert (Singapore) | Member |
| Philip Mok (Hong Kong, China) | Member |
| Sohaib Ismail (Jordan) | Member |
Challenges
editAsia is by far the most populous continent but tennis still remains a sport under development. Besides a couple of Asian nations like India, China and Japan who have produced some world class players, tennis does not have a very long and fruitful history. The only Asians to ever win a single tennis grand slam are Li Na from China ( French Open 2011 and Australian Open 2014), Naomi Osaka from Japan (Australian Open 2019 and 2021, US Opens 2018 and 2021), and Elena Rybakina from Kazakhstan (Wimbledon 2022). The only 2 nations that ever qualified for a Davis cup final are India(3) and Japan. No Asian nation has ever won the Davis Cup (excluding the Junior Davis Cups, 2 of which are won by Japan in 2011 and 2019).
Li Na grew up playing badminton and only switched over to tennis because a coach saw her potential for the sport. But the backward Chinese tennis coaching she received in her early days actually turned her against the game and she eventually quit for two years only to come back when China tennis authorities allowed her to take the reins and hire a coach to her liking without regards of the costs. "After Li Na had won the two grandslam tournaments, everyone start to know tennis in China. Especially in a country like China interest in the tennis sport is very much at the lead level compared to other Asian countries. If you weren't a lead level player, maybe you are wasting your time, taking away from study or education. But we've really seen in the last couple of years that mindset changing, in China in particular", said Ben Slack, Tennis Australia's head of international business.
The Women's Tennis Association announced in 2017 that it has signed a 10-year deal to move its finals tournament to Shenzhen, a dynamic city in China south, starting from next year. The deal will also see the total prize money on offer double to a whopping US$14 million.
Tennis is expensive and most Asian countries are still a developing economy, which means the standard of living is comparatively less and people spend their money on necessities rather than tennis racquets. There are currently 289 futures and challengers in a year in Europe, while Asia in comparison only has 61 of these tournaments. Even South America, where there are only twelve nations and players from the other continents rarely go due to remoteness of the location, has 81 ATP recognized tournaments[4] The number of tournaments in Asia is increasing and with it the level of the sport. In the next 10 years, the Asian region, should produce some exciting players.
Events
edit- Asian Tennis Championships
Sponsors of ATF
editThis is a list of official sponsors of ATF:[5]
- Wilson
- California Products – Official Supplier of Court Surfaces
- Yonex – Official Racket of the Asian Tennis Federation
- Rebound Ace
- All India Tennis Association
- Lawn Tennis Association of Thailand
- Sri Lanka Tennis Association
- Qatar Tennis Federation
- Uzbekistan Tennis Federation
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2024-03-16. Retrieved 2024-04-23.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "ATF Member Associations". Retrieved 2024-05-21.
- ^ "ATF Executive Body". Retrieved 2024-05-21.
- ^ "Among tennis leaders of the continent". UTF. Archived from the original on 2023-03-17. Retrieved 2011-02-06.
- ^ "Sponsors". Archived from the original on 2011-07-07. Retrieved 2011-02-06.