The Worldwide Tennis Federation (ITF) has introduced that Rafael Nadal and Iga Swiatek have been named 2022 ITF World Champions, following spectacular seasons by which each gamers received two Grand Slam singles titles.
Nadal and Swiatek are amongst 11 gamers who’ve been introduced as ITF World Champions this week. Within the doubles class, Rajeev Ram of USA and Nice Britain’s Joe Salisbury are first-time winners of the ITF Males’s Doubles World Champion award, whereas the Czech pair of Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova win the ITF Girls’s Doubles World Champion award for the third time.
Japan’s Shingo Kunieda and Netherlands’ Diede de Groot have been honoured within the males’s and girls’s wheelchair classes, respectively – a tenth award for Kunieda and fourth for De Groot – whereas Niels Vink grew to become the primary Dutchman to be named ITF Quad Wheelchair World Champion.
At junior degree, two-time Grand Slam boys’ singles runner-up Gilles Arnaud Bailly of Belgium has been rewarded for a season of constant performances, whereas Roland Garros ladies’ singles champion Lucie Havlickova of Czech Republic was topped as ITF Women World Champion.
Nadal mentioned: “I’m very pleased to be named ITF World Champion for the fifth time. Once I first received the award in 2008, I’d not have anticipated to nonetheless be taking part in at such a excessive degree 14 years later. It was actually particular to win the Australian Open for a second time, and naturally to win Roland Garros. I’m actually grateful for the assist of my group and my followers around the globe and, I’m already wanting ahead to the 2023 season.”
Swiatek mentioned: “This was a giant 12 months for me, and such important awards present me how far I’ve come. I respect it and I wish to thank the ITF. It wouldn’t have occurred with out my group, my household, and my followers from Poland and all around the world. Think about it our joint award for wonderful journey on courtroom in 2022.”
David Haggerty, ITF President, mentioned: “Congratulations to our 2022 ITF World Champions, all of whom have loved distinctive years. It has been a pleasure to observe these 11 gamers, who aren’t simply very good athletes but additionally unbelievable ambassadors for our sport. We stay up for celebrating with them in individual subsequent July and I want all of our World Champions the easiest for 2023.”
The 11 World Champions will likely be honoured on the annual ITF World Champions Awards occasion on Saturday 8 July 2023. The Awards, beforehand held in Paris, are transferring to London and being held on the stunning and historic Victoria and Albert Museum, dwelling to greater than 2.8 million treasures celebrating artwork and design.
The ITF’s number of its senior World Champions relies on an goal system that considers all outcomes through the 12 months, however provides particular weight to the Grand Slam tournaments and two ITF worldwide group competitions, Davis Cup by Rakuten and Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge.
ITF Singles World Champions
Rafael Nadal is called the ITF Males’s World Champion for the fifth time, having additionally acquired the award in 2008, 2010, 2017 and 2019. Victory for Nadal on the Australian Open in January – by which he recovered from 0-2 right down to win in 5 units within the remaining towards Daniil Medvedev – noticed him change into the primary man to win 21 Grand Slam singles titles. He adopted up that success with a record-extending 14th Roland Garros and twenty second Grand Slam title in June, and reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon earlier than having to withdraw because of an belly harm.
As ITF Girls’s World Champion, Iga Swiatek turns into the primary Polish singles participant to win the award – and simply the second Polish participant to take action in any class, after 2017 ITF Males’s Doubles World Champion Lukasz Kubot. Swiatek launched into a successful streak between February and Might that noticed her win 37 consecutive matches and 6 tournaments – together with her second Grand Slam crown at Roland Garros. She received a 3rd Grand Slam title on the US Open in September and ended the 12 months as world No. 1 for the primary time with a complete of eight titles.
ITF Doubles World Champions
Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova are topped ITF Girls’s Doubles World Champions for the second straight 12 months and the third time general, having additionally acquired the award in 2018 and 2021. The Czech pair received three Grand Slam titles, triumphing on the Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open. Krejcikova and Siniakova have change into simply the fifth and sixth gamers to win the ‘profession Golden Slam’ in girls’s doubles, after Pam Shriver, Gigi Fernandez and Serena and Venus Williams.
A powerful finish to the 12 months noticed Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury change into ITF Males’s Doubles World Champions for the primary time, with Ram changing into the fourth American to obtain the award (after 12-time winner Mike Bryan, 11-time winner Bob Bryan and 2018 winner Jack Sock) and Salisbury changing into the second Brit to earn the accolade after Jamie Murray in 2016. The duo received their third Grand Slam title collectively on the US Open and in addition received the ATP Finals title for the primary time in November.
ITF Wheelchair World Champions
Diede de Groot is called ITF Girls’s Wheelchair World Champion for the fourth consecutive 12 months, after going unbeaten in singles all season. The 25-year-old received all 38 matches she contested in 2022 and swept all 4 Grand Slam singles titles for the second straight 12 months. She goes into the 2023 season trying to prolong a 74-match successful streak – and to proceed to chase down the file 470-match successful streak set by her compatriot Esther Vergeer.
Shingo Kunieda extends his file for many ITF Males’s Wheelchair World Champion awards by successful for a tenth time. This season noticed Kunieda full his quest for a profession Grand Slam together with his victory in singles at Wimbledon. Having additionally received the titles on the Australian Open and Roland Garros, he got here inside one match of being the primary participant to win the calendar-year Grand Slam in males’s wheelchair singles however was defeated within the US Open remaining by Alfie Hewett.
Niels Vink turns into the third participant to win the ITF Quad Wheelchair World Champion award since its introduction in 2017, after three-time winner Dylan Alcott and David Wagner. He’s the primary Dutchman to win a wheelchair World Champion award since Maikel Scheffers in 2011 – a positive reward for a superb season. The 20-year-old ended the 12 months as world No. 1 after successful his first two Grand Slam singles titles at Roland Garros and the US Open. His rivalry with Sam Schroder, who received the 12 months’s different two Grand Slam singles titles and completed simply 9 factors behind Vink within the year-end rankings, appears to be like sure to be a key storyline within the quad wheelchair class within the years forward.
ITF Junior World Champions
Gilles Bailly has been topped as this 12 months’s ITF Boys’ World Champion, changing into the primary Belgian male to win a World Champion award in any class. He ended the season as world No. 1 following a string of constant performances that noticed him win three titles at Grade 1-level and end runner-up within the boys’ singles at each Roland Garros and the US Open.
Lucie Havlickova has been named ITF Women’ World Champion and is the primary Czech participant to win the award since Barbora Strycova in 2002. The 17-year-old received her first junior Grand Slam singles title at Roland Garros, after exhibiting distinctive type on clay all season, having additionally received Grade A titles on clay in singles at Criciuma and in doubles at Offenbach. She additionally received two Grand Slam ladies’ doubles titles, rising triumphant at each Roland Garros and the US Open.
Different Participant Quotes
Barbora Krejcikova (CZE) – ITF Girls’s Doubles World Champion: “It’s a nice honour to obtain the ITF Girls’s Doubles World Champion award for the third time and I’m grateful for the outcomes and reminiscences I’ve made with my doubles associate this 12 months. We hope that our success will proceed inspiring younger youngsters around the globe and assist them consider of their goals on and off the courtroom. I’m so grateful to my household, my teaching group, mentors, companions, followers and everybody else who has stood by me and who is continually supporting me to attain my goals.”
Katerina Siniakova (CZE) – ITF Girls’s Doubles World Champion: “I’m so pleased to be introduced as greatest doubles group two years in a row. I’m actually happy with this season and looking out ahead to subsequent 12 months.”
Rajeev Ram (USA) – ITF Males’s Doubles World Champion: “It’s an enormous honour to obtain this award, and be included with all of the names of the nice champions which have received it up to now. Thanks to the ITF for the award.”
Joe Salisbury (GBR) – ITF Males’s Doubles World Champion: “We’re very honoured to have received this prestigious award from the ITF as recognition for the successes we now have had. We’re very pleased with all we now have achieved this 12 months.”
Diede de Groot (NED) – ITF Girls’s Wheelchair World Champion: “I’m extremely proud to make back-to-back calendar Grand Slams and finish 2022 as year-end No 1 once more. It’s the results of consistency and all of the arduous work put in by my group and myself. I’m grateful for all of the assist.”
Shingo Kunieda (JPN) – ITF Males’s Wheelchair World Champion: “2022 grew to become one other particular 12 months for me. I lastly received the Wimbledon singles for the primary time in my profession, reaching the profession Grand Slam and the profession Golden Slam for the primary time within the historical past of males’s wheelchair tennis. I’m pleased with myself however these achievements didn’t occur with out the assist from my group – my spouse, coach, physio, sponsors and followers. I wish to have fun one other monumental 12 months with them.”
Niels Vink (NED) – ITF Quad Wheelchair World Champion: “It’s a actually particular and wonderful feeling to be named World Champion for the primary time in my profession. This was the most effective 12 months thus far for me. Just a few goals grew to become actuality. I grew to become world primary, I performed in all 4 Grand Slams, I received my first and second Slam and three Grand Slams in doubles. Alone, I used to be by no means capable of be on this place, so I actually wish to thank my group round me and a really particular due to my coach Hans Jurgen.”
Gilles Arnaud Bailly (BEL) – ITF Boys World Champion: “It’s an unbelievable feeling to finish the 12 months as a junior world No. 1 and be named an ITF World Champion. I by no means thought this is able to be potential. I’ve been taking part in on the junior circuit for 4 to 5 years and it has been a enjoyable, however lengthy, journey. I couldn’t have dreamed that I’d attain this degree and have an finish to a 12 months like this.”
Lucie Havlickova (CZE) – ITF Women World Champion: “It feels actually wonderful to be a year-end junior world No. 1 and ITF World Champion – I’m very pleased about it. This season is unquestionably my greatest season but. In the beginning of the 12 months, I used to be struggling and I couldn´t discover my sport for fairly a very long time. However then I received the Grade A match in Criciuma, which began every part. Sadly, I haven’t performed any tournaments because the junior world No. 1, however it would give me confidence and lots of alternatives subsequent 12 months in my girls’s profession, which I wish to deal with. It’s tremendous nice.”
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