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Tennis Europe Annual General Meeting in Budapest

Tennis Europe Annual General Meeting in Budapest

A record number of member nations were in attendance for Tennis Europe’s 44th Annual General Meeting, which was hosted by the Hungarian Tennis Association in Budapest from 22-24 March. 

A packed agenda ensured that the 112 delegates from 42 European nations were busy throughout the meeting, at which Tennis Europe President Vladimir Dmitriev presented a strong financial result for 2017 and introduced a new business strategy for the organisation.

The first day’s Open Session saw International Tennis Federation President David Haggerty provide an update of ITF matters before chairing an open and extensive debate between all member nations on the proposals for reforms to the Davis Cup. Following that, detailed Information about the new ITF Transition Tour was given.

The session continued with the unveiling of Tennis Europe’s new business strategy, which was presented by Chief Executive Officer Thomas Hammerl. He presented a strong campaign to strengthen and support Europe's 50 national federations, which was described as the primary aim of the new leadership of Tennis Europe.

The new strategy for 2018-2023 will see Tennis Europe focus heavily on three key pillars: Competition, Development and Promotion.  A major priority will be a renewed emphasis on development, working in close cooperation with the ITF. The organisation will continue to upgrade its flagship competitions and the Tennis Europe Junior Tour, while also launching new initiatives to boost participation. The new strategy received the backing of the assembly, who were able to provide further input and feedback at interactive working group sessions.

Saturday’s Plenary Session was led by Mr. Dmitriev, who provided his annual report before ceding the floor to the organisation’s Committee Chairs Christiane Jolissaint (Development), Eva-Maria Schneider (Junior Tennis), Attila Richter (Senior Tennis) and Allar Hint (Professional Tennis) for updates on each field of activity. Honorary Treasurer David Rawlinson reported on Tennis Europe’s stable financial performance over the past year and the projected accounts and budget were unanimously approved. Tennis Europe Vice-President Luisanna Fodde and ITF Chief Operating Officer Kelly Fairweather then brought the second day to a close by outlining the latest information regarding the status of Padel.

The Tennis Europe President, Vladimir Dmitriev commented, “The presence of so many of our member nations, partners and affiliates at this meeting, plus the strong delegation from the ITF clearly shows the commitment of our key stakeholders and we are extremely satisfied with this unprecedented level of attendance. Tennis Europe is undergoing a phase of revitalization and the sense of unity and support from our members was very encouraging. The endorsement of the assembly is crucial to the success of our new Strategy, and we will start work immediately on its implementation for the benefit of all national federations. I am also extremely happy that we were able to provide a constructive and open forum for member nations to discuss the future of the Davis Cup and I am optimistic that a European consensus on the proposals can be reached. As President, it is my goal to unite our members and to provide a voice for Europe on key issues such as this.” 

Mr. Dmitriev closed the meeting by expressing his gratitude to the Hungarian Tennis Association, and particularly its President Lajos Szucs for the warm hospitality and attention to detail during the event and confirmed that the Maltese Tennis Federation will host the 2019 meeting.  A full report on the Annual General Meeting will be published in the next edition of Tennis Europe News. To see a photo gallery from the event, please click here.

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