Santiago, Sept 25, 2015: David Haggerty was elected ITF President at the ITF Annual General Meeting in Santiago, Chile on Friday. The 58-year old from the United States succeeds Francesco Ricci Bitti, whose 16-year term as ITF President ends today. Haggerty will serve a four-year term from 2015-19.
Haggerty was elected on the second ballot with 200 votes, over Anil Khanna (IND) with 192 votes. Rene Stammbach (SUI) and Juan Margets (ESP) were eliminated on the first ballot.
Haggerty is an experienced tennis administrator, having held a variety of roles within the United States Tennis Association (USTA) since 2001 and within the ITF since 2009. He served as Chairman, CEO and President of the USTA in 2013-14, and was a Vice President on the ITF Board of Directors in 2013-15. He is a former President of the Tennis Industry Association and a current board member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Away from tennis administration, Haggerty had a 30-year career in the racket industry, and is a former Chairman of Head USA, President of Penn Racquet Sports, and President of Dunlop Maxfli Slazenger Sports.
Outgoing president Francesco Ricci Bitti said: “I would like to congratulate David Haggerty on his election as ITF President, and wish him all the best for the future. It has been my pleasure to serve as President for the last 16 years, and I am confident that under David’s leadership, the organisation can continue to grow with the support of the ITF staff and our 210 member nations.”
The ITF is the world governing body of tennis and beach tennis, responsible for the rules of both sports and maintaining the integrity of tennis. The ITF is the owner and rightsholder of the two largest annual international team competitions in sport, Davis Cup by BNP Paribas and Fed Cup by BNP Paribas, and manages the Olympic Tennis Event on behalf of the IOC.
The ITF’s highly regarded Tennis Development Department oversees the development of tennis worldwide and, through its Science and Technical Department, monitors both equipment and technology. Its Officiating Department oversees the education and advancement of officials worldwide.
The ITF organises over 1,000 weeks of men’s and women’s professional tournaments on the ITF Pro Circuit and manages the ITF Junior Circuit and team competitions, the ITF Beach Tennis Tour, the ITF Wheelchair Tennis Tour and the ITF Seniors Circuit. The ITF also manages the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme on behalf of the sport and is a partner in the Tennis Integrity Unit. —- ITF
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