ITF announces adoption of World Tennis Number as entry criteria for Regional Junior Tournaments

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) has confirmed today that the World Tennis Number (WTN) will be adopted as a secondary entry criterion for regional junior tournaments by several key regional tennis federations. Beginning January 1st, 2025, the Asian Tennis Federation (ATF), Oceania Tennis Federation (OTF), Confederation of Tennis of Central America and the Caribbean (COTECC), Confederation of African Tennis (CAT), and South American Tennis Confederation (COSAT) will integrate the WTN into their 14-and-under and 16-and-under regional tours, with Tennis Europe also hoping to implement in the near future. 

The integration of the World Tennis Number as a secondary entry criterion at a regional tour level follows the successful integration in the ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors (WTTJ) in 2022. For acceptance into the ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors tournaments, the primary acceptance method is the ITF Junior Ranking. However, players without an ITF Junior ranking are then accepted based on their World Tennis Number, allowing players to gain acceptance based on a global, objective rating measure.  

As of September 2024, over 6,000 players (6,196) gained acceptance to tournaments through their WTN. With over 72% accuracy in ITF Junior tournaments matches so far this year (2024), the WTN is outperforming the existing criteria that was previously in place. 

Players who compete regularly and perform well will be recognised through their WTN, which will now help them gain acceptance into Regional Tour events at 14U and 16U, and in turn entry level tournaments on the 18-and-under ITF WTTJ. 

This will help strengthen regional based competition, providing more young players with an opportunity to compete closer to home. This collective move underscores the growing importance of the WTN in the global tennis community. 

Regional tennis associations recognise the significance of promoting the World Tennis Number to enhance its adoption and development. As a dynamic and evolving tool, the WTN continues to drive development and participation in tennis, and the collaboration of federations is pivotal in supporting its widespread use. Since launching in 2020, the WTN has experienced exponential growth, boasting nearly 2 million players across 80 nations equipped with their unique World Tennis Number, a notable surge from the 1.4 million players recorded in May 2023. 

The ITF World Tennis Number is a real-time skill level rating system designed for tennis enthusiasts of all levels. Similar to a golf handicap, the WTN provides a numerical representation of a player’s ability, enabling them to find opponents who match their skill level wherever they are in the world. This global rating system aims to simplify the process of identifying appropriate playing opportunities, making tennis more accessible and enjoyable for everyone and can also be used as a tool help track the development of one’s game, over time. 

As the World Tennis Number continues to develop, the ITF remain dedicated to refining and expanding this system. The collaboration with national and regional associations is crucial in this ongoing process, and the ITF is excited about the future enhancements that will further benefit the global tennis community.  

South American Tennis Confederation President and Vice President of the ITF, Rafael Westrupp, said, “We consider the WTN to be one of the most important projects for international tennis and for COSAT, and it is always important to align our strategies with the ITF’s strategies. We are very happy to be at the forefront of this project, innovating once again and using WTN as a second criteria in the acceptance lists for our events from 2025 onwards and we hope it will be a success.” 

President of the Asian Tennis Federation, Yuriy Polskiy, said, “The World Tennis Number is an identity of our tennis community, and the Asian Tennis Federation is very proud and happy to embrace this further, with the impetus to encourage entries and participation to our Asian Junior Tour circuit effective January 2025.  

As President of the ATF, I have witnessed the positive encouragement with our ongoing relationship of ATF Rankings, results and the WTN for our players. This next step will further encourage and solidify the process of our Tours and the commitment to junior development initiatives.” 

“The ATF is committed and looks forward to further supporting the development programs and initiatives in collaboration with the ITF.”  

President of the Confederation of African Tennis, Jean-Claude Talon, said, “I am delighted to highlight the remarkable progress we’ve made at CAT since the launching the World Tennis Number in September 2023. Currently, 35 African nations have, representing over 15,000 players.” 

“This enthusiastic participation is a testament to the growing passion for tennis across Africa. In 2025, we will integrate the WTN as an entry criterion for our regional competitions for players aged 14&U. This integration will not only enhance the competitive landscape but also ensure a more structured competition system for our young players. We are excited about this initiative and look forward to seeing the continued growth and development of tennis in Africa.”  

President of the Oceania Tennis Federation, Cyrille Mainguy, said, “We have already started in 2024 and are now preparing to use WTN in regional championships and competitions from January 2025. A global rating composed of data from all nations in Oceania will provide further consistency and accuracy for providers and players”.   

President of Central American and Caribbean Tennis Confederation, Persio Maldonado, said, “Moving forward with the ITF in integrating the WTN into the global tennis community, COTECC will use the WTN as the second acceptance criteria, after the COTECC U14 Ranking, in its U14 Circuit events, beginning January 1st, 2025.” 

Tennis Europe President, Henrik Thorsøe Pedersen, said, “Tennis Europe supports and is fully committed to the World Tennis Number. Our recently elected Board and the new Junior Committee will evaluate the use of the WTN as an additional entry criterion for Junior Tour events, which we hope to implement in the near future.”