Felici and Phelps named Junior Wheelchair Players of the Year for 2023
Italy’s Francesco Felici and Maylee Phelps of the USA have been named as the recipients of the International Tennis Federation’s Wheelchair Tennis Junior of the Year Awards for 2023.
Introduced by the ITF in January 2020, the Junior of the Year Award recognises young wheelchair tennis players who both impress with their results on court and embody the principles of leadership and sportsmanship off-court, while also recognising academic commitment and willingness to support others on their wheelchair tennis journey.
Nominees for awards are sent to the ITF Wheelchair Tennis Committee and after careful consideration of the shortlist, Felici and Phelps were chosen as this year’s worthy winners.
Eighteen-year-old Francesco Felici reached his career-high of No. 2 on the Cruyff Foundation Junior Wheelchair Tennis Ranking in May this year and has maintained his ranking until the end of the year,
In junior competition he’s had an outstanding season, winning the 3rd Trophee Giammartini and Knokke Zoute Junior Roller Open, while also reaching the final of the US Open Junior Wheelchair Tennis Championships. He has also made significant progress in senior competition, including winning the Corendon Sports Open men’s singles title in Turkey, to improve his men’s singles ranking by more than 40 places during the year.
Felici also demonstrated notable commitment and results on and off court while representing Italy’s senior men’s team for the first time during the 2023 BNP Paribas World Team Cup Qualification event.
On learning of his award, Felici said:
“I am truly honoured to receive this award during my final year in the junior category and it feels great to have the hard work of myself and my team acknowledged. To be considered ‘a great ambassador of wheelchair tennis’ is a huge privilege and the greatest recognition of my dedication to the sport these past years and one that I am immensely grateful for. To end the junior season with this award is an incredible motivation to work every day in order to continue pursuing my dreams in the years to come.”
Maylee Phelps became Cruyff Foundation Junior Masters girls’ singles champion in Tarbes in January and has maintained her No. 1 position on the Cruyff Foundation Girls’ Junior Ranking for the majority of the year. She has also improved her senior women’s singles ranking by more than 35 places to reach the women’s singles top 40 for the first time.
Like Felici, Phelps was also recognised for her commitment, results and team qualities demonstrated both on and off court while representing the USA senior women’s team for the first time during the 2023 BNP Paribas World Team Cup World.
Off court, she has also shown fantastic commitment to wheelchair tennis with her significant contribution to dedicated community projects, such as participating in the wheelchair programme at St. Johns Athletic Club and volunteering at Shriner’s Hospital of Oregon with the goal of introducing young children with disabilities to tennis and encouraging them to play the sport.
The positive example Phelps provides to others with her work ethic, respect and compassion for fellow players and the enjoyment she gets from showing younger players how to play wheelchair tennis were also noted by the ITF Wheelchair Tennis Committee, again marking her our as a great ambassador for the sport.
Receiving news of her award on her 17th birthday, earlier this month, Phelps said:
“It is such an honour to have received the Junior Girl of the Year Award 2023. I did my best to step up my dedication, on and off the court, this past year. So, this reward means a lot to me. I’m grateful for how wheelchair tennis has provided me with so many opportunities and the chance to see the world and meet so many wonderful people.”