'Junior Tennis Initiative changed my life': Five million milestone hit
More than five million children have picked up a racket and started their tennis journeys through the Junior Tennis Initiative (JTI) – and the International Tennis Federation has ambitions to boost this number by one million every year.
Devised by the ITF and implemented by National Associations across the world, the JTI is designed for children aged 14-and-under and allows them to play tennis within their communities, schools and local venues.
There is an emphasis on having fun as in many cases this will be the first time the children taking part will have played tennis, while some will never have even picked up a racket before.
The JTI is this year celebrating its 30th anniversary after being launched in 1996, initially as the ITF School Tennis Initiative, following a successful pilot. Since then, approximately 5.25m children around the world have passed through the programme.
There is very much an upward trajectory with 1.5m of those coming between 2021 and 2025. In 2025 alone, 419,750 children participated in the JTI across the globe, which was an increase of 37 per cent on 2024 and the highest number of participants in a single year.
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“For more than 30 years, the JTI has been one of the ITF’s most important grassroots development programmes, helping National Associations establish, sustain and grow tennis in communities around the world," said Tim Jones, the ITF's Participation Manager.
"Through the dedication of our member nations, their coaches, teachers and volunteers, more than five million children have been introduced to tennis through the JTI, creating opportunities for a lifelong relationship with our sport.
"Today, the JTI engages close to 500,000 unique players annually. As we continue to support our member nations and empower more teachers to deliver simple, play-based tennis experiences, our ambition is clear: to reach more than one million children every year and inspire the next generation of tennis players and deliverers worldwide.”
While participation is the founding principle of the JTI, it does also feed into a National Association’s player development pathway. It provides a platform for the more talented players to explore a performance avenue, whether that be regular competition opportunities or national training.
Kenya’s Angella Okutoyi featured within her nation’s JTI before progressing along the player pathway and competing on the ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors and at Junior Grand Slams.
The 22-year-old has since won pro titles on the ITF World Tennis Tour, featured on the WTA Tour and won the tennis event at the African Games. She now attends Auburn University in the United States.
“People know my backstory – life was not easy to begin with – and I will be forever grateful to the JTI, the coaches involved and everyone at the ITF and Tennis Kenya for giving me a start in tennis,” said Okutoyi. “From that moment, life on and off the court changed.
“Everything I have achieved since can be traced to the moment I first started playing tennis. I just remember how much fun the JTI was, while at the same time it instilled in me some important skills.
“I recently saw videos of a JTI session in Nairobi, and they brought back some great memories. It was lovely to see the next generation starting their own tennis journeys with big smiles on their faces. It made me want to join in.”
There are currently 126 nations around the world with an active JTI after Greece adopted the programme in April.
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"Developing our junior players aged 14-and-under is key for our nation as we aim to advance more players to the competitive ranks," said Theodore Glavas, President of the Hellenic Tennis Federation.
"Given we are looking to introduce new children to the sport, increase participation and identify new talent, joining the JTI is an ideal way of achieving such goals in a measurable and systematic way."
The day-to-day implementation of the JTI is carried out by individual National Associations, although ITF support – in whatever way it is required – remains on hand.
The ITF would typically make a financial contribution towards the salary of National JTI Coordinators and provide equipment – distributed by National Associations – to support the development of the JTI within primary schools and local tennis facilities.
It is worth noting that the JTI provides the opportunity for aspiring tennis coaches, schoolteachers and administrative organisers to get involved and make a significant contribution.
National JTI Coordinators and other key providers would also be given access to the ITF Academy and its educational resources, while they would also be supported by 10 ITF Development Officers worldwide.
Danilo Corea has been a National JTI Coordinator in Nicaragua since the programme was first adopted there in 1999. In 2025, 3,446 children were introduced to tennis through the programme.
According to Cecilia Ancalmo, the Development Officer for Central America and someone who piloted the JTI in El Salvador in 1993, Corea is “key to the life of tennis” in Nicaragua. There are many with a similar billing across the globe.
In addition to his work with the JTI, Corea has helped numerous coaches develop their skills, organised countless tennis festivals and captained junior teams to ITF competitions.
But it is the JTI which is Corea’s principal responsibility, and he speaks glowingly about the programme and the positive influence it has on children regardless of age, playing ability or background.
“The JTI gives opportunities to children with limited resources,” said Corea. “Because tennis in our country was an elite sport, only members of private clubs could practice it. Through the JTI, boys and girls from all backgrounds can play.
“It is very gratifying to see boys and girls practicing tennis, it gives a great joy to see them happy and cheerful playing with a racket and equipment which was not previously within reach.
“In Nicaragua, we started the JTI in primary schools in Managua, the capital city. We have now extended it to other departments of the country, such as Masaya, Granada, Carazo, León and Chinandega.
"The programme has also been extended to include children with down’s syndrome, autism, intellectual disabilities and hearing problems.”
The JTI is just one aspect of a far wider ITF development strategy that transcends borders to enable more tennis experiences, put rackets in hands and provide a greater number of people with the opportunity to play tennis.
The ITF's vision is simple – tennis starts locally, grows and succeeds globally and that is the very essence of the JTI, which boosts participation worldwide and expands access to tennis.
To enable this to happen on a wider scale, the ITF reinvests at least 85 per cent of its income each year into growing the game, unlocking a world of opportunity and improving tennis for future generations.
As a central organisation, the ITF invests where it matters most, directly or through its 214 member nations and six affiliated Regional Associations, into grassroots participation, national player development and helping under-resourced nations.