'This is going to be special': 2023 ITF Masters World Championships
The ITF Masters World Team Championships in the 55+ and 60+ age categories get underway on Sunday in Lisbon, Oeiras and Estoril before the Individual World Championships take centre stage from 19 August. Matt Byford, the ITF’s Head of Juniors and Masters Tennis, previews the showpiece events which promise to be memorable.
The start of the season’s second ITF Masters World Championships is only days away and everyone is really looking forward to being in Portugal to watch the spectacle unfold.
This will be the third time that Federação Portuguesa de Ténis has hosted the World Championships and on each previous occasion they have done an amazing job. I am sure this year will be just as great as other editions, if not even better.
The new hosting model means there is a difference this year, with just two age groups competing here in Portugal – the 55 and over category, and the 60 and over category.
These two age groups are the peak of our curve in terms of participation. If you imagine a bell curve, it begins with players competing in the 30+ category and steadily increases as you go through the age groups before reaching its highest point with the 55s.
Having just the two age groups here really is beneficial for the players in so far as ties can be scheduled each morning which avoids the risk of them taking place late in to the evening, which has occurred at World Team Championships in recent years.
The latest World Championships begin on Sunday with the team event and we have great numbers for the four competitions – the Maureen Connolly Cup (Women’s 55), Austria Cup (Men’s 55), Alice Marble Cup (Women’s 60) and Von Cramm Cup (Men’s 60).
Entries are still open (until 10am GMT on Monday 14 August 2023), but we have already seen extremely healthy interest and entry numbers for both the men’s and women’s individual events, which get underway on 19 August.
In fact, there is the potential for record entries, and I am not surprised by that in the slightest. With Portugal being such a great host for the event, word has clearly spread and excitement built within the Masters Tennis community.
More specifically, the World Team Championships are being held across three venues here in Portugal – in Lisbon, Estoril and Oeiras, all of which have fantastic facilities and are beautiful places to spend time and play tennis. The players will be made to feel very special indeed.
Matt Byford is the ITF’s Head of Juniors and Masters Tennis
I am often asked if there are any fundamental differences between these World Championships and say the ones held in Antalya, Turkiye back in March, which saw players in the 30-50 age groups compete.
At those World Championships, there were a lot of players finding their feet on the ITF World Tennis Masters Tour and perhaps playing their first World Championships, whereas in Portugal the dynamic is totally different.
A lot of the teams and players here are established and experienced within Masters Tennis and by this age group certain patterns and rivalries have developed, which always adds an interesting twist to proceedings.
Winning is not the sole ethos of Masters Tennis, which reflects the values of camaraderie, community and competitive opportunity, while at the same time offering the chance for players to test themselves, improve their fitness and travel.
Make no mistake, however, every player at the World Championships in Portugal wants to win. As soon as dates for the World Team Championships are released, players are desperate to be selected by their national teams and represent their countries.
For the World Team Championships, they are selected by their National Associations in a similar way to players competing in Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup, and wearing national team colours is a huge source of pride for any individual and their families.
World Championships – across both the team and individual events – are really special and there is going to be some outstanding tennis on show in Portugal over the coming weeks. Let me tell you, the players competing here are not your usual people aged 55 and 60 – they’re so fit.
There will be some hugely talented players on show – the likes of Lionel Barthez, Helga Nauck, Bart Theelen, Anke Wurst, Bill Moss and Vicki Buholz to name but a few – and some incredible match-ups.
It is going to be a fantastic few weeks of Masters Tennis. I cannot wait.