A significant event in the sports life of Turkmenistan was the completion of the two-day visit to our country by David Haggerty, President of the International Tennis Federation (ITF), and Yuriy Polskiy, President of the Asian Tennis Federation (ATF).
The International Tennis Federation, led by 66-year-old International Olympic Committee member David Haggerty since 2015, includes 210 national associations. The Asian Tennis Federation, whose president last year was elected 56-year-old Vice President of the Tennis Federation of Kazakhstan Yuriy Polskiy, has 45 members.
The Tennis Federation of Turkmenistan (TFT) was registered in 1992 and has been a full member of the respective International Federation (ITF) since 1993, and of the Asian Federation (ATF) since 2001.
In recent years, the Tennis Federation of Turkmenistan, which includes more than 40 certified coaches and over 2000 athletes, has noticeably intensified cooperation with both the ITF and the ATF.
In 2022, the International Tennis Federation officially recognized the training system of TFT, which meets all international criteria, and authorized it to independently certify coaches on behalf of the ITF.
Another notable event in the country's sports life was the appointment of 33-year-old Chairman of the Tennis Federation of Turkmenistan (TFT), Eziz Dovletov, as Vice President of the Asian Tennis Federation and his election to the Board of Directors of this continental organization at the ATF Congress in Bangkok, Thailand, in 2023. In addition, the head of TFT was elected to the International Tennis Federation (ITF) committee for the organization of Masters Tournaments in 2024-2025.
At the same ATF Congress, the Asian Tennis Federation noted the work of the Tennis Federation of Turkmenistan in organizing the Central Asian Team Championship U-12 in Ashgabat. ATF leaders called the regional championship held in June 2023 in the Olympic Town of the Turkmen capital with the participation of teams from Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan a benchmark and an example of organizing tennis competitions.
It is also noteworthy that in 2023, tennis players of Turkmenistan won a record number of medals - 40! 13 of them were gold, 10 silver and 17 bronze.
In addition to this, Turkmen tennis player Ilima Guseynova has qualified for the first time for the qualifying stage of the prestigious Wimbledon tournament for girls U-14. The tournament will take place from April 6 to 20, 2024, in Malaysia. She earned this right by taking 4th position in the Asian Tennis Federation rankings.
All these significant events in the history of domestic sports did not remain unnoticed by the International Tennis Federation (ITF). During his visit to Ashgabat, ITF President David Haggerty presented President Serdar Berdimuhamedov with an ITF certificate as recognition of his significant contribution to the development of tennis in Turkmenistan.
"President Serdar Berdimuhamedov is a great supporter of sports. He is also the president of the National Olympic Committee, which speaks for itself", David Haggerty said in an interview with "GA" correspondent.
The President of the International Tennis Federation also revealed that during the meeting with President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, they discussed the possibilities of using Turkmenistan's sports infrastructure for holding international tennis tournaments, training camps and master classes, construction of tennis facilities in other cities, as well as plans to create a regional tennis center for Central Asian countries in Ashgabat. According to David Haggerty, there are all the possibilities for this.
"I have been to many countries, but what I saw here pleasantly amazed me. Turkmenistan is a country with fantastic sports facilities and great tennis potential. The Olympic Town has all the conditions for hosting major tennis competitions. We are also very fortunate to have Eziz Dovletov, Chairman of the Tennis Federation of Turkmenistan, who has made a significant step in the development of this popular sport in your country", the ITF President emphasized.
During the short-term visit, the high-level guests also met with representatives of the Tennis Federation of Turkmenistan, discussed prospects of expanding cooperation with the Deputy Prime Minister in the Government, and familiarized themselves with the sports infrastructure of Ashgabat.
