[weglot_switcher]
Dear President
I hope you are well.
I am writing as a follow up to the recent ITF AGM.
First of all I want to congratulate Dave Haggerty on his election for another term. I am of course disappointed with the results as I was very motivated to contribute to and add value to the ITF at this time, but I want to wish Dave and the new Board of the ITF all the best for the next four years. From the meetings I had with so many constituents during my campaign, I am aware that the ITF has a lot to do to regain its rightful position as the controlling body of tennis and to get back the respect of the people involved in tennis at national and international level and especially of the players playing international tennis.
I am not a politician but I love the sport of tennis that has given me so much. In deciding to run as Tennis Ireland’s candidate for the ITF Presidency, I set out to try to change positively the direction of the ITF and to present a vision driven by what’s good for tennis, for the ITF shareholders and for the players and the spectators. I feel that I did what I set out to do and I am proud of the campaign that I delivered and that the manifesto Together for Tennis – ITF Strong was positively received at every level of the game especially by the top executives and the National coaches of the ITF member nations. As far as I am aware, since its launch during the Wimbledon championships, the manifesto vision and ideas received no criticism from anyone involved in international tennis and I am optimistic, therefore, that some of the ideas might be incorporated by the ITF going forward.
I want to thank the Presidents of the 70+ National Associations that I visited over the past six months for the hospitality shown to me and for the time they set aside to meet with me during my visit. I certainly learned a lot during this exciting journey and I have no regrets for the time and money that I put into the campaign. In addition, I also want to thank all of the National Association Presidents for taking the time to read the manifesto, Together for Tennis – ITF Strong, and to consider the ideas outlined in this document and in the supporting videos. I appreciated very much the many positive messages I have received over the past two weeks recognising the positive nature of my campaign and the ideas outlined to improve the sport and the ITF going forward. This recognition coming from so many people in the sport that I respect, meant a lot to me.
Following the ITF AGM in Lisbon, I have decided to take a few weeks off and as I write this letter I am preparing to leave to take a well-deserved holiday. I am planning to be back in London in early November and expect to be working again in tennis and in sport soon after that. I should be in a position to announce my plans shortly.
Finally, I want to take the time to wish each of you success on a national basis with the development of tennis in your respective nations (More Player/Better Players).
Together for Tennis – ITF Strong.
Best regards
