Grand Slam Player Development Programme: 2023 Player Grant Recipients

Established by the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments in 1986, the Grand Slam Player Development Programme strives to inspire players from developing tennis nations and regions by ensuring they have access to greater competitive pathways at an international level, inclusive of the Grand Slams. Since its inception, the Grand Slam Player Development Programme has delivered more than US$58 million to support and cultivate player development.

In 2022, former Grand Slam Player Grant recipients Ons Jabeur (TUN), Casper Ruud (NOR) and Hubert Hurkacz (POL) all finished the year ranked in the Top 20; with Jabeur meeting fellow recipient Elena Rybakina (KAZ) in the final at Wimbledon. Alongside Rybakina, Simona Halep, Victoria Azarenka, Jelena Ostapenko and Gustavo Kuerten are fellow Grand Slam champions also among the Programme’s alumni. This year’s Australian Open main draw included 27 former grant recipients across the men’s and women’s singles competitions.

For the 2023 season, the following players will receive grants of US$25,000 as a contribution towards competition-related costs:

Adrian Andreev (BUL), Reda Bennani (MAR), Pedro Boscardin Dias (BRA), Gonzalo Sebastian Bueno (PER), Gerard Campana Lee (KOR), Luna Maria Cinalli (ARG), Tejasvi Dabas (IND), Nikola Daubnerova (SVK), Rositsa Dencheva (BUL), Manas Dhamne (IND), Alexandra Eala (PHI), Kilian Feldbausch (SUI), Lya Isabel Fernandez Olivares (MEX), Joao Fonseca (BRA), Nick Pierre Hardt Vasquez (DOM), Nicholas-David Ionel (ROU), Renata Jamrichova (SVK), Yoana Konstantinova (BUL), Yelyzaveta Kotliar (UKR), Michaela Laki (GRE), Iva Lakic (MNE), Sol Ailin Larraya Guidi (ARG), Petra Marčinko (CRO), Hamad Medjedovic (SRB), Filip Misolic (AUT), Celine Naef (SUI), Rodrigo Pacheco Mendez (MEX), Lucciana Perez Alarcon (PER), Mili Poljičak (CRO), Leandro Riedi (SUI), Mia Ristic (SRB), Joel Schwaerzler (AUT), Timofei Skatov (KAZ), Daria Snigur (UKR), Dominic Stricker (SUI), Juan Bautista Torres (ARG), Luca Udvardy (HUN), Adolfo Daniel Vallejo (PAR), Otto Virtanen (FIN) and Andraina Mitia Voavy (MAD).

In addition, the following seven players will receive grants of US$12,500: Monique Barry (NZL), Eliakim Wilfried Coulibaly (CIV), Aishi Das (NZL), Joanna Garland (TPE), Claudia Sofia Martinez Solis (MEX), Kai Millburn (NZL), Sada Nahimana (BDI), Finn Reynolds (NZL) and Julia Riera (ARG).

Promising junior players Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva (AND) and Juncheng Shang (CHN) will receive grants of US$50,000.

Among the junior recipients are Petra Marčinko (CRO) and Alexandra Eala (PHI) who both captured Junior Grand Slam titles in 2022, winning the Australian Open and US Open respectively. Marčinko, along with fellow recipients Juncheng Shang (CHN) and Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva (AND), all finished in the Top 200 year-end rankings in 2022, each at just 17 years of age.

Highlighting the Programme’s success in nurturing next generation talent, three professional players from last year’s cohort moved into the Top 100 rankings during the 2022 season as Qinwen Zheng (CHN) finished No.25 in the year-end WTA rankings, alongside Tomas Martin Etcheverry (ARG) and Chun-Hsin Tseng (TPE) achieving No.79 and No.87 year-end ATP Tour rankings, respectively.

Ugo Valensi, Executive Director of the Grand Slam® Board, said on behalf of the four Grand Slam tournaments: “Once again, we are delighted to invest in the development of these emerging players and extend our congratulations to the 2023 recipients of the Grand Slam Player Grants. As many of our former recipients continue to build their professional careers and achieve outstanding results, it is heartening to see the impact the programme can offer to emerging talent around the world.”

David Haggerty, ITF President, said: “We firmly believe that all talented young players should have the opportunities to fulfil their potential, no matter where they live or the resources available to them. Through the Grand Slam Player Development Programme, the Grand Slam tournaments have shown their commitment to developing the game’s future stars – and it is heartening to see players who have received support from the programme in the past now competing in latter stages of the sport’s premier events. We look forward to following the careers of the latest group of grant recipients and wish them all a successful season in 2023.”

To learn more about the Grand Slam Player Development Programme, click here.