Tennis Tension in Lisbon

(ATR) The race for the presidency of the International Tennis Federation comes to an end.

Incumbent David Haggerty is favored to retain his seat against challenges from Dave Miley (Ireland), Anil Khanna (India) and Ivo Kaderka (Czech Republic). Khanna lost by a narrow margin to Haggerty in 2015.

The vote by the 150+ national associations takes place Sept. 27 in Lisbon.

Haggerty was first elected in 2015 and has led the ITF to make major changes to the Davis Cup which are still being debated.

Miley was an ITF staff member for 25 years, leading the federation’s biggest department, development. He has visited 70 countries during his campaign.

After the vote for president, elections will follow for 14 members of the Board of Directors. Among the candidates will be the Paraguayan member of the International Olympic Committee, Camilo Pérez López-Moreira.

"I'm very hopeful," he tells Around the Rings when asked about his chances.

"I hope to have good choices. It won't be easy. The whole world votes," he says.

Pérez has emerged in 2019 as one of the main leaders of the sport in America. Along with his IOC position he is a member of the Executive Board of the Association of National Olympic Committees and the Executive Committee of Panam Sports.

He is also president of the South American Sports Organization (ODESUR), the Paraguayan Olympic Committee and the South American Tennis Confederation, positions in which he was re-elected for new terms.

Perez and Shamil Tarpishchev, president of the Russian Tennis Federation, are the only members of the IOC in the ITF. Since 2015, Perez has been a member of the ITF Olympic Commission.

"The truth is that as a tennis lover, a sport that I practiced and had in my heart all my life, it would be a great honor to have the votes and support of all the countries in the world to contribute my experience," he told ATR.

"My position today in the IOC and in the Olympic world, I think it gives me a vision that can be very useful for the world of tennis," he says.

The Paraguayan leader confirmed that on Wednesday the South American Tennis Confederation (COSAT) held its second annual congress. He says the group analyzed the progress of 11 projects related to growing the sport of tennis.

Camilo Pérez dismisses the possibility of a South American bloc vote. "Our statutes do not allow us to talk about bloc votes," he says.

But he notes "we are working online" and that "COSAT is an example at the regional level and we are usually very close."

Camilo Pérez says he wants to see continuing support for the changes to the Davis Cup and Federations Cup, more growth for the sport and greater development in the regions that need it most. He also believes the transition from junior players to the professional ranks needs to be "cheaper and more efficient".

The new Davis Cup will be held in Madrid in November. It is co-sponsored with the Kosmos company, a firm headed by FC Barcelona soccer star Gerard Piqué. The finals now involve 18 teams, in one week.

If no candidate gets a majority in the first round, the first two will go to the second round, a scenario that will produce more tension in Lisbon.

Reported by Miguel Hernandez

For general comments or questions,click here.

Your best source of news about the Olympics is AroundTheRings.com, for subscribers only.