The Palm Beaches Was Home to the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Seniors and Super-Seniors World Championships

The Palm Beach County Sports Commission hosted two premier global tennis events this spring, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Seniors World Championships and the ITF Super-Seniors World Championships. Simultaneously hosting these events transformed Palm Beach County into the world’s largest stage for international tennis. The ITF Seniors World Championships occurred from May 1-May 14 with the ITF Super-Seniors World Championships happening from April 24-May 7. In total, both events attracted over 2,000 international tennis players who competed in team and individual championship divisions for women and men. The ITF Seniors World Championships featured age groups of 50+, 55+, and 60+ while the ITF Super-Seniors Championships included age groups of 65+, 70+, 75+, 80+, 85+, and 90+.

The Palm Beaches’ versatility as a sports tourism destination was on full display as these two championship events occurred over 14 different venues. The ITF Seniors World Championships’ venues consisted of BallenIsles Country Club, Boca Grove Country Club, Boca West Country Club, Broken Sound Country Club, Palm Beach Gardens Tennis Center, North Palm Beach Country Club, PGA National Resort & Spa, The Country Club at Mirasol, The Polo Club of Boca Raton, and Woodfield Country Club while the ITF Super-Seniors World Championships were held at the Boynton Beach Tennis Center, Coral Lakes Country Club, The Club at Quail Ridge, and Boca West Country Club.

Over the two-week duration, athletes from more than 40 countries traveled to The Palm Beaches. Participating nations included Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, India, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Uruguay, US Virgin Islands, Zimbabwe, and more.

Tennis was a symbol of great triumph over incredible adversity in The Palm Beaches when the war-torn nation of Ukraine was represented by 98-year-old Leonid Stanislavskyi. Stanislavskyi, who is regarded as the oldest competitive tennis player in the world, was given a rousing reception when he walked out to compete in the ITF Super-Seniors World Championships wearing Ukrainian colors.

Palm Beach County presented one of the most powerful sports moments on the globe in 2022.