While on a visit to Ashgabat, President of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) David Haggerty highly appreciated the tennis potential of Turkmenistan and the prospects for the development of this sport in the country.

According to Haggerty, the purpose of his trip was to develop ways to develop and strengthen tennis in Turkmenistan. Noting the high level of tennis infrastructure, the availability of courts, coaches and players, he stated the need to take the next step for the further growth of tennis in the country.

“The Olympic village has fantastic conditions for tennis. I believe that on the basis of such excellent sports facilities it is possible not only to strengthen the position of tennis within the country, but also to hold international tournaments to popularize it on a global scale”, - Haggerty said in an interview with a Turkmenportal correspondent.

He reminded the successful organization of the Central Asian Tennis Championship among boys and girls under 12 years old in Turkmenistan last year, which demonstrated the country’s capabilities in hosting high-level competitions. The head of the ITF sees prospects for holding even more tennis events in Turkmenistan, attracting the world's leading tennis players and providing support to local players.

During the visit, David Haggerty met with President Serdar Berdimuhamedov and presented the head of Turkmenistan with an ITF certificate.

Answering a question about the possibility of world tennis stars such as Novak Djokovic or Rafael Nadal playing in Turkmenistan, Haggerty said: “Of course, this is quite possible, provided that international competitions of the highest level are held. It has all the necessary infrastructure to organize elite tournaments that can attract the best players in the world. Turkmenistan is a country with great tennis potential and talented players. We just need to continue to be intentional about this”.