Apisah gets Grand Slam grant

PAPUA New Guinea’s top tennis player, Abigail Tere-Apisah, pictured, was a proud recipient of the Grand Slam Development Fund  — a US$25,000 (K80,428) grant.
Apisah was an additional player along with Jose Statham of New Zealand who each received the funding as the highest ranked players in the Pacific region.
They were among 14 players from 12 countries who were selected to receive the first-ever International Player Grand Slam Grants financed by the Grand Slam Development Fund.
Abigail started off her professional career straight after 2015 Pacific Games where she was ranked 936th in the world and after two years of playing the 25-year-old had improved her singles ranking to 355th.
The new rankings are expected at the end of the month with Apisah expected to improve her position further after winning three of her four double finals in the row in Australia recently.
She partnered well with Australian Naiktha Bains where they won three and lost one double finals.
The recipients of the Grand Slam fund – six men and six women – who will receive US$50,000 (K160,608) grants are Christian Garin (China), Lloyd Harris (South Africa), Ilya Ivashka (Belarus), Jurabek Karimov (Uzbekistan), Duck Hee Lee (South Korea), Elias Ymer (Sweden), Beatriz Haddad Maia (Brazil), Ons Jabeur (Tunisia), Rebecca Peterson (Sweden), Sabina Sharipova (Uzbekistan), Viktoriya Tomova (Bulgaria) and Renata Zarazua (Mexico).Jose Statham (New Zealand) and Abigail Tere-Apisah were the additions to this list.
The new programme will provide total funding in 2017 of US$650,000 (K2,087,914) to selected players from around the world as a contribution towards their competition-related costs with the aim of helping them to develop as professionals and compete in major tournaments.
US Open chairman Katrina Adams said on behalf of the Grand Slam tournaments: “This important new initiative will provide necessary support to players that we believe show the potential to rise to the top of the game, ensuring that more nations are represented at the highest levels.”
International Tennis Federation president David Haggerty said: “I would like to thank the Grand Slam tournaments for their long-term leadership, commitment and support which has been invaluable to tennis development throughout the world, particularly in those nations with fewer available resources.”
The GSDF was originally established in 1986 to encourage and increase competitive opportunities in developing tennis regions.