06 October 2025

Opening Ceremony of the Presidential Cup Tennis Tournament Held

The opening ceremony of the Presidential Cup Tennis Tournament, which will be held for the first time in age groups at the TTF Ankara Tennis Training Center from October 6-12, 2025, took place. The ceremony at the TTF Ankara Tennis Training Center was attended by Vice President Mr. Cevdet Yılmaz, Minister of Youth and Sports Mr. Osman Aşkın Bak, and TTF President Ms. Şafak Müderrisgil.

"An important step for Turkish tennis"

In his speech at the ceremony, Minister Bak stated that a sports revolution is taking place in Türkiye with its stadiums, indoor swimming pools, sports halls, athletic tracks, tennis investments, and many other facilities. "We were here on August 20. We all opened these facilities, which are the heart and center of Turkish tennis. Today, we are witnessing an important new phase. The organization of the Presidential Cup with the support of our President is an important step for Turkish tennis," he said. Minister Bak, who stated that important investments have been made in tennis, said, "This place is the heart of tennis. There is another facility like this in İstinye, Istanbul. We are also updating it and putting it into the service of Turkish tennis with new additions. That is also about to be finished, and we will open it. Also, in Izmir, Antalya, and all over the country, there is tennis." In addition to the four major tennis tournaments, the Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and the US Open, Bak stated that they want to produce European, world, and Olympic champions in other branches as well, and noted the following:

"Sports heal, unite. Sports are a power, a common language. Another issue for us is for our youth to stay away from bad habits and to fight obesity. Therefore, we invite everyone to sports. We advise families to bring their children to swimming pools, indoor sports halls, and tennis courts."

Vice President Mr. Cevdet Yılmaz also made important statements at the opening, saying, "Today, tennis tournaments are organized all over Türkiye, from Hakkari to Edirne, from Gaziantep to Trabzon, from Samsun to Antalya. By moving sports beyond big cities and certain centers, we are giving young people in every region a court experience." Stating that tennis has also started to gain a very important place among other sports, Yılmaz continued his words as follows:

"We are elevating sports all over our country by strengthening the infrastructure, facilities, and human resources in all branches, from tennis to swimming, from athletics to wrestling. Inclusivity is very important here. No sport should be an activity that only certain segments of society do. It is very valuable to spread sports to the entire society, to all segments of society, to all 81 of our provinces. Tennis, which was perceived as a bit of an elite sport, has now become a widespread sport, a sport of the people. It has become a sport that is played everywhere from Iğdır to Samsun, from Ankara to our different provinces. We are continuing our investments in every field with determination for our youth to grow up as stronger individuals physically, mentally, and morally. With the modern sports facilities we have established, our Olympic standard facilities, and our local infrastructure investments, we have made sports accessible everywhere."

Yılmaz stated that tennis has gained remarkable momentum with its rise in the last 10 years, and that the number of licensed athletes, which was 38,000 in 2015, has now exceeded 132,000, and the number of tennis clubs has increased by 255%, from 214 to 761. Yılmaz reported that the number of national tournaments increased from 298 to 377 in the same period, and that nearly 4,000 tournaments were organized in this context. The number of international tournaments increased from 137 to 157, and a total of 1155 international organizations were successfully held between 2015-2025.

'Tennis has become a widespread branch'

Emphasizing that they evaluate tennis as an institutional whole beyond individual success, Yılmaz stated that the number of coaches has reached 17,856 from 6,000, and the number of referees has reached 10,059 from 3,000 since 2015. Yılmaz stated that the Istanbul Tennis Center, with its 3500-person center court, hosts many names from world tennis and has also become a tennis base where athletes carry out their camps and training, and continued as follows:

"The Ankara Tennis Center, which we are in right now, is located on an area of 83 decares and has a total of 14 courts, including one center court, and is one of the world's few facilities where national and international top-level tournaments can be held at the same time. Today, tennis tournaments are organized all over Türkiye, from Hakkari to Edirne, from Gaziantep to Trabzon, from Samsun to Antalya. By moving sports beyond big cities and certain centers, we are giving young people in every region a court experience. Thus, tennis has ceased to be a sport of a certain segment, and has become a widespread branch that citizens of all age groups and from every region are interested in and actively participate in. The Türkiye Century will rise on the shoulders of a healthy, determined, faithful, and sports-growing generation, and I believe that tennis will also have a very important, positive role in this."

'We want to increase the number of our successful athletes'

Yılmaz pointed out that with the addition of the padel and pickleball branches to the tennis family as of February, as well as the wheelchair tennis branch, the diversity and inclusivity of Turkish tennis has increased, and noted the following:

"The successes achieved in Grand Slam and WTA level tournaments, especially Wimbledon, have made us proud. God willing, we will all watch much better successes with pride as a nation. We want to increase the number of our successful athletes such as Zeynep Sönmez, Ahmet Kaplan, Çağla Büyükakçay, and Mert Alkaya. In February, our Ministry of National Education and the Türkiye Tennis Federation signed an important protocol. Within the scope of this protocol, it is aimed to introduce tennis to 180,000 students in our 81 provinces at an early age and to discover new talents." Yılmaz stated that in the future, they will continue to support expanding the player pool in tennis, ensuring that clubs have access to sustainable resources, creating a widespread tournament network, developing tennis tourism, and training athletes at the Olympic level. He said that he believes that sports are also a major sector and an economic field, and that sports will make serious contributions to Türkiye's economic goals. Yılmaz thanked Minister Bak and his team, the Türkiye Tennis Federation, the clubs, coaches, referees, the families of the athletes, and the sponsors, and wished success to all the athletes who will compete on the courts in the Presidential Cup Tennis Tournament.

"This Presidential special trophy is the most meaningful, most prestigious trophy in Turkish tennis"

Turkish Tennis Federation President Ms. Şafak Müderrisgil emphasized that they are celebrating not only the opening of a new tournament but also the beginning of a new era in Turkish tennis. "This tournament, which is under the patronage of the Presidency, has a very important impact and prestige for the development of tennis in Türkiye. This special trophy, which bears the name of the Presidency, is the most meaningful, most prestigious trophy in Turkish tennis. Starting today, the Presidential Cup, which will be held every year under the patronage of our President, will raise our goals and vision to the highest level, and will crown all of our efforts. On this occasion, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to our President, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, for his strong support for this meaningful organization and his unwavering faith in sports," she said. Müderrisgil, who mentioned the work carried out to popularize tennis throughout Türkiye, emphasized that they aim to develop a tennis culture in every region of the country with the "Tennis for Everyone" approach.

"With our 'Haydi Tenise' project, which we started in our 81 provinces, we are introducing thousands of children to tennis. In addition, we have established the 'Tennis Support Variable Fund' to provide support to our athletes with the goal of international success. Our top priority is to make tennis, which is the most watched sport after football, basketball, and volleyball, accessible to everyone who wants it. On this path we have taken, we want tennis to be accessible, known, loved, and watched in every one of our districts, provinces, and regions," she said. Müderrisgil also talked about the new tennis league format, which is another project that the Türkiye Tennis Federation attaches great importance to:

"Another work we are carrying out is the restructured tennis league format that supports the infrastructure age groups and covers our entire country to ensure the popularization of tennis on a provincial and regional basis. I would like to announce here that we will put our new tennis league format into service as of 2026. Thus, we aim to create our talent pool by ensuring participation from every region."

'The beginning of a new era in Turkish tennis'

Müderrisgil stated that the Presidential Cup is an organization that crowns the vision of Turkish tennis, and said that the TTF Ankara Tennis Training Center, where the tournament is held, will be the heart of Turkish tennis:

"This facility is not just a sports complex, but a center where future champions will be raised. With its 7 clay courts, 5 hard courts, and a 3,500-person center court, it is the first of its kind in Türkiye."

This year's national Presidential Cup is hosting 402 athletes in 34 categories. The tournament, which brings together different age groups from 12 to 80, reflects the inclusive and unifying power of tennis. Müderrisgil stated that they aim to turn the tournament into an international brand starting next year, and concluded her words as follows:

"The Presidential Cup is the most important step of our vision that shapes the future of Turkish tennis. On this occasion, I would like to thank our Vice President Mr. Cevdet Yılmaz, our Minister of Youth and Sports Mr. Osman Aşkın Bak, and all our stakeholders."

After the speeches, Bak and Müderrisgil presented a plaque to Vice President Yılmaz. The organization, which will be attended by athletes in the senior, masters, 18, 16, 14, and 12 age groups, as well as the Wheelchair Tennis categories, will end on Sunday, October 12.

06 October 2025