The initiative is funded by the Grand Slam Player Development Programme which was established in 1986 by tennis' four Grand Slam tournaments - the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open.

It aims to encourage and increase competitive opportunities for players from developing tennis regions.

Since its inception, as the Grand Slam Development Fund, it has contributed more than $55 million (£41 million/€49 million) to support player development.

A total of 44 players will receive grants of up to $25,000 (£18,000/€22,000) in 2022, including China's Juncheng Shang and Croatian Petra Marcinko who were the junior number ones at the end of last year.

"On behalf of the four Grand Slams, we offer our congratulations to the 44 recipients of the 2022 Grand Slam Player Grants," said Ugo Valensi, executive director of the Grand Slam Board.

"We hope these grants continue the legacy of the Grand Slam Player Development Programme in helping to enable professional and junior players from developing countries to compete internationally in some of the world’s most famous events."

In 2021, former Grand Slam Player Grant recipients Ons Jabeur of Tunisia, Norway's Casper Ruud and Poland's Hubert Hurkacz made history and finished the year in the top 10 rankings.

Grand Slam champions Simona Halep of Romania, Belarusian Victoria Azarenka, Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko and Gustavo Kuerten of Brazil are also among the programme’s alumni.

"At the heart of our development goals is that any player with talent, no matter where they live or what resources they have available to them, will have the chance to fulfil their potential," said International Tennis Federation President David Haggerty.

"The recent successes of players like Ons Jabeur of Tunisia demonstrate the importance of this support and we thank the Grand Slam tournaments for their continued investment in the stars of the future."