Tennis Europe Junior Tour | 14/16 & Under
Tennis Europe Junior Tour | 14/16 & Under
Created in 1990, the Tennis Europe Junior Tour has long been the platform of choice for the launch of a
successful career, and in recent years has heralded the arrival of such top players as Justine
Henin-Hardenne, Roger Federer, Amelie Mauresmo, Marat Safin, Richard Gasquet and Maria Sharapova, to
name but a few.
The tour is divided into three age groups; under-16s, under-14s and (since 2000) under-12s. In 2007,
these three categories combined for a total of some 283 tournaments, staged across 43 of the 49 member
nations of Tennis Europe. The exponential growth of the tour - which last year saw participation from
around 10,000 players - represents an astonishing diversification of its original total of 43 tournaments
over two age groups.
In many ways a dress rehearsal for life on the professional circuit, the Tennis Europe Junior Tour also
boasts a cumulative weekly ranking, 'Player of the Year' awards (former recipients include Rafael
Nadal and Kim Clijsters), and a season-ending Masters tournament for the top eight performers in
each category. As with professional tennis, an anti-doping program has been introduced in cooperation
with the ITF in order to educate young players about the dangers of doping.
The appeal of the Tennis Europe Junior Tour extends well beyond its home continent, and in 2006 players
came from almost 100 countries worldwide to participate. Guillermo Coria is one non-European to have
excelled, ending the year as a top ten player twice, once as an U-14 and once U-16. Other players
such as Andy Roddick, David Nalbandian, Lindsay Davenport and Alicia Molik also got a first taste of
European competition on the tour.
Tour events are played at three levels, ranging from the elite Category 1 events, which attract the
strongest draws, to the more numerous and accessible Category 2 and 3 events. Boys and girls events
in both singles and doubles events are held at all tournaments, with some offering additional
consolation tournaments for early losers. In order to reduce the pressure to perform, rankings are
not produced for the youngest age group, whilst player parties, cultural exchanges and tourist trips
encourage all players to focus on more than just their results.
Team events form some of the highlights of the Junior Tour, with the Tennis Europe Winter Cups by HEAD
and the Summer Cups providing youngsters with an early opportunity to compete for their countries,
whilst the European Junior Championships title is arguably the most treasured prize of all. All
three flagship events have an illustrious history, dating back to the founding of Tennis Europe in the
mid-1970's.