Around 150 players at the European 14 & Under Championships in Pilsen (CZE) attended a special ITF/Tennis Europe Educational Forum yesterday, on the eve of the flagship Tennis Europe Junior Tour event.
The Forum was opened by Tennis Europe’s Communications Manager, Jonathan Jobson, who introduced the audience to the work of the International Tennis Federation and Tennis Europe, and took a look at this year’s celebrations of the 25th anniversary of the Tennis Europe Junior Tour.
Dr. Iva Klimesová of the University of Olomouc then informed the junior players about the importance of proper nutrition for high performance tennis, focusing on issues such as how athletes should remain hydrated during competition, and when, what and how much to eat.
Faye Andrews of The Emilia Group then gave the players an introduction to the role of the media in tennis, and the responsibilities that players have. Her presentation included contributions from top players including Novak Djokovic, Tommy Robredo and Robin Haase, who were keen to pass on their best media tips and advice to the young players.
The athletes will have the chance to put some of their new-found knowledge into practice in the coming days. As a special event to celebrate the Tour’s 25th anniversary, the players will be joined by HEAD’s Gameraiser campaign star Stefan Bojic to compete for the title of European Junior Championships Trickshot Champion and to record some special online promo features.
Mr. Jobson commented, “It’s always fun to carry out these workshops as an introduction to the ITF Junior Tennis School and as part of our commitment to providing positive and formative experiences on the Tennis Europe Junior Tour. We’d like to thank the audience for being so attentive and players and coaches alike for the very positive feedback we received following the event.”
Play gets under way on Monday 20th July at the European Junior Championships across thee venues, Pilsen (14&U), Moscow (16&U) and Klosters (18&U). You can follow all the latest draws and results here.