The inaugural 14 & Under event at Wimbledon gets under way today.
11 European players will be on court as the Grand Slam event provides a stage for the sport’s elite juniors of this age group for the first time.
A total of 32 players from around the world have been invited to compete on the hallowed lawns of SW19. Last month’s Category 1 Tennis Europe Junior International in Roehampton served as the qualifying competition for Europe’s players, with Matei Todoran (ROU), Maximilian Heidlmair (AUT), Andreea Diana Soare (ROU), Mika Stojsavljevic (GBR) and Veronika Sekerkova (CZE) all securing their spots by virtue of their performances there. Other players secured their places through qualifying events in different regions.
Tournament Director Jamie Baker explained to wimbledon.com that the players will not only benefit from the early opportunity to compete on grass but will also enjoy “the absolute Wimbledon experience.”
With 16 players in the boys’ and girls’ draws, the first phase of the tournament sees four round-robin groups compete over two days. The winners of each group will advance to Saturday’s semi-finals.
Tennis Europe CEO Thomas Hammerl commented, “We are delighted to see a 14 & under event at Wimbledon highlighting these incredible talented juniors. This has been a goal of the Championships for a long time and Tennis Europe has been involved with supporting the project ever since we were first approached three years ago. In the long term, we aim to establish a grass court swing to the Junior Tour calendar, giving invaluable experience to the youngest players on this most special of surfaces.”
Keep up with the latest draws and results from Wimbledon here.