As the Tennis Europe Junior Tour wraps up its 36th season, it's time to recognise some of 2025's outstanding achievements with the annual Player of the Year Awards.
Eight awards have been given across different categories:
- 4 Players of the Year (the top-ranked boys and girls aged 14&U and 16&U after the final Race to Monte-Carlo update of the season)
- 1 Doubles Team of the Year
- 1 National Team
- 2 Overseas Players of the Year (Top-ranked boy and girl from non-Tennis Europe nations)
Previous recipients of these awards include Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek as well as other former world #1s including Andy Murray and Kim Clijsters.Let's meet this year's winners...
GIRLS’ 14&U: ELIZAVETA ANIKINA (EST)
Watch Elizaveta's message on Instagram | 2025 Win/Loss: 55/5 🇪🇪
Coming into 2025 as the Champion at the 2024 Carlos Moya 12&U Festival, Anikina hit the ground running this season, winning her first title of the year in January. Amassing 8 titles across the season, including one at the 16&U level, the Estonian was also a bronze medallist at the Junior Masters. Her list of tournament wins:
- Young Champions Cup Belgium – Category 1
- Internationale Deutsche Tennismeisterschaften U14 – Super Category
- 58° Torneo Avvenire – Super Category
- Estonian Junior Open (* 16&U)
- 32nd Ensana Piestany Cup – Category 1
- Vierumäki Cup 2 – Category 2
- Narva Cup – Category 2
- Quality Hotel Open – Category 3
BOYS’ 14&U: RAFAEL PAGONIS (GRE)
2025 Win/Loss: 56/5 🇬🇷
Being upset in the first round in Tarbes at Les Petits As might just have been the fuel that lit the Greek player’s fire, as he then went on to dominate the season. He steadily climbed the Race to Monte-Carlo, winning three events in the spring. His win at the Milan Super Category event on 7th June took him to the top of the the Race, and once there he never relinquished his throne. Amongst this trove of titles were the Tour's two most prestigious events - the European Championships and Junior Masters, and an incredible 3 Super Category tournaments, listed below:
- Tennis Europe Junior Masters
- World Tec Cup – Super Category
- European Junior Championships
- Lexus Junior International Raynes Park - Category 1
- 58° Torneo Avvenire – Super Category
- 32nd Ensana Piestany Cup- Category 1
- 31ª Taça Internacional Maia Jo– Category 1 – Super Category
- Tim Essonne – Category 1
GIRLS’ 16&U: MARIA POP (ROU)
📺 Watch Maria's message on Instagram | 🇷🇴 2025 Win/Loss: 27/5
Four finals, including two wins (Istanbul and Budapest), along with consistent results at other events, such as a run to the semis at the European Junior Championships, secured plenty of points for the Romanian. Pop was also part of the ITF/Tennis Europe 16 & Under Touring Team this year and nabbed two doubles titles in 2025 in addition to playing an important role on Romania’s victorious 16&U girls’ team at the Summer Cups.
BOYS’ 16&U: LUKA CERAMILAC (SRB)
📺Watch Luka's message on Instagram | 2025 Win/Loss: 23/9 🇷🇸
It was a consistent year on tour for Ceramilac, who played in two singles finals, winning the Sofia Cup in Bulgaria. A round of 32 finish at the European Junior Championships, a semi-final appearance at the Rome Super Category tournament as well as bronze medal at the Junior Masters helped the Serb amass enough points to secure the year-end #1 spot.
OVERSEAS PLAYERS OF THE YEAR (BOYS) – AKHMADI MAKHANOV (KAZ)
2025 Win/Loss: 24/7 🇰🇿
This title goes to the player who had a massive win in Stockholm (Super Category) defeating Rafael Pagonis in the QF en route to a victory in the final against Samuel Dakessian. A runner-up berth at the Category 2 event in Breclav (CZE) and a semifinal in Milan (Super Category) were other standout performances, earning Makhanov the year-end #14 spot on the rankings. It is the fourth consecutive year that a boy from Kazakhstan takes the Overseas Player Award.
OVERSEAS PLAYER OF THE YEAR (GIRLS): AYAKA IWASA (JPN)
2025 Win/Loss: 34/5 🇯🇵
2025 was the year of Iwasa as the 13-year old became accustomed to flying home with excess baggage, her suitcase overflowing with trophies. This included two 14&U titles; two 16&U titles; two 14&U runner-up trophies; and two doubles trophies in each age groups for a total of 10 pieces of silverware in total. Iwasa ended the year at #25 and #71 on the 14&U and 16&U rankings respectively.
DOUBLES TEAM OF THE YEAR – LUYS CALIN & LUCAS ARIEL HERRERA SANCHEZ (GER)
2025 Win/Loss: 14/1 🇩🇪
The dynamic duo had a fruitful 2025 season claiming multiple victories. Their biggest win of the year came in Most, taking gold at the 14&U European Junior Championships. The pair were also winners at the Category 1 Rakovnik event and runners-up at the Stockholm Super Category tournament. Over the year they amassed a higher points total than any other team and won 14 of their 15 regular Tour matches together, plus some great wins at the Summer Cups.
NATIONAL TEAM OF THE YEAR – CZECHIA 12&U GIRLS
The Czech girls’ 12 & Under team claim this award for a second time (first since 2018) after sweeping the Winter and Summer Cups by Dunlop team competitions, the only team to be unbeaten in both European Team Championships competitions across all age groups. The team consisted of Nicole Kurylova, Tereza Vychodilova, Sara Spackova, Vanessa Balej and was captained by Petr Otradovsky.
Congratulations to all the winners! Tennis Europe thanks each and every player that competed on the Junior Tour in 2025, as well as all the coaches, parents, organisers, officials, clubs, volunteers and national federations that work so hard to support junior tennis. We look forward to bringing you more unforgettable Junior Tour experiences in 2026. Happy Holidays!