ITF

22 Winter 2020 ITF World Dominic Stricker JeffreyvonderSchulenburg JUNIORS When Dominic Stricker emerged victorious from an all-Swiss showdown in October's Roland Garros boys' final, he could not only bask in the glory of Junior Grand Slam success but also a congratulatory message from the legendary Roger Federer. It is on good authority that 20-time Grand Slam winner Federer was also glued to live scores when another of his nation's rising stars, beaten finalist Leandro Riedi, was contesting one of the tournament's earlier rounds. "Roger and Stan both texted," Stricker, who describes himself as an "aggressive lefty", told ITFWorld. "Roger texted the coach of Leandro and said to pass on his congratulations to both of us after the final, telling us to enjoy what we'd achieved. Stan also messaged in a chat before the match to wish us good luck." Swiss tennis was certainly thrust into the limelight during a pulsating week of action in Paris as four emerging talents jetted into the French capital to compete on the city's famous clay courts. It was Stricker, however, who went the distance, dispatching Riedi in something of a one-sided final to become Switzerland's first Junior Grand Slam boys' champion since Stan Wawrinka, also at Roland Garros, in 2003. Victory also ensured the 18-year-old followed in the footsteps of some other lofty names and the likes of Martina Hingis, Federer and Belinda Bencic, who have all been crowned Junior Grand Slam champions. If this year's Roland Garros tournament is anything to go S W I S S T I M I N G With Switzerland dominating the boys' draw at Roland Garros this year, has the heir to some of the nation's biggest stars been found? ITFWorld investigates

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