ITF

ITF World Summer 2022 29 Whether it be shots of them on court, during the opening ceremony or at the player party, photographs of the modern- day elite competing at the ITF World Junior Tennis Finals tend to prompt astonishment and amusement. Given all they have achieved since, it is quite bizarre to see the likes of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Ashleigh Barty at 14-and-under level when they were taking early, yet vitally important, steps towards a glittering career. Peter Pfannkoch has captained Germany's boys at the Finals since 2019, but also between 1998 and 2000 and saw Nadal in his formative years there. He often tells the story of the Spaniard working as hard then as he does now and regularly hitting for hours after his matches. It is a stark reminder of the role the ITF World Junior Tennis Finals – sometimes this event can be a player's first international team event – has in the development of an aspiring and ambitious young hopeful. After all, the list of current superstars to have contested the Finals is long and distinguished with Iga Swiatek, Daniil Medvedev, Ons Jabeur, Marketa Vondrousova and Coco Gauff among those to have featured in Prostejov. Perhaps the class of 2022 members will develop and prosper to the extent that in the coming years their names will be grouped with such esteemed luminaries and be remembered for once participating at the Finals. The latest edition of Finals, which have been held in Prostejov since 1999, were brimming with quality and enthusiasm, with 32 teams spanning 26 nations battling it out in the boys' and girls' draws. The ultimate aim, of course, to triumph for their nations. While the lifting of silverware is not necessarily the be all and end all – the environment is much more than just winning and, likewise, topping the podium is no guarantee of future success – succeeding in national team colours is always significant. On this occasion, that accolade belonged to the girls of Czech Republic and Switzerland's boys, who enjoyed fabulous tournaments and conquered all before them to be crowned 2022 ITF World Junior Tennis champions. The Czechs were utterly dominant all week, dispatching every would-be contender and winning all 16 matches – across six ties – they contested, losing just three sets in the process. In short, the Czech conveyor belt of talent continues apace. WORLD CHAMPION? How often do you have the title of IN AUGUST, CZECH REPUBLIC'S GIRLS AND THE BOYS OF SWITZERLAND WERE CROWNED 2022 ITF WORLD JUNIOR TENNIS CHAMPIONS ON THE CLAY OF PROSTEJOV, CZECH REPUBLIC. THE TOURNAMENT, HOWEVER, IS FAR MORE THAN JUST SILVERWARE. BY ROSS MCLEAN JUNIORS

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