ITF

JUNIORS AMAZING RIDE It has been an Czechia scored a rare double victory at the ITF World Junior Tennis Finals in August, with the girls' and boys' teams of the hosting nation lifting both trophies. It was quite a journey for the players of all the 14-and-under teams who took part, as Ross McLean reports. Mentioning that Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Iga Swiatek, Ashleigh Barty, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Marketa Vondrousova and Coco Gauff have all competed at an event in the not- too-distant past is bound to resonate. That group of players would not look out of place at the business end of a Grand Slam, but the competition in question is in fact the ITF World Junior Tennis Finals, albeit they didn't compete all in the same year.  Such a back catalogue of star performers speaks volumes about a tournament, which is the ITF's international team event for players aged 14 and under, and its significance in a talented youngster's development. Only time will tell whether any competitors from the class of 2023 advance along the player pathway and make their mark on the sport's biggest stages, but there was certainly some talent on show in August. For the 24th successive year, the ITF World Junior Tennis Finals were held in Prostejov, Czechia where 22 nations were represented among the 32 teams – 16 boys' teams and 16 girls' teams – bidding for glory. In many respects, winning is not everything given the event carries such a developmental focus, although try telling that to the players who stand atop the podium at the week's end. Those teams can proudly say they are the world's best in the 14-and-under category, while who can forget Swiss captain Roberto Bresolin running on court to embrace his players at the conclusion of the 2022 boys' final? That video was a social media hit and showed exactly what it means. As it was, there was twin delight for hosts Czechia on the clay courts of Prostejov as their boys' and girls' teams triumphed in their respective draws to lift silverware and receive plaudits galore. Czechia, who were represented by Tomas Krejci, Jakub Kusy and Filip Ladman in the boys' competition and Sara Oliveriusova, Lucie Slamenikova and Jana Kovackova in the girls', are now double world champions at this level. It was the first time since 2008, when the United States dominated proceedings, that the same nation had conquered all before them and topped the podium in the boys' and girls' draws. For Czechia's girls, their latest triumph, achieved courtesy of victory over Germany in the final, was their seventh ITF World Junior Tennis title, which draws them level with USA on the all-time list of girls' winners, one behind Russia. However, this was the first time they had ever retained a title and suggests the conveyor belt of Czech talent, particular on the girls' side, shows no sign of slowing; rather it is continuing with relentless pace. It was a completely different scenario for Czechia's boys, as this was their maiden ITF World Junior Tennis title, having finished runners-up on four occasions – in 1997, 2004, 2007 and 2018. Victory was sealed after they dispatched Canada in the final. "For the players, right now, it is a huge success and a bonus for all their hard work," said Czechia boys' captain Jiri Kulich. "More importantly, this should be motivation for them going forward. This should be the beginning of something for them. ITF World Summer 2023 31 " "

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