Created in 1990, the Tennis Europe Junior Tour has long been the platform for launching a successful tennis career, and in recent years the participation in this Circuit of players such as Justine Henin, Roger Federer, Caroline Wozniacki, Andy Murray, Dinara Safina, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Maria Sharapova, to name just a few, must be highlighted.
The Tour is divided into three age groups: Under-16s, Under-14s, and (since 2000) Under-12s. In 2009, these three categories combined held more than 300 tournaments in total, with 43 of the 49 Tennis Europe member nations participating. The exponential growth of the tour – which last year saw around 10,000 players participate – represents a remarkable diversification from its original format of 43 tournaments and two age groups.
The Tennis Europe Junior Tour's appeal extends far beyond its own continent, and in 2009, players from nearly 100 countries around the world came to participate. Guillermo Coria is one non-European who excelled, finishing the year as a top-ten player twice, once as an Under-14 and once as an Under-16. Other players like Andy Roddick, Juan Martín Del Potro, and Sania Mirza also achieved their first major European result competing on the Tour.
Within each age group, the Circuit consists of three Grade 1 tournaments: Grade 1 tournaments attract the largest number of players, featuring 64-player draws in both the men's and women's categories. Grades 2 and 3 offer the same appeal but are more accessible to lower-ranked players. In all tournaments, the aim is for children to participate in cultural and linguistic exchanges, forge new friendships, and so on, rather than focusing solely on tennis results. All events include singles and doubles draws.
More than a quarter of a million spectators visit the organizing Clubs annually to watch the Tournaments, which are reported in more than 780 magazines worldwide, collecting more than 12,000 minutes of television and radio airtime.
The quality of play in the European Junior Tour tennis is such that it has sparked the interest of former world number 1s, including Graf, Seles, Sánchez-Vicario, Mauresmo, Becker, Lendl, Safin, Moya and Wilander, who actively participate and showcase their talent to the international audience through press articles and on TV, for the first time on the European circuit, demonstrating that the Tour is getting better every year.
The “Juan Fuster Zaragoza” Tournament, to be held from September 2nd to 11th, 2010 at the “Club Deportivo Lope de Vega” facilities in Benidorm, will feature 80 girls and 100 boys from 34 countries across 5 continents, along with coaches and accompanying persons, totaling more than 200 people. The tournament will include women's and men's singles and women's and men's doubles. European teams, each composed of 2 girls, 2 boys, and 1 captain, are also expected to participate; these teams will be confirmed at the beginning of August.
SEMIFINALS AND FINALS
The tournament currently underway at the school is reaching its most exciting stage. The intense heat hasn't missed this event, and the fight for rankings is proving fierce. The level of play is quite high, but fatigue is starting to take its toll on some participants, who have already had to withdraw from the competition due to injuries or fainting spells. These youngsters, barely 14 years old, are demonstrating that a refined strategy is key to achieving top rankings. Some of them, like the Australian, are already considered favorites. Jake Delaney (masculine) or Elena Milicevic (female).
But nothing is decided yet, and the big event will take place this weekend, where the semifinals and finals of the Tournament will be played.
SATURDAY, September 10:
Men's / Women's Semifinals (10:00 am)
Men's/Women's Doubles Finals (16:00 pm).
SUNDAY, September 11:
Women's Finals: (10:30 am)
Men's Finals: (11:00 am)
