As back catalogues go, the list of esteemed players to have competed at the ITF World Junior Tennis Finals over the years is long and distinguished, and one man to have witnessed some particularly special intakes is Germany captain Peter Pfannkoch.

Pfannkoch is currently captaining his nation’s boys’ team for the second time, having previously held the position between 1998 and 2000 – a period which included the transfer of the tournament from Japan to its current venue in Prostejov.

During Pfannkoch’s first stint at the German helm, the likes of Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Richard Gasquet, Barbora Strycova, Dinara Safina and Marcel Granollers all featured in opposing teams.

When asked for his most memorable recollections of those years, it is unsurprising that he homes in on 2000 boys’ champions Spain and, more specifically, the performances of Nadal, who has proceeded to win 18 Grand Slam singles titles.

“Even at the age of 13, on and off court, Nadal lived for tennis,” Pfannkoch told itftennis.com. “I am always telling these young guys that Nadal, who competed at the tournament in 1999 and 2000, was practising as hard then as he is now. It was incredible to see.

“He used to go out and take the No. 2 and No. 3 in the team and work for two or three hours with a passion that I haven’t seen before or since. Nadal was different to almost every other player at the tournament. His attitude was just different and was just like it is nowadays.”

Another Grand Slam winner to have flickered on Pfannkoch’s radar during his time in charge of Germany at the turn of the century was Murray, whose zest and competitive edge was already well-developed by the time he was competing in the 14 and under age category.

“On court, Andy had a lot of emotional ups and downs at this age but you could see he had a lot of talent,” said Pfannkoch.

“His attitude used to rise and drop but, even with this, he was always competitive and always trying, which is something we still see today. In my opinion, he sometimes made life more difficult for himself than it needed to be, but you could see he was a fighter.

“But all these players were a little different to each other at that age. From a technical point of view, Gasquet, for instance, was perfect and he had a fantastic game-plan.”

With players showcasing and harnessing traits that seemingly remain with them throughout their entire careers, the ITF World Junior Tennis Finals have proven themselves to be an important step in a talented player’s development.

Predictably, therefore, Pfannkoch is a major proponent of the competition, which for many offers a first taste of international team competition and allows accomplished youngsters to pit their wits against previously unknown styles and competences.

“It is a very good tournament,” he added. “By having the best 50 boys in the world – of course there are others who didn’t qualify – the level is high and it is a great experience for them. Being here and having all these tough matches all week long is such a great challenge for them.

“It was an important tournament in terms of development when the likes of Nadal and Murray were playing and it is the same today. The standard remains the same in recent years as it was in past.”

As for the modern-day German vintage, an indifferent group-stage campaign, which brought only one win from three ties, ended hopes of qualifying for the quarter-finals. Back-to-back play-off victories against Egypt and Peru, however, have left the 2014 boys’ champions in contention for a ninth-place finish.

“In all honesty, we expected to do a little better,” said Pfannkoch.

“At this time, we have won three out of five ties. In the first two ties of the week we didn’t perform too well and we don’t deserve to be in the group that plays for the title.

“If we had started better then I feel we could have done much better. In the end, though, we are playing for ninth place and that’s our goal tomorrow.”