It is on good authority that 20-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer was glued to live scores this week when Switzerland’s rising star Leandro Riedi was doing battle at the Roland Garros Junior Championships.

Swiss tennis has been thrust into the spotlight in Paris as four boys arrived to do battle on the French capital’s famous clay courts and two – Riedi and Dominic Stricker – will contest Saturday’s final.

Come what may, Switzerland will be toasting another champion and either Riedi or Stricker will be following in the footsteps of some lofty names – Martina Hingis, Federer, Stan Wawrinka and Belinda Bencic – in winning a Junior Grand Slam.

Whoever triumphs, Swiss tennis fans would appear to have new and exciting names to follow in the coming years – they are the only nation other than France to have four players in the top 25 of the boy’s rankings. Jeffrey von der Schulenburg, who like Riedi and Stricker, is 18 and Jerome Kym, 17, make up the quartet.

Michael Lammer, who was part of Switzerland’s 2014 Davis Cup-winning side, was appointed Swiss Tennis’s head coach earlier this year after previously overseeing the juniors. He has seen their development, which began at 12-and-under level, first-hand.

“Everyone at Swiss Tennis is very proud,” Lammer told itftennis.com. “These guys have grown up and are nearly adults and we are very pleased with how they have evolved from an early age

“It is always the goal of us as a federation to have juniors doing well in the Grand Slams and this is the base for after. It means the work which has been done is good and the direction is the right one. We are really looking forward to what is coming.

“How far it goes, we cannot predict, but the base is there. We have top players in Switzerland with Roger, Stan and Belinda and maybe they can go into these big footsteps. That is obviously not easy but it is a big advantage for Swiss tennis to have such role models.”

During discussions about the future and how established stars such as Federer, Wawrinka and Bencic are helping to nurture their nation’s aspiring players, Alessandro Greco is a name which tends to crop up.

Greco was appointed head of elite sport at Swiss Tennis in January 2011 and with Riedi, Stricker, Von der Schulenburg and Kym already showing promise in age-range tennis, under his overall stewardship, the merits of the ‘group’ were realised.

For years, Riedi, Stricker and Kym have trained together on an almost daily basis at the national training centre in Biel and while Von der Schulenburg has a slightly different set-up, he has frequently joined.

The key appeared to be their collective strength, and while development occurred at slightly different rates each have had their moments, which has only served as motivation for the others.

“We have been together a long time and we have played a lot against each other and trained together a lot. We have always pushed ourselves to be better and better,” Riedi told itftennis.com.

“Every time when we train together, we are pushing ourselves to the limit and that is big. The push to the limit is key. I am also really happy when someone wins a title, but at the same time that really pushes me.

“We have always done this, when one has success, we are all really happy but the others want it also.”

It is a point echoed by Von der Schulenburg, who told itftennis.com: “It is a really good time to be a young Swiss tennis player. I have three great guys around me and we’re all friends and it is even better to have a group like this so we can compete together.

“Sometimes it is nice to be the best one but we are pushing each other to be better, so if one guy is playing better, you’re like ‘I want to catch up’ and it is awesome that we have this.”

While the impending end of their junior careers, for the three older boys at least, might bring a diversification within their personal set-ups, much-valued and appreciated federation support remains.

There is also an understanding and acknowledgment of the journey ahead, which will no doubt have both highs and lows. However, there is also an excitement about those next steps and the challenge of progressing and achieving in the professional ranks.

“Everyone knows how tough it is to be a pro tennis player and there is a long way to go but if we continue to work as hard as we have in the past and keep looking forwards then, of course, we have a chance,” said Von der Schulenburg.

“But it is so tough and there are always other good players out there. So, for sure, it is not for certain and the chance is small but if we continue then there is a chance that good things might happen.”

Stricker, who has now reached at least the quarter-finals of his last three Junior Grand Slams, is of a similar mindset and believes some positive and fulfilling strides can be taken in the coming years.

“We all have the things we need to get there,” said Stricker, who describes himself as an “aggressive lefty”. “The four of us hopefully have a big future, with each of us having our own style. Hopefully we will be making big steps in the next couple of years. Each of us will certainly be trying and we will see what happens.”

It is often debated whether a nation’s rich history and roll call of past achievement brings invaluable inspiration and incentive or an expectation which is insurmountable and ultimately burdensome.

Swiss players – Federer, Hingis and Wawrinka – have claimed 28 Grand Slam titles between them, all of which have come since 1997, while Timea Bacsinszky has reached semi-finals and Bencic is currently ranked within the Top 10.

The four aspiring stars are certainly leaning towards the former and the precious access they have had to the likes of Federer and Wawrinka has been pivotal as they attempt to forge ahead in a competitive industry.

Kym, Riedi and Stricker, for instance, were invited to stop off in Dubai on their way to January’s Australian Open for a training camp with Federer, while there have been other opportunities along the way. Such chances have been seized with both hands.

“I met Roger once at the Australian Open, trained with him and it was awesome – I have never been as nervous before in my life,” said Von der Schulenburg.

“He just said ‘you juniors can play at the same speed we can, or similar, it is just that mentally you play the wrong shot in the wrong moment’. What a 45-minute session that was.”

Federer apparently advised Stricker to improve his serve and, naturally, work began immediately. “He gave such amazing advice and, of course, it is a big inspiration if we can train with Roger and Stan and try and perform as best as we can in front of them. We pretty much know what they think about us and our games.”

Riedi’s most recent session was with Wawrinka, adding: “He is a really nice guy – very funny also – so it was fantastic to train with him. It was another level of tennis and it was perfect.

“It’s important, if you get such opportunities, to talk to them and ask questions – ‘what should I do in a certain circumstance? What can I do better?’. Because of this we can play stronger tennis in the future.”

Ultimately, however, advice, while precious, can only take a player so far and the rest is up to the individual, a point echoed by Kym, who started playing tennis after finding a racket on his grandmother’s birthday when he was just four years old.

“Every Swiss player looks up to Roger and Stan. Everyone says they can be the new Roger, but no one can do it the way he did it,” Kym told itftennis.com. “Everyone must do it their way.

“It is a great opportunity to look up to them and at what they achieved – that is so important. But rather than just watching them and their scores, we must also focus on what we want to achieve.”

It will be interesting to see what the future holds for this enterprising foursome. For now, Riedi and Stricker have the small matter of a Junior Grand Slam final to contest.