“It would unbelievable, but I want to be the No. 1 men’s player,” says Japan’s Shintaro Mochizuki when quizzed about the prospect of him finishing the season as the top-ranked boy on the planet. The answer speaks volumes about the 16-year-old’s ambition.

Mochizuki is in a three-way tussle for the year-end No. 1 spot with fellow 2019 Junior Grand Slam winners Jonas Forejtek and Holger Vitus Nodskov Rune, all of whom will draw swords at the ITF World Tennis Tour Junior Finals, which start on 23 October.

He is currently second in the ITF World Tennis Tour Junior Rankings presented by IMG Academy, behind Forejtek but ahead of Rune, following a season in which he triumphed on Wimbledon’s Court No. 1 to seal Junior Grand Slam joy.

In reaching the business end at SW19, Mochizuki became the first Japanese boy to contest a Junior Grand Slam singles final and took that accolade a step further by overcoming Spain’s Carlos Gimeno Valero 6-3 6-2.

He supplemented that success by playing a starring role as Japan defeated hosts USA to claim their first Junior Davis Cup by BNP Paribas title since 2010 at the US National Campus at Lake Nona, Orlando in September.

All things considered, it has been quite a campaign for Mochizuki, who also reached the semi-finals at Roland Garros before running into an inspired Toby Kodat, and one which has provided a timely confidence boost.

“Winning a Junior Grand Slam title at Wimbledon was unreal and made me believe so much more than before,” Mochizuki told itftennis.com. “I remember the moment of victory in the final, I couldn’t really believe what had happened. I was just so happy that I’d won the tournament. It was a big step for my career.”

While pictures of Mochizuki clutching silverware at the All England Club have become the money shot, dig a little deeper and, as is often the case with sporting triumphs, the character-building, watershed moment arrived under a less intense glare.

For Mochizuki, it was a first-round showdown against France’s Valentin Royer, who will also compete on the hard courts of Chengdu at the ITF Junior Finals. Mochizuki held his nerve to save a match point before advancing to round two – a seminal victory which ignited his title charge.

“That first round, it was one of the toughest matches I ever played,” said Mochizuki, who also overcame Roman Andres Burruchaga, Arthur Fery, Anton Matusevich and Martin Damm on his way to the final. “I saved a match point and won, so it was the biggest win for me.”

With the catalyst being team success with Japan in Orlando, it has also proven a campaign which has Mochizuki dreaming of representing his country in some lofty tournaments, specifically Davis Cup and the Olympic Games.

“I love playing for my team and country and winning for Japan,” said Mochizuki. “I want to play Davis Cup and all these other major competitions and win for my nation.

“I hope our win in Orlando can be really important for Japan and Japanese tennis. I hope everyone in Japan is happy. It was a win for the team and for the country. It was unreal and such a happy feeling.”

Only time will tell whether Mochizuki achieves his aims. His immediate concern and next challenge, however, is the ITF Juniors Finals, and as the countdown continues, Mochizuki has a somewhat ominous message for his fellow competitors and those with designs on toppling him at the Sichuan International Tennis Centre.

“I’m so excited to be playing against the greatest junior players of 2019, and because only the best eight will be there, winning in Chengdu would be special, especially after the year I’ve had,” he added.

“It’s been the best year of my life. I’ve lost many matches but I have learned and used those defeats really well. I have also realised and proven to myself that I can play on all surfaces.”