Every year in the days leading up to the Orange Bowl, the register of players who have competed at the tournament previously is recited. Despite the appearance of that list being as regular as clockwork, the esteemed names on it never fail to amaze.

Take the last 25 years alone and the number of future Grand Slam winners will serve as major inspiration for those contesting the latest edition, which gets underway on Monday, as the modern-day vintage hunt for end-of-season honours.

Roger Federer, Andy Roddick, Caroline Wozniacki, Dominic Thiem, Sofia Kenin and Bianca Andreescu have all topped the podium there in the recent past, while revisiting the roll call of those who have simply competed at the event is always a worthwhile exercise.

Andre Agassi, Arthur Ashe, Boris Becker, Bjorn Borg, Jimmy Connors, Jim Courier, Stefan Edberg, Chris Evert, Steffi Graf, Justine Henin, Ivan Lendl, Hana Mandlikova, Gabriela Sabatini, Monica Seles, Guillermo Vilas and Mats Wilander – a who’s who of the game – have all played the Orange Bowl.

However, the baton now passes to those taking to the courts at the Frank Veltri Tennis Center in Plantation, Florida over the coming days and, as the final Grade A event of the year, victory is the perfect way to end the season.

On many occasions, Orange Bowl success has determined who takes the much-coveted year-end world ranking and that could well be the case in the girls’ draw as there is unfinished business there.

France’s Elsa Jacquemot and Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva of Andorra are set to battle for the year-end No. 1 accolade. Jacquemot was crowned Roland Garros girls’ champion in October and currently tops the pile, although Jimenez Kasintseva, a Junior Grand Slam winner at the Australian Open, is hot on her heels in second place.

Fellow Top 10 player Kristina Dmitruk may not be in the running for the year-end No. 1 prize, but the opportunity to add a prestigious title to her career CV remains, as does the chance to end 2020 on a high.

The same applies in the boys’ draw. Hungary’s Peter Fajta, Dali Blanch of the United States and Austria’s Lukas Neumayer top the billing and, while none of these are in contention for the year-end No. 1 slot, a trophy, ranking points and prestige are up for grabs.

The significance of the tournament and its standing on the junior calendar is perhaps best reflected in the comments of one of its most recent winners, Argentina’s Thiago Agustin Tirante, who defeated fellow countryman Juan Bautista Torres in last year’s final.

“For me, the Orange Bowl is the best junior tournament after the Grand Slams,” said Tirante. “Ever since I was a kid, I always dreamed of winning the Orange Bowl. I also won the 14s [the 14-and-under age category], so to end my junior career with two Orange Bowl titles is amazing.”

It was Tirante’s third title in as many weeks and his fifth of 2019 as he finished the campaign as the No. 1-ranked boy on the planet and completed a dramatic transformation, having ended the previous season at No. 134.

Robin Montgomery of the United States was the girls’ champion 12 months ago after defeating Jana Kolodynska of Belarus in the final. Like Tirante, Montgomery, 16, won her first professional title during 2020 and believes her Orange Bowl victory to be a significant moment.

“It was really important for me to play the tournament and to be able to win was a big boost to my confidence,” said Montgomery. “I proved to myself that I could win big tournaments at that level and it was good to finish the year off strongly.

“It was pretty significant for my wider career also. It’s a big tournament and it was a major stepping stone for me. For a young junior, it was a big accomplishment to win the Orange Bowl and I have just tried to excel and progress from that title.”

Class of 2020, over to you.