Trophies, ranking points and prestige are on offer at the ITF World Tennis Tour Junior Finals but before the serious on-court business begins the players have the chance absorb the culture of China and its various traditions.  

Monday witnessed the annual visit to the Chengdu Panda Base with Valentin Royer, Harold Mayot, Diane Parry, Oksana Selekhmeteva, Kamilla Bartone, Hurricane Tyra Black, Thiago Agustin Tirante, Natsumi Kawaguchi, Zheng Qinwen, Liam Draxl and Holger Vitus Nodskov Rune all in attendance.

Twelve months ago, Colombian pair Maria Camila Osorio Serrano and Nicolas Mejia battled the clock while donning inflatable panda costumes and having their knowledge of the mammals tested in the form of quiz questions.

This year’s visit was a more sedate affair although all attendees at one stage or another could be seen sporting panda-inspired finery and carrying replica stuffed toys. Latvia’s Bartone won the race to head the queue at the merchandise stall, but for the 17-year-old the visit has a special poignancy.

Bartone had spoken prior to arriving in Chengdu of a replica panda sitting on a shelf in her bedroom for the last four years. It was a present from Jelena Jakovleva, her former coach and mother of Jelena Ostapenko, who brought in back from China as a present for Bartone after her daughter had competed at the inaugural ITF Junior Finals in 2015.

Ever since, the cuddly panda has acted as a source of motivation for Bartone, who hoped that one day she might follow in Ostapenko’s footsteps and qualify for the Chengdu extravaganza. That day has arrived, although not without its travel difficulties which threatened her very presence here.

An oversight with her visa application meant Bartone was in grave danger of missing the Finals. However, her Belarusian passport saved the day, allowing Bartone to travel to China temporarily without a visa and fulfil her longstanding ambition.

“I’m really excited and relieved to be here, especially because of the problems I had,” Bartone told itftennis.com. “I’m so happy to be able to see all this. It is my first time in China and it is unbelievable. Everything has been great so far and it feels as though we are professional players.”

Another player to be experiencing the customs of Asia for the first time is Draxl. He said: “It’s such a big change from Canada and America and it’s been great to experience the cultural activities and learn about a different country. I have never seen a real-life panda before so it’s something completely different.”

The visit to the panda base followed the events of the previous evening when players were taught how to make dumplings and then given a crash course in Chinese calligraphy. Tirante is visibly thrilled to be in Chengdu and has been a smiling presence since the moment he arrived at the Sichuan International Tennis Centre following an energy-sapping 27-hour journey from Argentina.

“It has been fantastic,” he said. “This is a great tournament and I’m determined to enjoy being here. I’m also going to make sure I get involved with all the activities until it’s time to go on court. It’s been so much fun so far and it’s incredible to be here and to be doing what we are doing.”

The cultural odyssey continues on Tuesday, but perhaps with a dose of realism. On the one hand players will be wearing traditional Chinese clothing for the competition's draw ceremony in Huanglongxi, although on the other this signals the on-court action is edging ever closer.